| Leonard Stone | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 3, 1923 Salem, Oregon |
| Died | November 2, 2011 (aged 87) San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964 - 2006 |
Leonard Stone (November 3, 1923 – November 2, 2011) was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films.
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In 1966, he had a supporting role as Morton on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Jean Arthur Show starring Jean Arthur and Ron Harper. Between 1988 and 1994, he appeared in twelve episodes of the NBC legal drama L.A. Law as Judge Paul Hanson. He played popular and memorable characters on The Outer Limits, Lost in Space, M*A*S*H, and more.
One of his most notable roles came in 1971 when he played Sam Beauregarde, the father of Golden Ticket winner Violet Beauregarde, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He was one of the last surviving parents from the movie.
Stone started his career as a young actor studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He performed in the West End, on Broadway, and toured around the world. He traveled for eight years in Australia and New Zealand touring the musical South Pacific. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in Redhead, a Bob Fosse musical. He also was in the Tony Award-nominated cast of Look Homeward, Angel in 1957, which premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. It won a Pulitzer Prize.
Stone's final role came in 2006 at the age of 83, when he played a minor character in Surrender Dorothy.[1]
He died on November 2, 2011 at his home in San Diego [2] after a brief bout with cancer, one day shy of his 88th birthday.[3]
Stone married Carole Kleinman in 1964, and together they raised four children and eight grandchildren. In 1983, Stone moved to San Diego from his longtime home in Los Angeles, but continued to commute for work.
On September 22, 2000, Stone appeared as an ordinary, non-celebrity contestant on the popular game show Wheel of Fortune. He placed second, winning $4,250 in cash and a trip to Bermuda valued at $5,310.
In the early 1950s, Stone began writing a children's story about a kangaroo who never grew. In 2011, Keepy was published on Kindle and Nook.