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Bill Quinn

{{short description|American actor (1912–1994)}}

{{Other people|William Quinn}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Bill Quinn

| image = Bill Quinn in One Step Beyond (Emergency Only).jpg

| caption = Quinn in an episode of One Step Beyond (1959)

| birth_name = William Tyrell Quinn

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|05|06|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|04|29|1912|05|06|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Camarillo, California, U.S.

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1923–1989

| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Catherine Roden|1939}}

| children = 3

| relatives = Bob Newhart (son-in-law)

}}

William Tyrell Quinn (May 6, 1912{{cite book |last1=Leszczak |first1=Bob |title=The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles and an Episode Guide |date=August 23, 2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-1539-4 |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xe1ZBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22William+Tyrell+Quinn%22&pg=PA97 |access-date=January 1, 2023 |language=en}} – April 29, 1994) was an American character actor of film and television.

Early years

Quinn was born on May 6, 1912, in New York City.{{cite book |last1=Ellenberger |first1=Allan R. |title=Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory |date=May 1, 2001 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0983-9 |page=199 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bOJCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Bill+Quinn%22+actor&pg=PA199 |access-date=January 1, 2023 |language=en}} His father, Edward Quinn, was a supervisor in the United States Shipping Board's copying department. His mother, Lillian Tyrrell, was an actress in films and a chorus girl on Broadway.{{cite book |last1=Aaker |first1=Everett |title=Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary |date=May 25, 2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-6250-3 |pages=346–347 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltUkDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Bill+Quinn%22+actor&pg=RA3-PA1990 |access-date=January 1, 2023 |language=en}} He performed with his older brothers in a children's act in vaudeville.

Career

As a teenager, Quinn worked in films in New York City. He performed with touring stock theater companies during the 1920s.

Quinn began working on radio around 1934. He starred as a detective on Little Herman on ABC in the late 1940s.{{cite news |title=Behind the Radio Dial |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114570104/the-weekly-kansas-city-star/ |access-date=December 13, 2022 |work=The Weekly Kansas City Star |date=May 25, 1949 |page=12|via = Newspapers.com}} Other radio programs on which he appeared included The Man Behind the Gun,[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbus-ledger/167428624/ "Men Behind the Script"]. The Columbus Ledger. March 21, 1943. p. 24. Retrieved March 7, 2025. "Director William Robson gives instructions on a script of CBS’ 'The Man Behind the Gun' to his cast. The actors are, left to right, Jackson Beck, Bill Quinn and Frank Lovejoy." Counterspy, The FBI in Peace and War, Gangbusters, and Mr. District Attorney.

A prolific character actor, Quinn appeared in more than 150 roles over seven decades, beginning in silent films during the 1920s and ending with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier in 1989, in which he portrayed the father of Dr. McCoy. On television, he appeared as Mr. Van Ranseleer, the wise, blind bar patron, in Archie Bunker's Place.{{cite news| title=TV, Film and Stage Actor Bill Quinn Dead at 81| url=https://apnews.com/article/1c197e4d0c87fe0631dbca95293d9590| website=Associated Press| date=May 3, 1994| access-date=March 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322230956/https://apnews.com/article/1c197e4d0c87fe0631dbca95293d9590 |archive-date=March 22, 2022}} His other TV roles include The Odd Couple, in the recurring role of Felix and Oscar's dour physician, Dr. Melnitz; The Rifleman as Frank Sweeney, the bartender; and Mary's father in three episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, Quinn made guest appearances on several other TV series, including Perry Mason, Honey West, My Three Sons, Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside, Hawaii Five-O, Adam-12, The Waltons, Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Bob Newhart Show, Trapper John, M.D. and The Golden Girls.

His film appearances include The Birds (1963), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), Hearts of the West (1975), Gable and Lombard (1976), Bustin' Loose (1981), and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

Personal life and death

Quinn married Mary Catherine Roden in 1939,[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61406&h=285133 New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018] and they had three daughters. One of those is Virginia "Ginnie" Quinn Newhart, wife of comedian Bob Newhart, on whose sitcoms, Newhart and The Bob Newhart Show, Quinn occasionally appeared in small supporting roles.[https://www.newspapers.com/image/399013973/?clipping_id=120048673 "Television Today: Evening"]. The Atlanta Constitution. November 1, 1982. p. 7B. Retrieved March 2, 2023.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120049680/tampa-bay-times/ "Highlights Broadcast"]. Tampa Bay Times. February 27, 1984. p. 4D. Retrieved March 2, 2023.

Quinn died on April 29, 1994, at the age of 81 in Camarillo, California of natural causes. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Filmography

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References

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External links

{{Commons category}}

{{Portal|Biography}}

  • {{IMDb name|0703767}}

{{Memory Alpha}}

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Category:1912 births

Category:1994 deaths

Category:American male television actors

Category:American male film actors

Category:Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:Male actors from New York City