Biography
He had been a stage performer and minor character actor prior to being cast as Gomez, and his pop-eyed, relentlessly cheery turn as the bizarre paterfamilias instantly launched him to stardom. From there, he worked regularly as a guest star on television while honing an infrequent second career as a director, which included an Oscar nomination for his short, "Prelude" (1968). Though the quality of his projects declined in subsequent years, he …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
| Earliest TV directing credits, helming episodes of "McMillan and Wife" and "Night Gallery" | ||
| Played best-known TV role as Gomez Addams on the ABC sitcom, "The Addams Family" | ||
| Played recurring role of Buddy Ryan on the NBC sitcom, "Night Court" | ||
| Played recurring role of Professor Wickwire on the Fox Network's comedy-Western series, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." | ||
| Played role of Ed LaSalle on the CBS sitcom, "Mary" | ||
| Played the recurring role of cousin Rudy on the ABC sitcom, "The Pruitts of Southampton" (series name changed to the "The Phyllis Diller Show" midway during its run) | ||
| Provided the voice of Gomez Addams for the ABC animated children's series, "The Addams Family" | ||
| Starred as Captain Matthew Sherman on the ABC sitcom, "Operation Petticoat", based on the 1959 hit movie; also directed some episodes | ||
1954 | Made stage debut in a revival of "The Threepenny Opera" at the Theatre de Lys in New York City | |
1956 | Made Broadway stage debut in a revival of "Major Barbara" at the Martin Beck Theatre | |
1961 | Feature film debut, "West Side Story" | |
1962 | First TV series: Played role of Harry Dickens on the ABC sitcom, "I'm Dickens...He's Fenster" | |
1968 | Produced and directed a short film, "Prelude", which received an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Subject | |
1971 | First TV-movie, "Two on a Bench" | |
1976 | Last feature film for over a decade, "Freaky Friday" | |
1977 | Reprised role of Gomez Addams for the TV-movie, "The Addams Family" | |
1987 | Returned to feature film work with roles in "Teen Wolf Too" and "Body Slam" | |
1988 | First created the role of Professor Gangrene for the spoof feature, "Return of the Killer Tomatoes" | |
1992 | Played role of Radford on the short-lived NBC fantasy series, "Eerie, Indiana" | |
1997 | Toured in one-man show "Edgar Allen Poe: Once Upon a Midnight" | |