Jon Lormer

Jon Lormer (May 7, 1906 – March 19, 1986) was an American actor, known for his guest and supporting roles in television series, such as the 1960s' Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Peyton Place, and in Creepshow as Nathan Grantham.

Lormer was both a director and an actor with the American Theatre Wing in New York City. His other work on stage included plays in New York City and productions that toured the United States.

Lormer made guest appearances on dozens of television series, often appearing multiple times on the same series but as different characters. He appeared in three separate roles in the original Star Trek series as Dr. Theodore Haskins, in "The Cage" (and "The Menagerie", 1966); as Tamar in "The Return of the Archons" (1967); and as the Old Man in "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (1968) who speaks the title line. He played a recurring role as the postman, Silas Huff, in Lassie during the 1953–54 seasons (the Timmy and Lassie years) of the TV series.[citation needed ]

From 1959–63, he made 12 appearances on Perry Mason as a medical examiner/autopsy surgeon. In 1959 he appeared in Lawman as Harry Tate a newspaper editor, in "The Big Hat". That same year he again appeared as Harry Tate on Lawman in the episode titled "The Outsider." In 1960 he played Harry Gillespie in the Rawhide episode "Incident of the Last Chance". Between 1960 and 1963, he was in four episodes of The Twilight Zone. In 1960, he played The Reverend in "Execution". In 1961, he played "Man" in "Dust" (credited as "John Lormer"). In 1961 and 1962, he played three different characters in The Untouchables. In 1962, he played Strauss in "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" and in 1963 he played the Minister in "Jess-Belle".[citation needed ]

He also appeared three times on The Andy Griffith Show, as Fletch Dilbeck ("Bailey's Bad Boy", 1962), as Tate Fletcher ("The Cow Thief", also 1962) and in 1964 as Parnell Rigsby, a farmer who lost his wallet. He also played roles in Daniel Boone, as Reverend Jimson's father ("The Renegade") and Tuscarora tribesman Yellow Knife ("The Flaming Rocks").

From 1966 to 1968, he made numerous appearances as Judge Chester on the series Peyton Place. In 1967, he played George Ramsey, a building caretaker with a mischievous kitten bent on destruction, for the TV series Lassie episode "The Eighth Life of Henry IV". That same year he appeared as Dr. Pierre Blanchard in the fourth season of the science-fiction television show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in the episode named "Fatal Cargo".

In 1971, Lormer appeared as the doctor on The Men From Shiloh (rebranded name for the TV western The Virginian) in the episode titled "The Angus Killer". In 1980, Lormer portrayed Professor Boggs in the syndicated television drama The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts. In 1981, he appeared as Barker, the bumbling butler, in the Magnum, P.I. episode "Ghost Writer".

He appeared in many films, often uncredited. His credited film appearances include One Man's Way (1963), Zebra in the Kitchen (1965), A Fine Madness (1966), The Singing Nun (1966), The Learning Tree (1969), Getting Straight (1970), The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975), Rooster Cogburn (1975) and The Boogens (1981). He also appeared as Nathan Grantham in the 1982 horror-comedy film Creepshow. His last television appearance was in a November 1984 episode of Highway to Heaven.

On March 19, 1986, Lormer died of cancer at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California. He was 79 years old.