Tom Poston

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Tom Poston" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

American actor (1921–2007)

Tom Poston

Poston in 1965

Born|

Thomas Gordon Poston

(1921-10-17)October 17, 1921

Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

Died| April 30, 2007(2007-04-30) (aged 85)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Resting place| Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation| Actor
Years active| 1950–2007
Spouses|

Doris Sward

(m. 1949, divorced)​

Jean Sullivan

(m. 1955; div. 1961)​

Kay Hudson

(m. 1968; div. 1976)​

(m. 1980; died 1998)​

Suzanne Pleshette

(m. 2001)​

Children| 3
Tom Poston (left), Constance Ford, and Robert Elston in the Broadway production of Golden Fleecing (1959), written by Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Thomas Gordon Poston (October 17, 1921 – April 30, 2007) was an American actor, appearing in television roles from the 1950s through the early to mid-2000s, reportedly appearing in more sitcoms than any other actor.[1] In the 1980s, he played George Utley on the CBS sitcom Newhart, receiving three Emmy Award nominations for the role. In addition he had a number of film roles and appeared frequently on Broadway and television game shows.

## Early life[edit]

Poston was born on October 17, 1921 in Columbus, Ohio, to George and Margaret Poston.[2] His father was a liquor salesman and dairy chemist.[3]

After completing high school, Poston attended Bethany College in West Virginia, but did not graduate. While there, he joined the Sigma Nu fraternity. He joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1941. Accepted to officer candidate school and then graduating from flight training, Poston served as a pilot in the European Theater in World War II; his aircraft dropped paratroopers for the Normandy invasion.[4]

Poston served in North Africa, Italy, France, and England. After his discharge, he began studying acting in New York City, graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[5]

## Career[edit]

In 1953, as Thomas Poston, he was cast as "Detective" in the film City That Never Sleeps. In 1957, Poston gained recognition as a comedic "Man in the Street" (along with his colleagues Louis Nye, Dayton Allen and Don Knotts) on The Steve Allen Show. For these performances, Poston won the 1959 Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series. In the fall of 1959, when the Allen program moved west to Los Angeles, Poston remained in New York, appearing frequently on Broadway and television game shows.

His film career was limited, with appearances in films such as William Castle's Zotz! (1962), The Old Dark House (1963), Soldier in the Rain (1963), Cold Turkey (1971), The Happy Hooker (1975), Rabbit Test (1978), Up the Academy (1980) and Carbon Copy (1981). He was cast as Michael Carrington's uncle Tom Anderson in Grease 2 (1982), but his scenes were deleted.

His television career covered the better part of five decades. When Mel Brooks submitted his idea for Get Smart to the ABC network, ABC wanted Poston for the lead role of Maxwell Smart.[6] When ABC passed on the show, NBC picked it up and the lead went to Don Adams. Poston, however, made a guest appearance on the show as a KAOS villain. He appeared in Thriller during its second season in 1961. The episode, number six, was titled "Masquerade" and starred Elizabeth Montgomery.

In 1968, Poston played the role of the Scarecrow, at The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, production of The Wizard of Oz. Lana Cantrell played Dorothy Gale, and Betty Low played the Sorceress of the North, also known as Glinda.

The handprints of Tom Poston in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Poston was a recurring guest star on The Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s, playing "The Peeper", a buddy of Bob's since college, whereby he and Bob would try to one-up each other with practical jokes. Poston later played the role of Franklin Delano Bickley on Mork & Mindy.

A longtime friend of Bob Newhart, Poston also played George Utley, a simple country handyman of the Stratford Inn, on Newhart, and appeared with Newhart in Cold Turkey as the town drunk, Edgar Stopworth. He was nominated for an Emmy Award three times for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance on Newhart in 1984, 1986, and 1987. He had a third role with Newhart in the short-lived sitcom Bob.

Poston had roles on many other television series: Family Matters, Murphy Brown, Home Improvement, Cosby, Malcolm & Eddie, ER, Grace Under Fire, That '70s Show (as Kitty Forman's father, Burt Sigurdson), Will & Grace, and guest starred in an episode of The Simpsons as the Capital City Goofball. He played dentist/jeweler, Art Hibke, on ABC's Coach, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1991. He guest-starred on Home Improvement as a surly airport clerk in Alpena, Michigan when Tim and Al get stuck there during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, and again as that character's brother in the episode "The Tool Man Delivers", and again as the third brother in the episode "Thanksgiving".

In 2001, he appeared on The Lone Gunmen episode "The Cap'n Toby Show" and in King of the Hill episode "Now Who's The Dummy?" as Mr. Popper (voice). In 2005, he played the character "Clown" on the brief-lived NBC series Committed and guest-starred on the ABC series 8 Simple Rules as Rory's unlawful friend Jake in the episode "Good Moms Gone Wild". In 2006, Poston guest-starred on an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, entitled "Ah! Wilderness" as Merle, which was his final role.

## Personal life and death[edit]

Poston married Doris Sward in 1949.[7] They later divorced.[8]

He married Jean Sullivan in 1955. They had a daughter, Francesca (born 1956). Poston and Sullivan announced their separation in 1959 and divorced two years later.[9][10]

Poston began dating Kay Hudson in the spring of 1961, when she was 17 and he was 39.[11] The couple married in 1968. They had two children, son Jason (born 1969) and daughter Hudson (born 1972). They divorced in 1976 but remarried in 1980 and remained together until her death at age 54 in 1998 from ALS.[2]

In 2001, Poston married actress Suzanne Pleshette, who played the wife of Newhart's character Bob Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show. It was his fourth marriage and her third.[12] Pleshette and Poston had dated briefly in 1959 and got back together in 2000.[5]

After a brief illness, Poston died of respiratory failure on April 30, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 85.[5] He pre-deceased Pleshette by nine months. Although he was not Jewish, he is interred in the Jewish Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery alongside Pleshette, who was Jewish.[13]

## Filmography[edit]

### Films[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1952 | Skirts Ahoy! | Walk-on | Uncredited
1953 | City That Never Sleeps | Detective | Credited as Thomas Poston
1962 | Zotz! | Professor Jonathan Jones |
1963 | The Old Dark House | Tom Penderel |
Soldier in the Rain | Lieutenant Magee |
1971 | Cold Turkey | Mr. Stopworth |
1975 | The Happy Hooker | J. Arthur Conrad |
1978 | Rabbit Test | Minister |
1980 | Up the Academy | Sisson |
1981 | Carbon Copy | Reverend Hayworth |
1989 | Murphy's Laws of Golf | George | Short Film
1998 | Krippendorf's Tribe | Gordon Hargrove |
1999 | The Story of Us | Harry |
2003 | Beethoven's 5th | John Giles / Selig |
2004 | The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement | Lord Palimore |
Christmas with the Kranks | Father Zabriskie |

### Television[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1950 | Tom Corbett, Space Cadet | The Alkarian | Episode: "The Mystery of Alkar"
1950–1951 | Lights Out | Sir John | 2 episodes
1951 | Studio One in Hollywood | Sentry / Alec Gordon | 2 episodes
1953 | Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel | Toby Winfield | Unknown episodes
1955 | Goodyear Playhouse | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Tangled Web"
1956 | Playwrights '56 | Fletcher | Episode: "You Sometimes Get Rich"
Robert Montgomery Presents | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Who?"
1956–1957 | The Phil Silvers Show | Guard House Lieutenant / The Lieutenant | 2 episodes
1956–1960 | The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | Comedian / Guest / Himself | 44 episodes
1957 | The United States Steel Hour | Chester | Episode: "The Change in Chester"
The Steve Allen Show | Comedian | Episode: "#3.11"
1958 | The Christmas Tree | Tom | Television Film
1958–1966 | What's My Line? | Himself / Mystery Guest / Panelist | 10 episodes
1959 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Lieutenant Ferguson Howard | Episode: "#13.9"
1959–1960  | Split Personality (Game Show)  | Himself / Host  | Studio: NBC Studio 8H, New York City, NY
1959–1967 | To Tell the Truth | Himself / Panelist | 317 episodes
1960 | The Tempest | Trinculo | Television Film
Play of the Week | Supervisor | Episode: "The Enchanted"
1961 | Thriller | Charlie Denham | Episode: "Masquerade"
1963–1964 | Match Game | Himself / Team Captain | 35 episodes
Missing Links | Himself / Panelist | 27 episodes
1964 | The Defenders | Sheldon Lowell | 2 episodes
1965 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Janitor / Lieutenant Courtney | Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
1968 | Gentle Ben | Joe Cardigan | Episode: "Trophy Bear"
1969 | The Good Guys | Julian Brent | Episode: "The World's Second Greatest Lover"
Get Smart | Doctor Zharko | Episode: "Shock It to Me"
1974 | Bobby Parker and Company | His Psychiatrist | Television Film
1975 | Harry and Maggie | Arlo Wilson | Television Short
1975–1976 | On the Rocks | Mister Sullivan | 13 episodes
1975–1977 | The Bob Newhart Show | Cliff Murdock | 5 episodes
1976 | Alice | Jerry Dittmeyer | Episode: "Vera's Mortician"
1976–1977 | Match Game | Himself / Panelist | 10 episodes
1977 | All's Fair | Harold Banks | Episode: "Save the Yak"
The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa | William Bensinger | Television Film
1977–1978 | We've Got Each Other | Damon Jerome | 13 episodes
1977–1987 | The Love Boat | Tom Poston / Daniel Baker / Mickey O'Day | 3 episodes
1978 | A Guide to the Married Woman | Marty Gibson | Television Film
Flying High | Zarky | Episode: "The Vanishing Point"
Fame | Car Salesman | Television Film
1979 | $weepstake$ | Leeds | Episode: "Dewey and Harold and Sarah and Maggie"
CHiPs | Bill Conner | Episode: "Quarantine"
Beane's of Boston | Mister Frank Beane | Pilot Episode
1979–1980 | The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) | Center Square / Himself / Panelist | 21 episodes
1979–1981 | Mork & Mindy | Franklin Bickley | 54 episodes
1980 | Good Time Harry | Ben Younger | Episode: "Ben Younger"
1981 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite | Omar Krepps | Television Film
1981–1982 | Password Plus | Celebrity Contestant / Himself | 11 episodes
1982 | King's Crossing | Brian Gunshore | Episode: "The Home Front"
I've Had It Up to Here | Currently Unknown | Television Film
1982–1990 | Newhart | George Utley | 184 episodes
1983–1984 | Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour | Himself / Panelist | 24 episodes
1984–1985 | Body Language | Himself | 15 episodes
1984–1989 | Super Password | Celebrity Contestant / Himself | 70 episodes
1985 | Hotel | Tommy Rooney | Episode: "Pathways"
1986 | Crazy Like a Fox | Currently Unknown | Episode: "A Fox at the Races"
Fresno | Doctor Parseghian | Miniseries 4 episodes
1987 | D.C. Follies | Tom Poston | Episode: "Pilot"
1988 | Save the Dog! | Currently Unknown | Television Film
St. Elsewhere | Jim Morrison | Episode: "The Abby Singer Show"
1990 | A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder | Don Corman | Television Film
The Simpsons | Capital City Goofball (voice) | Episode: "Dancin' Homer"
1990–1991 | Good Grief | Ringo Prowley | 13 episodes
1990–1995 | Coach | Dr. Art Hibke / Art Hibke | 4 episodes
1991 | Harry and the Hendersons | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Harry and the Homeless Man"
1992–1993 | Bob | Jerry Fleisher | 4 episodes
1993 | Dream On | Sidney 'Uncle Bouncy' Barish | Episode: "Oral Sex, Lies and Videotape"
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Mysterious 'Dead Man' | Episode: "Halloween"
1994 | Big Daddy's Barbecue | Virgil | Television Film
1994–1995 | Family Matters | Mr. Looney | 3 episodes
1994–1996 | Murphy Brown | Old Man Swenson | 2 episodes
1995 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Ralph / Burly Man (voices) | Episode: "Eau de Krumm/O'Lucky Monster"
1995–1997 | Home Improvement | Ted / Ned / The Clerk | 3 episodes
1995–1998 | Grace Under Fire | Floyd Norton | 32 episodes
1996 | The Larry Sanders Show | Tom Poston | Episode: "My Name Is Asher Kingsley"
1997 | George and Leo | Traffic Cop | Episode: "The Pilot Episode"
Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Mortgage Banker | Episode: "Witch Trash"
1998 | Just Shoot Me! | Herb | Episode: "Jack's Old Partner"
Touched by an Angel | Ed Yablonsky | Episode: "Cry and You Cry Alone"
Suddenly Susan | Mr. Vance | Episode: "Sleeping with the Enemy"
Maggie Winters | Lester Mulford | Episode: "Mama's Got a Brand New Bag"
Rugrats | Roy (voice) | Episode: "Baking Dil/Hair!"
Contempt of Court | Coroner | Television Film
1999 | Cosby | Tim | 2 episodes
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Uncle Cosmo | Episode: "Honey, It's the Ghostest with the Mostest"
Diagnosis: Murder | Tom Porter | Episode: "The Roast"
1999–2000 | Malcolm & Eddie | Garth Dubin | 2 episodes
2000 | Dharma & Greg | Dr. Gillespie | Episode: "The Spy Who Said He Loved Me"
Normal, Ohio | Stanley | Episode: "Just Another Normal Christmas"
2001 | The Drew Carey Show | Roscoe Harvey | Episode: "Oswald's Dad Returns"
King of the Hill | Mr. Popper (voice) | Episode: "Now Who's the Dummy?"
ER | Earl | 2 episodes
The Lone Gunmen | Captain Toby / Fred Tabalowski | Episode: "The 'Cap'n Toby' Show"
The Ellen Show | Joe | Episode: "Joe"
2002 | Apple Valley Knights | Justice Knight Sr. | Unknown episodes
Becker | Joe Willakie | Episode: "Talking Points"
Will & Grace | Norman | Episode: "Went to a Garden Potty"
Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 | John Ashley (voice) | 5 episodes
2002–2003 | That '70s Show | Burt Sigurdson | 3 episodes
2003 | Good Morning, Miami | Lenny | 2 episodes
8 Simple Rules | Jake | Episode: "Good Moms Gone Wild"
2005 | Committed | Clown | 13 episodes
2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Merle | Episode: "Ah! Wilderness!"

## References[edit]

1. ^ Moore, Dennis (August 5, 2013). "Which American Actor Appeared in the most TV Sitcoms?". USA Today. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
2. ^ a b Bernstein, Adam (May 2, 2007). "Tom Poston; Played the Comically Clueless". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
3. ^ "Tom Poston spreads holiday cheer". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. December 23, 1989. p. C2.
4. ^ Astor, Gerald (1999). The Greatest War – Volume II: D-Day and the Assault on Europe. New York: Warner Books. p. 247\. ISBN 0-446-61047-X.
5. ^ a b c Fox, Margalit (May 2, 2007). "Tom Poston, Virtuosic Comic Actor, Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
6. ^ Parish, James Robert (February 28, 2008). It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks. John Wiley & Sons. p. 165\. ISBN 978-0-470-22526-4.
7. ^ "Northampton County Marriage Licenses". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. September 20, 1949. p. 4 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Poston's Third". The Atlanta Constitution. June 8, 1968. p. 2.
9. ^ Actor Tom Poston, Wife Are Separated The Miami News, August 28, 1959
10. ^ "Ask TV Scout". Fort Lauderdale News. May 18, 1962.
11. ^ "Tom Poston, Tough Kid: From $10 Fights To Broadway". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 25, 1980. p. 3E.
12. ^ Donnelley, Paul (September 1, 2010). Fade to Black: A Book of Over 1500 Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84938-246-5.
13. ^ Archerd, Army (May 2, 2007). "Tom Poston Farewell". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2019.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Poston.

* Tom Poston at Find a Grave
* Tom Poston at the Internet Broadway Database
* Tom Poston interview at the Archive of American Television
* Tom Poston at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Tom Poston at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

1954–1975|

* Art Carney (1954)
* Art Carney (1955)
* Art Carney (1956)
* Carl Reiner (1957)
* Carl Reiner (1958)
* Tom Poston (1959)
* Don Knotts (1961)
* Don Knotts (1962)
* Don Knotts (1963)
* Don Knotts (1966)
* Don Knotts (1967)
* Werner Klemperer (1968)
* Werner Klemperer (1969)
* Michael Constantine (1970)
* Ed Asner (1971)
* Ed Asner (1972)
* Ted Knight (1973)
* Rob Reiner (1974)
* Ed Asner (1975)

1976–2000|

* Ted Knight (1976)
* Gary Burghoff (1977)
* Rob Reiner (1978)
* Robert Guillaume (1979)
* Harry Morgan (1980)
* Danny DeVito (1981)
* Christopher Lloyd (1982)
* Christopher Lloyd (1983)
* Pat Harrington Jr. (1984)
* John Larroquette (1985)
* John Larroquette (1986)
* John Larroquette (1987)
* John Larroquette (1988)
* Woody Harrelson (1989)
* Alex Rocco (1990)
* Jonathan Winters (1991)
* Michael Jeter (1992)
* Michael Richards (1993)
* Michael Richards (1994)
* David Hyde Pierce (1995)
* Rip Torn (1996)
* Michael Richards (1997)
* David Hyde Pierce (1998)
* David Hyde Pierce (1999)
* Sean Hayes (2000)

2001–present|

* Peter MacNicol (2001)
* Brad Garrett (2002)
* Brad Garrett (2003)
* David Hyde Pierce (2004)
* Brad Garrett (2005)
* Jeremy Piven (2006)
* Jeremy Piven (2007)
* Jeremy Piven (2008)
* Jon Cryer (2009)
* Eric Stonestreet (2010)
* Ty Burrell (2011)
* Eric Stonestreet (2012)
* Tony Hale (2013)
* Ty Burrell (2014)
* Tony Hale (2015)
* Louie Anderson (2016)
* Alec Baldwin (2017)
* Henry Winkler (2018)
* Tony Shalhoub (2019)
* Dan Levy (2020)
* Brett Goldstein (2021)
* Brett Goldstein (2022)

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Spain
* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* Israel
* United States

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* SNAC

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template