Steve London

Steve London (August 1, 1930 - June 14, 2014)^[1]^[2] was an American television and film actor and attorney, best known for his role as Federal Agent Jack Rossman on the ABC/Desilu Television series, The Untouchables from 1959–1963, which starred Robert Stack as Eliot Ness. In the series, Rossman was The Untouchables' wire tap specialist. In one Untouchables episode, he was described by series narrator Walter Winchell as "Agent Jack Rossman-- former telephone company lineman, wiretap expert, and a locksmith so talented that "Rossman could open everything but the Pearly Gates."^[3] In the Untouchables series,Jack's weapon of choice was the 12 gauge pump-action shotgun,which he used to deadly effect. London appeared in 65 episodes of The Untouchables as Rossman.

Born Walter Lee Gragg in St Louis, Missouri, London was a veteran of numerous Hollywood film and television roles, including parts on Daniel Boone, M Squad, Sky King, Lock Up, The Loretta Young Show, Sugarfoot, Mission Impossible, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Branded, and Mackenzie's Raiders. Film roles included Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (film), I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958), Zero Hour! (1957), The Gun of Zangara, and Alcatraz Express, the later two being two-part episodes of The Untouchables that were re-edited into feature films for international distribution.^[4]^[5]

Several years after the cancellation of The Untouchables, London appeared in a special episode of The Lucy Show entitled "Lucy The Gun Moll", an Untouchables reunion of sorts, where he reprised his role as sidekick to Robert Stack.^[6]^[7] Actor Bruce Gordon who played Frank Nitti in the series, also appeared in this episode, and The Untouchables narrator Walter Winchell served as narrator for this episode.^[8]

After 1966, his acting career waned, so he left Hollywood, finished law school, and began practicing law under his birth name. Many years later, London returned to acting, where he played roles in the Cartoon Network television series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, (2007), and the film Brothers War (2009). London and his wife Judith resided in Pasadena, California until his death on June 14, 2014 at the age of 83.^[9]^[10]

References

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