John Jackson "Jack" Latham (27 December 1914, 1 January 1973) was an American actor, and news anchor, active on screen and television from 1934 to 1973. Latham was the news anchor at KNBC in Los Angeles throughout the 1960s/early 1970s.
His first role came at the age of 19 when he appeared (uncredited) as a French mechanic in Hell in the Heavens. 37 years later, he appeared as a newsreader in the 1971 film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. His final screen role came two years after that when he appeared as a commentator in the television series Savage.
He died on New Year's Day 1973, aged 58, in Palm Springs, California from a heart attack.[1]