Biography for
William Schallert More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Mini Biography

The son of Edwin Schallert, drama editor of the "Los Angeles Times" and the dean of West Coast critics, William Schallert became interested in an acting career while at UCLA in 1942. After graduation, he became involved with the Circle Theater (eventually becoming one of its owners) and made his film debut in The Foxes of Harrow (1947). He has been ubiquitous in movies and TV ever since; from 1979 to 1981, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild. He still stays active with SAG projects and says he never gives retirement a thought.

Spouse

Trivia

President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG). [1979-1981]

He has performed hundreds of voice-over jobs over the years.

Martin Lane, Schallert's character on "The Patty Duke Show" (1963), was ranked #39 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].

Of Schallert's myriad movie and TV roles, he has said the one individual role for which he still receives the most recognition is as Nilz Barris, Federation Undersecretary Of Agricultural Affairs, in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".

During the 1940s, Schallert was a member of Los Angeles' 'The Group Theatre'--a West Coast version of New York's 'The Actor's Studio'--where he appeared in a production of W. Somerset Maugham's "Rain" directed by Charles Chaplin.

Is also a composer, pianist and singer.

Interviewed in Tom Weaver's book "They Fought in the Creature Features" (McFarland & Co., 1995).

Had a supporting role in In the Heat of the Night (1967), and later made a guest appearance in an episode of the TV series, "In the Heat of the Night" (1988).

Personal Quotes

"I believe you shouldn't become an actor unless you need to. Unless you have no choice about it. Liking - even loving - acting is not enough. You have to need to act."

Where Are They Now

(June 2001) Appearing with Harry Hamlin in the premiere production of the play "House" in Los Angeles, at the Falcon Theatre.

	You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
	With our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb. Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z