Matinee Classics - Andrew Duggan Biography & Filmography

Andrew Duggan ACTOR

PHOTOS

ANDREW DUGGAN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Andrew Duggan was born December 28, 1923 in Franklin, Indiana, but raised in Texas. He moved back to his home state for college, where he attended Indiana University on a speech and drama scholarship. During World War II, he was in the 40th Special Services Company in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. While on a troopship after the war, Duggan made friends with Broadway director Daniel Mann. Upon coming home, he appeared in many Broadway plays, including “The Rose Tattoo” and “The Third Best Sport”. He began acting on television in 1949 with a spot on “The Chevrolet Tele-Theater”, and for the next thirty seven years continued to have roles on a number of series.

In 1956 he took a couple breaks from TV to play parts in the dramas “Patterns” and “Three Brave Men”. Duggan continued on with his movie career, acting in a total of thirty two pictures. His involvement in them ranged from supporting cast, to leading man. He could be seen in westerns like Rory Calhoun's “Domino Kid” (1957) and Gregory Peck’s “The Bravados” (1958), dramas such as the crime based “FBI Code 98” (1963) and biographical “The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover” (1977), and comedies that included director Larry Cohen’s film “Bones” (1972) and actor Dan Aykroyd’s quirky feature “Doctor Detroit” (1983). However, another one of Duggan’s popular film genres was horror. He appeared in the creepy story of a monster baby, “It's Alive” (1974), its sequel, “It Lives Again” (1978), as well as “Frankenstein Island” (1981). His final film was actually of this type, a vampire flick called “A Return to Salem's Lot” (1987).

More common, however, Duggan appeared on television. Throughout the fifties and sixties he was a common household character, playing in nearly every TV narrative. Each week, it was quite possible to see him in multiple shows. Most famously, the actor had the lead in Warner Brothers’ “Bourbon Street Beat” (1959-60), a popular crime drama in which he portrayed Cal Calhoun, the head of a New Orleans detective agency. In 1962 he starred in ABC’s twenty six week sitcom “Room for One More”, followed by nearly one hundred additional series. Such shows include “Gunsmoke” (1956-65), “12 O'Clock High” (1965-67), “Lancer” (1968-70), “The Waltons” (1971), “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” (1957-76), “McMillan & Wife” (1971-76), and his last TV series, “Remington Steele” (1986). He did also have parts in a large number of TV movies too, not limited to “The Missiles of October” (1974), “A Fire in the Sky” (1978), and “J. Edgar Hoover” (1987).

On May 15, 1988 while in Westwood, California, Duggan passed away from throat cancer at age sixty four. He ended his life on a high note however, as his career was still going strong when he died.

Filmography

1987 A Return to Salem's Lot

1987 J. Edgar Hoover

1986 Remington Steele

1985 Glitter

1985 Highway to Heaven

1985 Matt Houston

1984 Falcon Crest

1984 Hardcastle and McCormick

1983 Doctor Detroit

1983 Hart to Hart

1983 The Winds of War