John Lupton

John Rollin Lupton
Lupton with daughter Rollin and Broken Arrow co-star Michael Ansara, 1957.
Born(1928-08-23)August 23, 1928
DiedNovember 3, 1993(1993-11-03) (aged 65)
Alma materAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
Years active1951-1993
Spouses
Anne Sills
(m. 1956; div. 1959)
Dian Friml
(m. 1969)
Children1

John Rollin Lupton[1] (August 23, 1928 – November 3, 1993) was an American film and television actor.

Early years

Lupton was the son of Adelma and Dorothy (née Marsh) Lupton.[2] He developed an interest in drama while he was a student at Shorewood High School in Shorewood, Wisconsin.[3] He pursued acting via an apprenticeship with a stock theater company in New York, and after graduating he toured with the Strawbridge Children's Theater Company.[2]

Career

After completing his studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Lupton performed with stock companies in Ocean City, New Jersey and Saratoga Springs, New York. He later joined MGM in Hollywood, making his film debut in On the Town in 1949.[2]

He co-starred in 1956 with Fess Parker in Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase. During the 1954-1955 television season, Lupton appeared as a college student in several episodes of the CBS sitcom, The Halls of Ivy. He also played Chris Lambert on the NBC series Fury (1955-1960),[4]: 373-374  Indian agent Tom Jeffords on the TV series Broken Arrow (1956-1958), and Frank on the ABC serial Never Too Young (1965-1966).[4]: 750 [4]

In 1959, John Lupton was cast as a struggling writer in The Rebel Set. That same year, he played the historical figure Buffalo Bill Cody in the episode "The Grand Duke" of the syndicated anthology series, eath Valley Days. The episode revolves around the friendship that forms when the skeptical Buffalo Bill Cody was assigned by the United States Army to escort the Grand Duke of Russia on a buffalo hunt in the West. In 1961, John Lupton was cast in another episode of Death Valley Days titled "South of Horror Flats," where he portrayed Pinkerton agent Allen Hodges, who is hired by a ghost-plagued woman to assist her and her gold fortune in traveling to San Francisco.

In 1960, John Lupton guest-starred as Andrew Sykes in the episode "The Triple Cross" of the syndicated crime drama, U.S. Marshal. During the same year, he appeared in other programs, including Sea Hunt, Men into Space, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Gunsmoke as Ben Tolliver and in another role as Carl, as well as Tales of Wells Fargo and Checkmate.

On April 25, 1961, John Lupton portrayed Fred Powers in the episode "Killers' Odds" of NBC's Laramie. In this episode, series character Jess Harper, played by Robert Fuller, encounters Powers, a stranger with a bounty on his head due to a fraudulent charge, as he had killed in self-defense. In 1961, Lupton also took on the role of Dr. John "Buzz" Neldrum in the episode "A Doctor Comes to Town" of the comedy-drama Window on Main Street, which starred Robert Young as an author returning to his hometown after the loss of his wife and child. Additionally, Lupton guest-starred as Amber in the 1961 episode "The Platinum Highway" of ABC's crime drama Target: The Corruptors. He appeared in the 1965 episode "What Television Show Does Your Dog Watch?" of the CBS sitcom The Cara Williams Show and also made an appearance on NBC's Daniel Boone

Lupton later appeared in the 1965 biblical film The Greatest Story Ever Told as the speaker of the town of Capernaum, and as Jesse James in the 1966 cult horror Western, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter.

His later film career included roles in The Day of the Wolves (1971), The Astronaut (1972), Cool Breeze (1972), Napoleon and Samantha (1972), The Slams (1973), The Phantom of Hollywood (1974) and Airport 1975 (1974).

Other film appearances were in Disney's The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) as the race starter, The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper (1976), The Young Runaways (1978) and The Secret of Lost Valley (1980).

He was featured from 1967 to 1980 on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives in a central role Dr. Tom (Tommy) Horton Jr.

Walk of Fame

John Lupton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located on the west side of the 1700 block of Vine Street.[5]

Personal life

On April 7, 1956,[6] Lupton married Anne Sills, and they had a daughter, Rollin.[3] They divorced three years later, and on July 24, 1969, he wed Dian Friml in Las Vegas, Nevada,[7] to whom he was still married at the time of his death.

Death

Lupton died on November 3, 1993, aged 65.[1] His widow, Dian, died of cancer in 2005, aged 69.[8] He was cremated, with his family receiving his ashes.[1]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1951 St. Benny the Dip Seminary Student Uncredited
1952 Shadow in the Sky Clayton
1953 Rogue's March Lieutenant Jersey
1953 The Story of Three Loves Studious Young Ship Passenger (segment "The Jealous Lover"), Uncredited
1953 Julius Caesar Varro
1953 Scandal at Scourie Artemus
1953 The Band Wagon Jack, Prompter Uncredited
1953 All the Brothers Were Valiant Dick Morrell
1953 Escape from Fort Bravo Bailey
1954 Dragonfly Squadron Captain Woody Taylor
1954 Prisoner of War Lieutenant Peter Reilly
1955 Battle Cry Private / Corporal Marion 'Sister Mary' Hotchkiss
1955 Seven Angry Men Lieutenant Jeb Stuart Uncredited
1955 Man with the Gun Jeff Castle
1956 Glory Chad Chadburn
1956 Diane Regnault
1956 The Great Locomotive Chase William Pittenger
1956-58 Broken Arrow Indian Agent Tom Jeffords 72 episodes
1957 Drango Captain Marc Banning
1957 Taming Sutton's Gal Frank McClary
1958 Gun Fever Simon Weller
1959 The Man in the Net Brad Carey
1959 The Rebel Set Ray Miller
1959 The Restless Gun Season 2 Episode 23: "Ricochet"
1959 Blood and Steel Lieutenant Dave Jenson
1960 Three Came to Kill Hal Parker
1961 The Clown and the Kid Peter
1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ralph Morrow Season 7 Episode 32: "Victim Four"
1964 The Devil's Bedroom Jim
1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told Speaker of Capernaum
1966 Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter Jesse James
1967 Dragnet Sergeant Carl Maxwell Season 2 Episode 6: "The Senior Citizen"
1971 The Day of the Wolves Hank
1972 The Astronaut Tom Masters Television film
1972 Cool Breeze Lieutenant Holster
1972 Napoleon and Samantha Pete
1972 Private Parts Second Policeman
1972 Hit Man Director Shooting Sherwood's TV Commercial
1973 The World's Greatest Athlete Race Starter
1973 The Slams Detective Sergeant Uncredited
1974 Airport 1975 Oringer
1976 Midway Officer Testing Electric Bomb Release Uncredited
1994 Body Shot Noah Goodman

References

  1. ^ a b c Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 461. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Harris, Betty (August 27, 1958). "Star of 'Broken Arrow' Visits Muncie Relatives". Muncie Evening Press. Indiana, Muncie. p. 8. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b "Interpretation of Owl, Pussy Cat Leads Actor to Starring TV Role". The Daily Herald. Utah, Provo. November 4, 1957. p. 20. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  5. ^ "John Lupton". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. ^ California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1949-1959
  7. ^ Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005
  8. ^ Obituary: Dian Lupton, legacy.com. Accessed June 13, 2024.