Dabbs Greer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dabbs Greer
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Greer in Hot Rod Girl (1956)
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Robert William Greer
April 2, 1917 Fairview, Missouri, U.S.
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| Died | April 28, 2007 (aged 90) Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Peace Valley Cemetery McDonald County, Missouri |
| Alma mater | Drury University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1938–2003 |
Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (born April 2, 1917 – died April 28, 2007) was an American actor. He acted in movies and TV shows for over 60 years! He played many different characters, appearing in almost 100 films and nearly 600 TV episodes.
Many people remember Dabbs Greer as Mr. Jonas in the TV show Gunsmoke. He was also Coach Ossie Weiss in Hank. Later, he became well-known as Reverend Robert Alden in Little House on the Prairie. Younger audiences might know him as the very old version of the character played by Tom Hanks in the 1999 movie The Green Mile.
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Early Life and Acting Start
Dabbs Greer was born in Fairview, Missouri. His mom, Bernice Irene, was a speech teacher, and his dad, Randall Alexander Greer, was a druggist. When he was a baby, his family moved to Anderson, Missouri.
Dabbs started acting in plays for children when he was just eight years old. He went to Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.
A Long Acting Career
In 1943, Dabbs Greer moved to Pasadena, California. There, he worked at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he helped manage things and taught acting.
His very first movie role was a small part in Jesse James in 1938. He once said that being an extra in that movie paid really well for the time.
TV Appearances
Dabbs Greer was a very busy actor, especially on television. He appeared in hundreds of TV shows!
He was in three episodes of Adventures of Superman. In the first episode, "Superman on Earth" (1952), he played the first person ever saved by Superman! He also played a man in trouble in "Five Minutes to Doom" (1954) and a rich person in "The Superman Silver Mine" (1958).
Dabbs Greer often appeared in Western shows. He played a marshal in Frontier and was the auto-repair shop owner Mr. Fry in the 1956 movie Hot Rod Girl. He also guest-starred in shows like Sheriff of Cochise, Fury, Whirlybirds, and Rescue 8.
He was in many popular Western series like Pony Express, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Trackdown, and Johnny Ringo. He also appeared in Empire and Stoney Burke.
From 1956 to 1974, Dabbs Greer had a regular role as Mr. Jonas, the kind storekeeper, on the famous TV series Gunsmoke. He was in 42 episodes of this long-running show. Sometimes, he even played other characters on Gunsmoke, like Chester's uncle.
He also appeared twice in The Twilight Zone, in episodes like "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" (1962) and "Valley of the Shadow" (1963). He was even in the first episode of The Fugitive in 1963. He appeared in six episodes of The Fugitive, playing different characters.
In the 1960s, he had more regular roles. He was Coach Ossie Weiss in Hank and Sheriff Norris "Norrie" Coolidge in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. He also made eight appearances on The Rifleman, playing both good and bad characters.
Dabbs Greer appeared in eight episodes of Perry Mason, playing various roles. He also played a store owner in Arrest and Trial and a protective father in The Outer Limits. Later, he even played an alien pretending to be a priest in The Invaders.
Reverend Roles
One of his most famous roles was Reverend Alden in the NBC series Little House on the Prairie, from 1974 to 1983. He played a minister many times, even performing weddings for characters on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Brady Bunch. From 1992 to 1996, he played Reverend Henry Novotny in Picket Fences.
Later Career
In the 1997 movie Con Air, Dabbs Greer played an old man hiding under a truck. His last big movie role was in The Green Mile (1999), where he played the 108-year-old version of the character played by Tom Hanks. This was 61 years after his first movie role in Jesse James! His very last acting job was in a 2003 episode of Lizzie McGuire.
Even though most of his roles were supporting characters, Dabbs Greer believed that "every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead." He was known as a humble and kind person, and his real personality often shined through his acting.
Death
Dabbs Greer passed away on April 28, 2007, in Pasadena, California. He was 90 years old and had been battling kidney and heart problems. He is buried in Peace Valley Cemetery in McDonald County, Missouri.
Images for kids
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Dabbs Greer in Hot Rod Girl (1956)
See also
In Spanish: Dabbs Greer para niños
