Wesley Lau

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Wesley Lau
Born (1921-06-18)June 18, 1921
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Died August 30, 1984(1984-08-30) (aged 63)
Los Angeles, California
Resting place
 Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)[1]
Occupation Actor

Wesley Lau (June 18, 1921 – August 30, 1984) was an American film and television actor.

Early life

Wesley Lau was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A World War II veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, Lau studied playwriting at the University of Wisconsin and received a Master of Arts degree at Yale Drama School,[2] later continuing his studies at The Actors Studio in New York.[3]

He took time off from college at one point to serve in World War II as part of the air corps. Although his goal in life was to be a writer, he ended up acting simply because he found more jobs as an actor than as a playwright when he arrived in New York City seeking work.

Career

During his acting career, Lau was probably best known as Lt. Andy Anderson in the series Perry Mason. He appeared frequently during the latter part of the show's run, especially during times when longtime series regular Ray Collins, who played Lt. Arthur Tragg, was absent. (Collins died in 1965 before the series ended its run.) Lau first appeared on Perry Mason as defendant Amory Fallon in "The Case of the Impatient Partner" in September, 1961. Less than a month later, he made the first of 81 appearances as Lt. Anderson, a role which ran from the fourth episode ("The Case of the Malicious Mariner"), of the fifth season, (1961-1962), through the last episode ("The Case of the Mischievous Doll.") of the eight season (1964-1965).

Other shows in which Lau made appearances include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Have Gun-Will Travel, Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone, The Time Tunnel, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, and The Six Million Dollar Man. He would reunite with Raymond Burr in an episode of Ironside called "In the Forests of the Night". He also appeared in the 1960 John Wayne film The Alamo.

Death

Lau died on August 30, 1984 and is buried at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Acting roles

Television series

Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Fenimore (1958) Police Detective
And the Desert Shall Blossom (1958) Tex, the Deputy
  • Flight
The Dart (1958)
Destination Normandy (1958)
Typhoon Chasers (1958)
  • Jane Wyman Presents
He Came for the Money (1958) Clay
Day of Glory (1958) Commander Von Schoss
Kill from Nowhere (1959) Joe Scully
The Death Frame (1960) Eddie Carson
  • Have Gun–Will Travel
Sons of Aaron Murdock (1959) Lew Murdock
Saturday Night (1960) Stub
Miguel's Daughter (1959) Ab
Young Love (1959) Rod Allison
The Blacksmith (1960) Willy
Client: Tagger (1959) Jesse Britt
Burden of Guilt (1960) Trip Harris
The Haunted U-Boat (1959) Lt. Schneider
The Mask (1960) Lt. Harold Wilenski
Leading Citizen (1960) Morgan Bates
The English Woman (1960) Hank
  • The Chevy Mystery Show - Trial by Fury (1960) Lieutenant Crane
  • Shotgun Slade - Backtrack (1960) Jeb
  • M Squad - A Grenade for a Summer's Evening (1960) Harry
  • Law of the Plainsman - Stella (1960) Staff Meeker
  • Johnny Ringo - Uncertain Vengeance (1960) Red Crale
  • The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor - The Trap (1960) Carl Ryan
  • Mr. Lucky - The Two Million Dollar Window (1960) Slate
  • Johnny Midnight - An Old-Fashioned Frame (1960) Connor
  • Adventures in Paradise - Vendetta (1961) Paul Moore
  • The Tall Man - Ladies of the Town (1961) Jason Cleary
  • COronado 9 - But the Patient Died (1961) Dr. David Travis
  • Wagon Train - The Christopher Hale Story (1961) Stevens
  • Outlaws - The Bill Doolin Story (1961) Sam Evans
  • The Blue Angels - Alien Entry (1961) Vic Lavet
  • Shirley Temple Theatre - Rebel Gun (1961) Sheriff Westram
The Fugitive (1962) Man
Twenty Two (1961) Airline Agent
  • Perry Mason (1961–1965) Lt. Andy Anderson (69 episodes)
Desert Justice (1960) Dave Walker
Her Brother's Keeper (1966) Carl Armory
Revenge of the Gods (1966) M/Sgt. Jiggs
One Way to the Moon (1966) M/Sgt. Jiggs
Rendezvous with Yesterday (1966) Master Sgt. Jiggs
Chase Through Time (1967) M/Sgt. Jiggs
The Calico Kid (1966) Jacobus Carson
The Seventh Day (1967) Reverend Egan Thomas
Nobody Said Hello (1966) Matt McLain
The Gentle Tamers (1968) Hoyt
Vengeance Trail (1967) Sheriff Ben Morris
  • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - The Mystery of Edward Sims: Pt 1 & Pt 2 (1968) Mr. Parker
Willie Poor Boy (1969) Dr. Albee
The Poisoned Mind (1971) Dr. Maggio
  • Longstreet - One in the Reality Column (1971) Defense Attorney
Doomsday (1969) Dr. Thorgen
My Friend, My Enemy (1970) Karl Maur
The Field (1971) (teleplay)
Double Dead (1972) Jim Thompson
Hear No Evil (1972) Ray Norman
Valley of the Damned (1973) Lt. Harry Wharton
In the Forests of the Night (1973) Thompkins
Ovation for Murder (1973) Captain Gottschalk
The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part 2 (1974) Captain Gottschalk
Shattered Image (1974) Captain Gottschalk
Lost Love (1975) Emil
  • Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981) Man with Dog

Feature-length films

  • I Want to Live! (1958) Henry L. Graham
  • The Alamo (1960) Emil Sande
  • The Foxes (1961)
  • The Venetian Affair (1967) Neill Carlson
  • Ride to Hangman's Tree (1967) Sheriff Gordon
  • Panic in the City (1968) Police Lt. Brady
  • Journey to Shiloh (1968) Col. Boykin
  • Crosscurrent (1971) Inspector Poole
  • No Place to Run (1972) Bill Ryan
  • Skyjacked (1972) Stanley Morris
  • Call to Danger (1973) Police Sergeant
  • Incident on a Dark Street (1973) John Pine
  • Homebodies (1974) Construction Foreman
  • Cry Panic (1974) Joe Red
  • Lepke (1975) First Detective (also as a writer)

References

  1. ↑ Wesley Lau at Find a Grave
  2. ↑ Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana. "Wesley Lau-Lt. Andy Anderson". The Perry Mason TV Show Book. D. M. Brockman. Retrieved 1 October 2010. 
  3. ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. 

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