Friday, August 24, 2012

BIFF ELLIOT - Filmdoms 1st Mike Hammer and Star Trek Guest-Star

Actor Biff Elliot died at his home in Studio City, California, on August 15, 2012. He was born Leon Shalek in Lynn, Massachusettes, on July 26, 1923. He was 89.  He was a champion amatuer boxer under the name Biff Harris while in his teens. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and graduating from the University of Main after his discharge. He moved to New York in 1949 in the hopes of attaining a writing career and also began training as an actor. He appeared on stage and television, before making his film debut as detective Mike Hammer in the 1953 adaptation of Mickey Spillane’s "I, the Jury". Elliot continued his film career in the features "House of Bamboo" (1955), "Good Morning, Miss Dove" (1955), "Between Heaven and Hell" (1956), "The True Story of Jesse James" (1957), "The Enemy Below" (1957), "Torpedo Run" (1958), "Pork Chop Hill" (1959), "The Story on Page One" (1959), "PT 109" (1963), "Brainstorm" (1965), "Blood Bath" (aka "Track of the Vampire") (1966), "Destination Inner Space" (1966), "The Navy vs. The Night Monsters" (1966), "The Day of the Wolves" (1971), "The Hard Ride" (1971), "Kotch" (1971), "Cool Breeze" (1972), "Save the Tiger" (1973), "Wednesday" (1974), "The Front Page" (1974),
"The Wild McCullochs" (1975), "Beyond Reason" (1977), "The Dark" (1979), and "That’s Life!" (1986). He appeared frequently on television in such episodes as "Lights Out", "Kraft Television Theatre", "The Philco Television Playhouse", "Lux Video Theatre", "Treasury Men in Action", "Waterfront", "Stage 7", "The Man Behind the Badge", "Science Fiction Theatre", "Damon Runyon Theater", "Big Town", "M Squad", "The Millionair", "Behind Closed Doors", "Perry Mason", "Law of the Plainsman", "Ripcord", "The Roaring 20’s", "Surfside 6", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Laramie", "77 Sunset Strip", "Route 66", "Hawaiian Eye", "The Lieutenant", "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters", "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "ABC Stage 67", "Combat!", the 1967 "Star Trek" episode "The Devil in the Dark", "Mission: Impossible", "Bonanza", "The F.B.I.", "The Magician", "The Streets of San Fransisco", "Cannon", "ABC Afterschool Specials", "Planet of the Apes", "The Blue Knight", "Gibbsville", "The Next Step Beyond", "Falcon Crest", "CHiPs", and "Starman". He also appeared in the tele-films "Steambath" (1973), "The Stranger Who Looks Like Me" (1974), and "Portrait of an Escort" (1980). In his later career, Elliot also covered sports in Los Angeles for the "CBS Radio Network".

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