VAL AVERY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Val Avery was born on July 14th, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the birth name Sebouh Der Abrahamian, born to Mgerdich der Abrahamian and Armenian actress Arousiak Abrahamian.  After graduating from high school, he went on to earn his college degree from the University of Pennsylvania. 

He first became involved in the entertainment industry working as a stage actor in a number of Armenian Youth Theater productions in Philadelphia.  He later went on to study drama at the Bessie V. Hicks School, after working as a flight instructor for the United States Army during World War II. 

Avery then found work in the television industry and over the course of his career as an actor he added over 150 film and television roles to his resume mostly appearing in westerns and crime drama.

Avery appeared on such television series as, "Bonanza", "The Lawless Years", "Columbo", "The Odd Couple", "Gunsmoke", "The Lineup", "Daniel Boone", "Law & Order", "Twilight Zone", "The Munsters", "Kojak", "The Big Story" and "Zane Grey Theatre".
 
Along with making quite a name for himself as a television actor he also acted in a variety of feature films such as, "King Creole" (1958) starring Elvis Presley, Walter Matthau, Carolyn Jones, Dolores Hart, Vic Morrow, Raymond Bailey, Paul Stewart and Dean Jagger, "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958) starring alongside Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Orson Welles, Richard Anderson, Lee Remick, J. Pat O'Malley and Angela Lansbury, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Horst Buchholz, Brad Dexter, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Robert J. Wilke, Whit Bissell and Eli Wallach, "Too Late Blues" (1961) starring Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens, Vince Edwards, Seymour Cassel and Everett Chambers, "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962) starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Julie Harris, Stanley Adams and Mickey Rooney, "Love with the Proper Stranger" (1963) starring alongside Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams, Herschel Bernardi, Tom Bosley and Harvey Lembeck, "Faces" (1968) starring John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin, "Minnie and Moskowitz" (1971) starring with John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Timothy Carey and Seymour Cassel, "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976) starring Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel, Robert Phillips, Morgan Woodward and Timothy Carey, "The Wanderers" (1979) starring Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Olympia Dukakis and Karen Allen, "Gloria" (1980) co-starring Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, Lawrence Tierney and John Adames and "Donnie Brasco" (1997) starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo and Anne Heche.
 
Most recent roles included the television movie, "Gold Coast" (1997) starring David Caruso, Barry Primus, Marg Helgenberger and Jeff Kober and the films, "A Fish in the Bathtub" (1999) starring real life couple Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara with Mark Ruffalo, Jane Adams and Doris Roberts, "In the Shadows" (2001) starring Matthew Modine, James Caan, Joey Lauren Adams, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lilio Brancato Jr. and his final film role in 2004 in, "Renegade" starring Vincent Cassel, Juliette Lewis and Michael Madsen.  He then retired from the industry and resided in New York with his only wife, Margot Stevenson whom he wed in 1953 and they had one child together and remained married until he passed away at the age of eighty five, on December 12th, 2009 in New York City, New York.

Filmography

2004         Renegade
2001         In the Shadows
2001         100 Centre Street 
1999         A Fish in the Bathtub
1997         Gold Coast 
1997         Donnie Brasco
1991-1996     Law & Order
1994         Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker 
1992         Civil Wars
1992         Secret Service
1992         Counterstrike
1992         Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story 
1989         Hunter 
1989         Moonlighting
1989         Men
1988         Friday the 13th
1987         Cagney & Lacey
1986         The Messenger
1986         Courage 
1986         Cobra
1985         Out of the Darkness 
1985         Too Scared to Scream
1984         Hardcastle and McCormick 
1984         The Streets
1984         The Pope of Greenwich Village
1983         Easy Money
1983         The Sting II
1982         Jinxed!
1982         Assignment Berlin
1981         Sharky's Machine
1981         Choices
1981         Continental Divide
1981         The Chosen
1981         The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
1977-1981     Quincy, M.E.
1980         Gloria
1980         Brubaker
1979         The Amityville Horror
1979         The Wanderers
1979         Love and Bullets
1978         Up in Smoke
1976-1978     Switch 
1977         Man from Atlantis
1977         The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 
1977         Heroes
1976-1977     Baretta 
1977         Starsky and Hutch
1977         Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?
1976         Harry and Walter Go to New York
1976         The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
1975         Lucky Lady
1975         McCoy 
1971-1975     Columbo
1975         Let's Do It Again
1975         Russian Roulette
1975         The Law
1975         Archer
1973-1974     Police Story 
1973-1974     Barnaby Jones
1970-1974     Mannix 
1972-1974     Cannon 
1974         The Legend of Hillbilly John
1974         Kojak
1966-1974     The F.B.I. 
1973         The Odd Couple
1973         The Laughing Policeman
1973         Papillon
1973         Blood Sport
1973         Shaft
1973         Madigan
1973         Black Caesar
1972-1973     Ironside
1973         Firehouse 
1968-1972     Mission: Impossible 
1972         Nichols
1971-1972     McCloud
1971         Minnie and Moskowitz
1971         The Bold Ones: The New Doctors 
1971         Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!
1968-1971     Mod Squad 
1971         A Tattered Web
1971         The Anderson Tapes
1971         Vanishing Point
1970         The Bold Ones: The Lawyers
1970         The Traveling Executioner
1969         A Dream of Kings
1957-1969     Gunsmoke 
1969         Machine Gun McCain
1969         My Friend Tony
1968         The Brotherhood
1968         N.Y.P.D. 
1968         Judd for the Defense
1968         Lancer 
1968         Faces
1968         The Pink Jungle
1968         No Way to Treat a Lady
1967         CBS Playhouse
1966-1967     The Wild Wild West 
1967         Mr. Terrific
1967         Hombre
1967         Iron Horse
1967         Dragnet 1967 
1967         The Invaders
1965-1967     The Fugitive
1966         The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
1966         Laredo
1966         I Spy
1966         Felony Squad
1966         Assault on a Queen
1966         Nevada Smith
1966         Run for Your Life 
1966         The Virginian 
1966         Wild Wild Winter
1965         Honey West 
1965         Get Smart 
1965         Daniel Boone
1964-1965     The Munsters
1965         The Hallelujah Trail
1965         Kraft Suspense Theatre
1965         Sylvia
1965         Slattery's People
1965         Satan's Bed
1964         Mr. Broadway 
1964         The Reporter 
1963-1964     East Side/West Side
1963         Love with the Proper Stranger
1963         The Defenders
1963         The Doctors and the Nurses 
1956-1963     Armstrong Circle Theatre 
1963         Hud
1963         Naked City 
1962         Requiem for a Heavyweight
1962         Everglades 
1961         The Investigators 
1961         Too Late Blues
1961         The Asphalt Jungle
1961         Rawhide 
1961         Have Gun - Will Travel 
1961         Tales of Wells Fargo 
1960         Twilight Zone 
1960         The Untouchables
1960         Hong Kong 
1960         Bonanza 
1960         The Magnificent Seven
1960         Cradle Song 
1959         Play of the Week
1959         The Lawless Years
1959         Johnny Staccato
1959         Mike Hammer 
1959         Peter Gunn 
1959         Border Patrol 
1959         Last Train from Gun Hill
1959         The Lineup 
1958         Kraft Theatre
1958         King Creole
1958         The Long, Hot Summer
1957         Zane Grey Theatre 
1957         There Shall Be No Night
1957         Edge of the City
1954-1956     The Big Story 
1956         The Harder They Fall
1955         Robert Montgomery Presents
1953         Lux Video Theatre