Leo Gordon
| Leo Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leo Vincent Gordon December 2, 1922 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2000 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Cremains at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Novelist, screenplay writer, actor |
| Years active | 1952–1994 |
| Spouse(s) | Lynn Cartwright (1950–2000, his death) |
| Children | Tara Gordon |
Leo Vincent Gordon (December 2, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American film and television character actor as well as a screenplay writer and novelist. During more than 40 years in film and television, he was frequently cast as a supporting actor playing brutish bad guys.
Gordon was born in Brooklyn in New York City on December 2, 1922. Reared by his father in dire poverty, Gordon grew up during the Great Depression. He left school in the eighth grade, went to work in construction and demolition, and then joined the New Deal agency, the Civilian Conservation Corps, in which he participated in various public works projects. After the United States entered World War II in 1941, Gordon enlisted in the U.S. Army, in which he served for two years and received an undesirable discharge. Gordon was in southern California where he and a cohort attempted to rob a bar and its patrons with a pistol. He was shot in the stomach by one of the patrons. He was arrested for armed robbery and served five years in San Quentin Prison, where he furthered his education by reading nearly every book in the library.
Gordon took advantage of the benefits accorded him as part of the G.I. Bill and began taking acting lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (ADA). During his time at the ADA, Gordon was enrolled with several future screen legends including Grace Kelly and Anne Bancroft. For a time, Jason Robards, later a two-time Academy Award winner, was Gordon's instructor. It was here that he also met his future wife, Lynn Cartwright, who would have a sporadic but lengthy career as a character actor, mainly in television. They were married in 1950 and remained together until his death a half century later. They had one child, a daughter named Tara.
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