William Tannen was the son of the well-known vaudeville monologist Julius Tannen and the brother of actor Charles Tannen. After a brief career on Broadway in various revues and productions, Tannen made his way to Hollywood. From 1935 until his retirement in 1970, Tannen found steady work in movies, and later on TV. With over 300 screen appearances, most uncredited, the versatile actor appeared in many different roles and was respected for his abilities, but he didn't have the face, voice, or charismatic presence to be molded into a star. He eventually found a niche in TV Westerns, which were popular in the 1950's and 1960's, and he did considerable work in several of them. His best-known role is as deputy Hal Norton on "Wyatt Earp" during the years the series was set in Dodge City Kansas.
While most of his roles were small, he was given a few weightier assignments on "Wyatt Earp." The biggest of these was the episode "Shadow of a Man," in which Wyatt leaves Dodge for a while and appoints his chief deputy as acting marshal. Deputy Norton handles various problems that arise through flashbacks showing how Wyatt dealt with similar situations or in which Earp explained his reasoning for certain decisions. Inspired by these, Norton rises to each occasion and handles them adequately, albeit very roughly and more than a bit unsure of himself. To pull off this kind of characterization without overacting the weaknesses or incorrectly becoming a carbon copy of the person portrayed is a challenge for even the greatest actors. Tannen manages it well, and the result is believable.
As a result of this, Tannen was given bigger roles in subsequent episodes of the show, and when the series moved to Tombstone and ended the need for Tannen's services, he was in high demand in movies and on TV until he left the industry in 1970.
While most of his roles were small, he was given a few weightier assignments on "Wyatt Earp." The biggest of these was the episode "Shadow of a Man," in which Wyatt leaves Dodge for a while and appoints his chief deputy as acting marshal. Deputy Norton handles various problems that arise through flashbacks showing how Wyatt dealt with similar situations or in which Earp explained his reasoning for certain decisions. Inspired by these, Norton rises to each occasion and handles them adequately, albeit very roughly and more than a bit unsure of himself. To pull off this kind of characterization without overacting the weaknesses or incorrectly becoming a carbon copy of the person portrayed is a challenge for even the greatest actors. Tannen manages it well, and the result is believable.
As a result of this, Tannen was given bigger roles in subsequent episodes of the show, and when the series moved to Tombstone and ended the need for Tannen's services, he was in high demand in movies and on TV until he left the industry in 1970.
