Paul Carr (actor)

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Paul Carr from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Paul Carr from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Paul Carr (born February 1, 1934 - died February 17, 2006) was a character actor who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carr was a very busy actor for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage, amassing an enormous list of credits.

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[edit] Beginnings

Carr grew up in the town of Marrero, in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. As a teenager, he had an interest in music as well as acting. After a short stint in the Marine Corps during his late teens, his acting career began with a role in a New Orleans production of Billy Budd. By the mid-1950s he was working on live television in New York City, including appearances on the popular Studio One and Kraft Television Theater, while continuing theatrical work in stock companies in Ohio and Michigan; including roles such as 'Peter Quilpe' in The Cocktail Party, 'Haemon' in Antigone, 'Jack' in The Rose Tattoo, and 'Hal Carter' in Picnic. He also toured in summer stock with Chico Marx in Fifth Season.

[edit] Film

Carr made his film debut in 1955 with a small uncredited role in Alfred Hitchcock's fact-based thriller The Wrong Man [1]. That same year, he portrayed a prisoner of war in the New York Theatre Guild production of Time Limit on Broadway. His film career continued with a much larger role in Alfred Werker's The Young Don't Cry in 1957 starring James Whitmore and Sal Mineo; and that same year he appeared in the jukebox movie Jamboree.

[edit] Television

He worked steadily on television in the late 1950s and early 1960s with guest spots and supporting roles in many Western series such as Trackdown, Rawhide, The Rifleman, and The Virginian. Later he appeared in detective, medical, and war dramas, including 77 Sunset Strip, Dr. Kildare, and Twelve O'Clock High, interspersed with occasional film work, including Captain Newman, M.D.. Beginning in 1964, Carr had a recurring role as 'Casey Clark' (one of the submarine Seaview's junior officers) on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea . Other television appearances included Burke's Law, Combat!, Gunsmoke, The Time Tunnel, The Invaders, and dozens of other shows in the middle of the decade.

In 1965, Carr won the role of 'Bill Horton', the physician son of protagonist Dr. Tom Horton on Days of Our Lives. He was later a regular on General Hospital and The Doctors.

Carr went on to work in dozens of other television shows in the intervening years - everything from Get Smart, Mannix, The Rockford Files, and Murphy Brown. In 1979 he took on the recurring role of 'Lt. Devlin' in yet another science fiction series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series).

[edit] Star Trek

He may be remembered best, however, for his appearance on the pop-culture phenomenon of Star Trek. In 1966, he played the role of 'Lt. Kelso', the affable U.S.S. Enterprise officer who is strangled telekinetically by the ship's rapidly mutating helmsman, in the second Star Trek pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

[edit] Stage

Throughout his career, Carr's first love was the stage. He appeared in nearly 100 stage productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway, as well as touring companies, stock, and in regional theatres around the USA. He received the L.A. Weekly Award for Best Actor in the Theatre East production of Manhattan Express in 1987 and garnered a 1995 Dramalogue Award for his role in the Los Angeles Repertory production of Assassins. Carr was also a writer and director, and headed the Play Committee of the L.A. Repertory Company.

[edit] Legacy

Carr died of cancer in Los Angeles, California in February 2006. He was survived by his wife Meryl, son, two daughters, and two granddaughters. His final interview will appear in the forthcoming book, Talkin' Trek and Other Stories by Anthony Wynn, which is to be published by BearManor Media in August 2007.

[edit] Selected Filmography

Associate producer of

  • The Dirt Gang (1972)

[edit] External Links