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Harry Fleer
Harry Fleer
Harry Fleer
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Harry Fleer (March 26, 1916 – October 14, 1994) was an American actor.[1] He appeared in more than sixty films and television shows between 1955 and 1994.

Key Information

Fleer left his hometown of Quincy, Illinois, to attend Northwestern University in 1934 with no plans to be a professional entertainer. He said, "I looked upon music as a serious avocation, and if I hadn't been going to the university during the depression, I would never have gone into this business."[2] His plans began to change after he performed during a College Night event at a night club in Chicago. A radio producer who saw him set up an audition, and the result was a three-day-a-week program of his own. He entered the competition on the Gateway to Hollywood radio program. Although he won twice -- once for music and once for drama -- he did not win the overall contest. He had offers from five film companies, but he said that he accepted "the wrong offer".[2] Fleer then studied at the Max Reinhardt school and acted in summer stock in the eastern United States.[2] He sang on Broadway as a member of the chorus in The Trojan Women (1941).[3]

Fleer joined the Army soon after his summer stock experience. After initially serving as an actor he went to officer candidate school and infantry school. He gained a commission in anti-aircraft artillery, and he served three months in Japan after V-J Day.[2] He returned to Broadway to portray Lionel in Toplitzky of Notre Dame (1947).[3]

Fleer was cast six times from 1957 to 1960 on the syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. In "The Camel Train" (1957), he played Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, who commissions an experiment of using camels in the southwestern desert country headed by Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale, played by Stanley Lachman. Later, he was Wyatt Earp in "Birth of a Boom" (1958).

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1956 Three Brave Men Keating Uncredited
1956 Highway Patrol Patrolman
1957 The Unearthly Harry Jedrow
1957 Band of Angels Aide Uncredited
1957 The Devil's Hairpin Customer Uncredited
1958 From Hell to Texas Cowpuncher Uncredited
1959 The Cosmic Man Bill, the Park Ranger
1960 Heller in Pink Tights Gambler Uncredited
1960 Tormented Frank Hubbard
1961 Atlantis, the Lost Continent Governor of Science Uncredited
1961 Devil's Partner John Winters
1961 Bat Masterson Harvey Field
1963 The Gun Hawk Curly
1963 Shock Corridor Attendant
1964 Viva Las Vegas Son of the Lone Star State Uncredited
1965 Dear Brigitte T-Man Uncredited
1965 Mirage Passenger Uncredited
1966 Made in Paris Mathews Uncredited
1966 The Rare Breed Barler Uncredited
1966 The Oscar Director Uncredited
1966 The Swinger Cop Uncredited
1967 Divorce American Style Bank Guard Uncredited
1967 The Big Mouth Male Nurse Uncredited
1967 Who's Minding the Mint? Doorman Uncredited
1969 The Wrecking Crew Police Officer Uncredited
1969 The Comic Cop Uncredited
1970 Triangle
1994 Little Giants Orville
1994 The St. Tammany Miracle Sam

References

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Harry Fleer

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Harry Fleer is an American actor known for his prolific career as a supporting and character actor in film and television, with credits spanning more than sixty productions from the mid-1950s to the early 1990s. Born on March 26, 1916, in Quincy, Illinois, he began his performing career on stage before establishing a steady presence in Hollywood through numerous small roles, guest appearances, and occasional featured parts in both movies and episodic television. Fleer made his Broadway debut as Lionel in the 1946 musical Toplitzky of Notre Dame at the New Century Theatre. His screen work often involved brief but memorable turns, including roles in the horror film Tormented (1960), the psychological drama Shock Corridor (1963), and the comedy Little Giants (1994), one of his final appearances. On television, he guest-starred in series such as Black Sheep Squadron—where he portrayed General Douglas MacArthur—The Beverly Hillbillies, Quantum Leap, and Doogie Howser, M.D., among many others, typically in parts as authority figures, bystanders, or minor functionaries. He died on October 14, 1994, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. Fleer's extensive body of work exemplifies the reliable character actors who contributed to the texture of mid-20th-century American entertainment across genres ranging from drama and horror to comedy and action.

Early life

Birth and background

Harry John Fleer was born on March 26, 1916, in Quincy, Illinois. He grew up in Quincy and attended high school there, where he was active in the band and debate club. He went on to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, participating in musicals, radio productions, and performing as an orchestra singer. In 1939, he won a scholarship to the Max Reinhardt Workshop in Hollywood, California, a three-month program covering stage, screen, and radio performance. In the early 1940s, he moved to New York City to advance his stage career. In January 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Fleer enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Hancock, New Jersey, and served during World War II as a Warrant Officer.

Acting career

Entry into acting and early roles (1955–1959)

Harry Fleer began his screen acting career in 1955 with guest appearances in episodic television series such as Treasury Men in Action, I Led 3 Lives, Cheyenne, and The Whistler. His early work focused primarily on guest and supporting roles in episodic television, a common starting point for actors in the mid-1950s. In 1956, he continued in television with roles in Telephone Time, State Trooper, and Highway Patrol (including appearances as Patrolman, Prospector, and Ben Durfee across multiple episodes from 1956–1959), and a part as Ross Collins in State Trooper. Fleer's first feature film appearance was an uncredited role in Three Brave Men (1956), followed by his first credited film role in the independent science fiction horror film The Unearthly (1957), where he portrayed Harry Jedrow, a character who becomes a victim of unethical experiments in a remote sanatorium. Throughout the late 1950s, Fleer remained active in television, appearing in additional episodes of Highway Patrol in 1958 as Ben Durfee and in Death Valley Days in 1959 as a sheriff. His roles during this period were typically minor or supporting, often in low-budget television police and western dramas or genre films such as science fiction and horror productions typical of the era.

Peak activity and notable work (1960–1979)

During the 1960s and 1970s, Harry Fleer was at his most active as a prolific character actor, accumulating 38 credits across film and television out of his overall total of 73 acting roles. This period marked the height of his screen presence, with frequent appearances in supporting and often uncredited parts, primarily in American genre films and episodic television series. In feature films, he contributed to a mix of horror, thriller, and mainstream productions. He played Frank Hubbard in the horror film Tormented (1960) and an Attendant in Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor (1963), a critically regarded psychological drama set in a mental institution. Other roles in this era included minor parts in films such as The Gun Hawk (1963) as Curly and various uncredited appearances in comedies and musicals like Viva Las Vegas (1964) and Who's Minding the Mint? (1967). Fleer became a familiar face on television through recurring guest spots, often typecast as authority figures including police officers, detectives, guards, watchmen, and military personnel. He appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone (1961–1962) as Policeman #2 and Guard, respectively, and in two episodes of Perry Mason (1960–1963) as a Bank Teller and Detective. His television work also included roles in series such as The Beverly Hillbillies (1967), Gunsmoke (1964), and The Green Hornet (1966). A standout later credit in the period was his portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur in an episode of Black Sheep Squadron (1976). These performances reflected Fleer's steady specialization in supporting characters within horror, science fiction, Western, and dramatic genres, contributing to his reputation as a reliable character actor during his most productive years. He maintained consistent employment into subsequent decades.

Later career (1980–1994)

In his later career from 1980 to 1994, Harry Fleer's acting appearances became infrequent, with no new on-screen credits during most of the 1980s and only sporadic roles in the early 1990s. This period marked a significant slowdown compared to his more active earlier decades, though he continued to take small supporting and bit parts, often portraying elderly characters. He returned to television in 1991 with a guest role as the Older Man in Jail in an episode of Quantum Leap. The following year, he appeared as Man in Elevator in an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D.. Fleer concluded his career in 1994 with two film roles: Sam in The St. Tammany Miracle and Orville in Little Giants. These final credits aligned with his long-standing pattern of character and bit parts in television and family-oriented films, bringing his total to over 70 acting credits across nearly four decades.

Selected filmography

Notable films

Harry Fleer is recognized for his supporting roles in several films across genres, particularly in horror and drama. He portrayed Frank Hubbard in the supernatural horror film Tormented (1960). He appeared as an attendant in Samuel Fuller's acclaimed psychological thriller Shock Corridor (1963). In his later career, Fleer played Orville in the family sports comedy Little Giants (1994). These roles highlight his presence in cult horror classics and mainstream productions, though he often took uncredited or minor parts throughout his career.

Notable television appearances

Harry Fleer frequently appeared as a guest actor on television, typically in supporting or minor roles across a variety of series spanning from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. He was cast six times on the syndicated anthology series Death Valley Days between 1957 and 1960. During the 1960s and 1970s, Fleer made guest appearances on several popular shows, including two episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies in 1967 as Col. Chittlen, an episode of My Three Sons in 1968 as Second Director, an episode of Police Woman in 1975 as Watchman, and an episode of Switch in 1978 as Night Watchman. One of his more distinctive television roles came in 1976 when he portrayed General Douglas MacArthur in the Black Sheep Squadron episode "Up For Grabs" (season 1, episode 9), which originally aired on NBC on November 16, 1976. He continued guest starring into later decades, with appearances in an episode of Quantum Leap in 1991 as Older Man in Jail and an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D. in 1992 as Man in Elevator.

Death

Final years and passing

Harry Fleer died on October 14, 1994, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 78. The cause of his death was undisclosed. His final acting credits were released in the year of his passing, including a role in Little Giants (1994). This marked the conclusion of his career, which spanned from 1955 to 1994.
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