Veteran character lead of theater, film and TV since the 1950s who has long excelled at playing harried businessmen, discontented suburbanites, and other middle-class guys under pressure. In his maturity, Windom has become comfortably ensconced in roles as venerable authority figures--fathers, judges, clergymen and other professionals. 60s sitcom cultists may remember his Emmy-winning portrayal of John Monroe, an anxiety-ridden cartoonist who shifted back-and-forth between the real world and the animated realm of his sketchpad, on "My World... and Welcome to It" (NBC, 1969-70). This charming show was based on the writings and drawings of humorist James Thurber whom Windom later portrayed on stage in two one-man shows. Windom remained a frequent presence on TV through the 90s in guest spots (memorably as a vengeful starship captain in "The Doomsday Machine" episode of "Star Trek"), TV-movies and in the recurring role of Dr. Seth Hazlitt on CBS-TV's long-running mystery hit "Murder, She Wrote".Windom began acting on stage regularly in the 40s as a member of the American Repertory Company. His subsequent Broadway credits include "Androcles and the Lion", "The World of Suzie Wong", and "Come Blow Your Horn". Windom made his feature debut as the prosecuting attorney in "To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962) and went on to alternate between film, TV and theater. His feature credits include "The Detective" (1968) as a closeted self-hating murderer of gay men, Robert Altman's "Brewster McCloud" (1970), and "Escape From the Planet of the Apes" (1972) as the President. More recently Windom has appeared in supporting roles in two John Hughes comedies, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" (1987) and "She's Having a Baby" (1988), as well as "Sommersby" (1993).
Profession(s):
Actor
Sometimes Credited As:
Education
Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts 1942
The Citadel Charleston, South Carolina 1943
Antioch College Yellow Springs, Ohio 1943
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1943
Biarritz American University 1945
Fordham University Bronx, New York 1946
Columbia University New York, New York 1946
Emmy Outstanding Continued Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series "My World and Welcome To It" 1969 - 1970
1979 Starred in the one-man show "Ernie Pyle II
1976 Starred in the one-man show "Ernie Pyle I"
1975 Starred in the one-man show "Thurber II"
1972 Starred in the one-man show "Thurber I"
1962 Feature debut, the prosecuting attorney in "To Kill A Mockingbird"
1958 Starred on NBC's "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation of "Dial 'M' For Murder"
1950 Performed on the early NBC anthology drama series, "Masterpiece Playhouse"
Served with 508th parachute infantry of the US Army
Performed with the American Reperatory Theater
TV series debut in a starring role, "The Farmer's Daughter"
Starred in the series "My World and Welcome to It"
Played the recurring role of Dr. Seth Hazlitt on "Murder, She Wrote" (CBS)