William Fawcett (actor)
| William "Bill" Fawcett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Fawcett Thompson September 8, 1894 High Forest, Minnesota, US |
| Died | January 25, 1974 (aged 79) Sherman Oaks, California, US |
| Cause of death | Cardiovascular disease |
| Resting place | Rose Lawn Cemetery in Roseville, Minnesota |
| Occupation | Actor (Pete Wilkey on NBC's Fury) Former university professor |
| Spouse(s) | Helene Krag Fawcett (married 1925–1974, his death; she died in 1997) |
| Children | No children |
William "Bill" Fawcett (September 8, 1894 – January 25, 1974) was a character actor in Hollywood B-films and in television. His career extended from 1946 until the early 1970s. He is probably best remembered for his role as the cantankerous, rusty-voiced Pete Wilkey of the Broken Wheel Ranch on the NBC series Fury, co-starring Peter Graves, Bobby Diamond, and Roger Mobley. He was one of the few actors to have earned a PhD degree.
Fawcett was born as William Fawcett Thompson in High Forest in Olmsted County near Rochester in southeastern Minnesota. The name "Fawcett" came from the physician who delivered him. His father, William Eaton Lawrence Thompson, was a Methodist pastor who encouraged young Bill to enter the ministry. On September 5, 1916, three days before his twenty-second birthday, Fawcett was licensed to preach by the Hamline Quarterly Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Minnesota. He graduated from Methodist-affiliated Hamline University in the capital city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
During World War I, Fawcett served as an ambulance driver in the United States Army. Fawcett was decorated by the French government with the Légion d'honneur for his care of the wounded. After his military service, he went into acting, instead of the ministry, first in Canada and then in the United States. He had performed in church dramas and acted so convincingly that his mother would sometimes cry over his characterizations. He performed in repertory theater and stock companies during the 1920s and 1930s.
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