William Windom (actor)

Windom died on August 16, 2012, at age 88 at his home in Woodacre, California from congestive heart failure.

Windom continued to appear in film and TV guest roles during the 1990s and 2000s, with appearances in the films Sommersby (1993), Miracle on 34th Street (1994), and Clint Eastwood's True Crime (1999), and episodes of series, including Ally McBeal (2000) and The District (2001). His final acting appearance came in the 2005 drama Yesterday's Dreams.

He then guest starred in various programs including Columbo, Night Gallery, Marcus Welby M.D., and Quincy M.E. before gaining acclaim for his a recurring role on CBS's mystery series Murder, She Wrote (1986-1996) portraying Dr. Seth Hazlitt of Cabot Cove opposite Angela Lansbury. During this time he would also appear on the shows St. Elsewhere, Magnum, P.I., Newhart, L.A. Law, and Murphy Brown as well as voicing Uncle Chuck in Sonic the Hedgehog. His final television appearances include roles in Fox's Ally McBeal, and CBS's The District.

Windom joined Murder, She Wrote in 1985 as Dr. Seth Hazlitt. His initial appearance was in October 1985. (He had previously appeared as a guest star playing another character in April 1985.) The producers invited him to return at the beginning of the second season in a continuing role. Windom briefly left the show in 1990 to work on the first television version of Parenthood (based on the 1989 film of the same name), playing the role of patriarch Frank Buckman (played by Jason Robards in the film and, later, Craig T. Nelson in the second TV version). The show was canceled after 12 episodes and Windom returned to Murder, She Wrote as a semi-regular. Windom appeared in 53 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, second only to Lansbury.

Windom and Patricia, 12 years his junior, married in 1975. In 1978 Windom welcomed his final child, a son named Rebel Russell.

In 1974, Windom met Patricia (Fehrle) Tunder while shooting a TV movie; she was working for the production company. Almost a year later, in July 1975, he filed for divorce from Jacqulyn.

In 1968, Windom starred alongside Peter Falk and Gene Barry in the TV movie Prescription: Murder, the pilot for the TV series Columbo. He starred in another edition of the series (titled "Short Fuse") in 1972. In 1971 he played a supporting role alongside Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy and Kurt Russell in the Columbia production Fools' Parade.

Windom starred with Frank Sinatra in the film The Detective (1968), playing a homophobic killer, a role appreciated in The New York Times. The following year, he had the lead role as cartoonist John Monroe in the sitcom My World and Welcome to It. Although the series only aired for one season, he won the 1970 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

He appeared on The Donna Reed Show, Gunsmoke and Star Trek (playing Commodore Matt Decker, commander of the doomed USS Constellation in the 1967 episode "The Doomsday Machine", a role he reprised nearly 40 years later for Star Trek: New Voyages). He played a recurring role (3 episodes) in "The Invaders" in 1967.

His first leading role came in the sitcom The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966), a series (based on the 1947 film) about a young Minnesota woman (played by Inger Stevens) who became the housekeeper for a widowed congressman (Windom). It ran for three seasons.

Windom's also known for his film roles in the Academy Award-winning To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Detective (1968), Brewster McCloud (1970), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) as well as several John Hughes films, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988), and Uncle Buck (1989), as well as Miracle on 34th Street (1994), and True Crime (1999).

Windom's first role in film was alongside Gregory Peck in the Oscar-winning To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) as Horace Gilmer, the prosecutor of Tom Robinson (Brock Peters).

Windom became a paratrooper with Company B, 1st Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. While stationed in Frankfurt during the Allied occupation of Germany, he enrolled in Biarritz American University in France and became involved in theater.

His screen career began in the 1950s. Windom appeared in TV series including Omnibus and Robert Montgomery Presents, and continued guest-starring in series during the 1960s such as the "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, that he claimed was his West Coast television debut, playing The Major. He later reported Richard Widmark was originally offered the role, but when Widmark learned that the pay was only to be $1,000, he turned it down. Actress Susan Harrison, who played The Ballerina, got first billing, while Windom got second.

Windom made his television debut in 1949 in the NBC anthology series The Philco Television Playhouse. He continued acting in shows such as Studio One, Masterpiece Playhouse, Omnibus, and Kraft Television Theatre. During this time he also appeared on The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. He then gained acclaim in his television career for his portrayal of cartoonist John Monroe in the short-lived NBC sitcom My World and Welcome to It (1969–1970) winning him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Windom married Carol Keyser in New York in August 1947. They worked together and he worked for her father selling insurance for three years. They divorced in December 1955. In 1958 He married actress Barbara Joyce. She was six years older than Windom. He soon moved to California and remained there for work. Windom said the marriage lasted three years, although the divorce was not finalized until 1963. A few weeks later, he married his third wife, Barbara Clare. She was the granddaughter of MGM founder Louis B. Mayer and 11 years Windom's junior. He became stepfather to Barbara's two daughters. His first child, Rachel, was born in 1964. Windom and Barbara divorced in 1968. In October 1969 he married his fourth wife Jacqulyn D. Hopkins, 19 years his junior. They had two daughters, Heather Juliet in 1970 and Hope Teresa in 1973.

William Windom (September 28, 1923 – August 16, 2012) was an American actor. He was known as a character actor of the stage and screen. He is best known for his recurring role as Dr. Seth Hazlitt alongside Angela Lansbury in the CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996).