
Bert Freed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 — August 2, 1994) was a prolific American character actor, voice over actor, and the first actor to portray "Detective Columbo" on television. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending Penn State University, and made his Broadway debut in 1942. Following World War II Army service in the European Theatre, he appeared in the Broadway musical The Day Before Spring in 1945 and dozens of television shows between 1947 and 1985. His film debut occurred, oddly enough, in a musical Carnegie Hall (1947). A prominent role was as the villainous Ryker in the television series Shane, in which Freed added a unique touch of realism by beginning the show clean-shaven and growing a beard from one week to the next, never shaving again through the season. Freed played Columbo in a live 1960 episode of the "Chevy Mystery Theatre" seven years before Peter Falk played the role. Thomas Mitchell also played the part on stage prior to Falk's version, which is probably where many of the eccentric Columbo traits originated; only a few were visible in Freed's straightforward interpretation, although the character as played by Freed is recognizably Columbo. He appeared (sometimes more than once) in television shows such as The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley,The Virginian, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, Then Came Bronson, Run For Your Life, Get Smart, The Lucy Show, Hogan's Heroes, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Combat!, Petticoat Junction, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Ironside, The Green Hornet, The Munsters, and many, many more. He directed one episode of T.H.E. Cat. Freed appeared as a racist club owner in No Way Out (1950), a gangster in Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950), a Marine private in Halls of Montezuma (1951 film), an Army sergeant in Take the High Ground! (1953), the Police Chief in Invaders From Mars (1953), Sgt. Boulanger in Paths of Glory (1957), the hangman in Hang 'Em High (1968), Max's father in Wild in the Streets (1968), as Chief of Detectives in Madigan (1968), a homosexual prison guard in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) and Bernard's father in Billy Jack (1971) in which he got "whumped" on the side of the face by Billy Jack's right foot "just for the hell of it." He retired from acting in 1986, and died of a heart attack in Canada in 1994 while on a fishing trip with his son. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert Freed, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
- Known ForActing
- Born3 November 1919 (age 106)
- Place of BirthThe Bronx, New York USA
Bert Freed

- Known ForActing
- Born3 November 1919 (age 106)
- Place of BirthThe Bronx, New York USA

Are You My Mother?
1986
Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase
1981

Skag
1980

Norma Rae
1979

Barracuda
1978
Till Death
1978

In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan
1977

Love and the Midnight Auto Supply
1977

Death Scream
1975

Incident at Vichy
1973

Billy Jack
1971

Evel Knievel
1971

There Was a Crooked Man...
1970

The Andersonville Trial
1970

Breakout
1970

Then Came Bronson
1969

Madigan
1968

Wild in the Streets
1968

P.J.
1968

Hang 'em High
1968

Nevada Smith
1966

The Swinger
1966

Fate Is the Hunter
1964

Invitation to a Gunfighter
1964

Shock Treatment
1964

Twilight of Honor
1963

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1962

Why Must I Die
1960

The Subterraneans
1960

The Gazebo
1960

The Goddess
1958

The Plot to Kill Stalin
1958

Paths of Glory
1957

Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers
1956

The Desperate Hours
1955

The Cobweb
1955

Men of the Fighting Lady
1954

The Strike
1954

The Long, Long Trailer
1954

Invaders from Mars
1953

Tangier Incident
1953

Take the High Ground!
1953

The Atomic City
1952

The Snows of Kilimanjaro
1952

Detective Story
1951

The Company She Keeps
1951

Halls of Montezuma
1951

Red Mountain
1951

Where the Sidewalk Ends
1950

Key to the City
1950

No Way Out
1950

711 Ocean Drive
1950

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
1950
