Ross Elliott

Ross Elliott (born Elliott Blum; June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

Elliott was born in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. While at City College of New York, he participated in the college's dramatic society, causing him to abandon his original plan to become a lawyer.

Directly out of college, Elliott joined Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre, garnering bit parts both on the radio, including War of the Worlds production in 1938, and stage, including Welles' Caesar (1937–1938). Elliott's Broadway credits include The Shoemaker's Holiday (1938), Danton's Tod (1938), Morning Star (1940), This Is the Army (1942), and Apple of His Eye (1946). In 1972, he returned to the stage in Shakespeare's King Lear with the Santa Monica Theater Guild.

Elliott joined the United States Army on August 4, 1941. Much of his time there was spent in "soldier-casts of various touring shows".

After serving in World War II, Elliott moved to Hollywood. He enjoyed a long career, working steadily in supporting roles in a diverse array of films, including Woman on the Run, D-Day the Sixth of June, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Tarantula!, Wild Seed, Kelly's Heroes, Skyjacked, and The Towering Inferno. In 1971, Elliott was invited to membership in the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, later serving on its board and remaining a member until his death in 1999.^{[citation needed]}

Throughout his career, Elliott appeared in more than 200 television programs, including the recurring role of crewman Cort Ryker on the syndicated The Blue Angels (1960–1961). Elliott appeared 59 times in a recurring role as Sheriff Abbott on NBC's Western series, The Virginian.

Elliott portrayed the television director "Ross Elliot" (that is, the script used his actual name) in the season-one episode of I Love Lucy titled "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" (1952), in which Lucy Ricardo advertises Vitameatavegamin. Elliott also appeared on I Love Lucy as Ricky's agent in three episodes of the series' fourth season.

In 1956, he appeared as Sam Wilson on the TV Western Cheyenne in the episode titled "Mustang Trail". In 1958, Elliott played Reverend Kilgore in the episode "The Lord Will Provide" on The Texan, with Rory Calhoun and Ellen Corby. Later that year, he played murder victim and title character George Hartley Beaumont in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Corresponding Corpse".

In 1960 and 1961, Elliott appeared twice on Leave it to Beaver as Mr. Foster, Wally's English teacher. From 1962 to 1963, he was cast as Marty Rhodes in four episodes of the NBC legal drama Sam Benedict. From 1963 to 1965, Elliott played Lee Baldwin on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Elliott appeared in 11 episodes of The Jack Benny Program as director Freddie. His other television appearances included Adventures of Superman, Burns and Allen, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Lone Ranger, Pony Express, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Gunsmoke (title character Lee Groat in S5E17’s "Groat’s Grudge" - 1957), Leave It to Beaver, Lassie, The Silent Service, Combat!, Hazel, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Pistols 'n' Petticoats, Dragnet, Emergency!, The Invaders, Adam-12, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Little House on the Prairie. Elliott also appeared in a 1973 episode of Barnaby Jones.

As his acting career waned, Elliott in 1976 joined a local real estate firm as a sales associate and later as a manager. He died of cancer on August 12, 1999, at the age of 82.