# Frank Sutton

Frank Spencer Sutton (October 23, 1923 – June 28, 1974) was an American actor best remembered for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle – USMC.

## Early life

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Sutton developed an interest in acting, playing his first role at age nine and also starring in the drama club at East Nashville High School, where he graduated in 1941. He later said, "The first time I walked out on a stage, I had a warm feeling. I knew then I wanted to be an actor."
After high school, Sutton returned to Clarksville to become a radio announcer. During World War II, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Marine Corps, but he was medically rejected due to his color blindness. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the South Pacific, taking part in 14 assault landings. Sutton was a sergeant who served from 1943 to 1946 in the 6th Infantry Division's 293rd Joint Assault Signal Company.

### Combat and Non-Combat Operations

* 1944-1945 Leyte Campaign (1944-45)/Battle of Leyte
* 1944-1945 WWII - Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Luzon Campaign (1944-45)
* 1945-1945 Luzon Campaign (1944-45)/Battle for Recapture of Bataan
* 1945-1945 Luzon Campaign (1944-45)/Battle for Manila
* 1945-1946 US Occupation of South Korea

### Military awards and decorations

| 1st Row | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Purple Heart | Purple Heart | Purple Heart | Purple Heart | Purple Heart | Purple Heart |
| 2nd Row | Army Good Conduct Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal | American Campaign Medal | American Campaign Medal | American Campaign Medal | American Campaign Medal | Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with two service stars | Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with two service stars | Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with two service stars | Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with two service stars |
| 3rd Row | World War II Victory Medal | World War II Victory Medal | World War II Victory Medal | World War II Victory Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal |
| Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation ||||||||||

## Acting career

Honorably discharged after the war as a sergeant, he began acting on stage. He attended the Columbia University School of General Studies, graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1952.
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Sutton played small roles in television shows such as Decoy, Route 66, Naked City, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Fugitive, The Goldbergs, 87th Precinct, Gunsmoke, Target: The Corruptors, Empire, The Twilight Zone, and The Untouchables. He had a continuing role as Cadet Eric Rattison, the great rival of the Polaris Unit manned by the series' heroes, in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, he received his big break in the Academy Award-winning movie Marty, in which he played the title character's friend, Ralph. He also had a role in The Satan Bug, a 1965 spy thriller. He returned to the stage in The Andersonville Trial in the early 1960s.
Having primarily acted in dramas, Sutton's breakthrough role was on Gomer Pyle – USMC, a 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show, in which he played the cynical and easily exasperated Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter opposite Jim Nabors' character Gomer Pyle. This episode was the pilot for a spin-off TV comedy, Gomer Pyle – USMC, where Sutton continued the role for five seasons, until the show ended its run in 1969. He also appeared in public service announcements in the role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter. After Gomer Pyle ceased production, Sutton appeared regularly on Nabors' variety show The Jim Nabors Hour with Gomer Pyle co-star Ronnie Schell. Sutton played the brother-in-law of Nabors' character in comedy sketches. Sutton performed in dinner theater, playing, among other roles, the father in Norman, Is That You? and made guest appearances on other television programs.

## Personal life and death

In 1946, Sutton married soap-opera writer Toby M. Igler, with whom he had two children, Joe Sutton and Amanda.
On June 28, 1974, while preparing for a performance in the comedy play Luv at the Beverly Barn Dinner Playhouse in Shreveport, Louisiana, Sutton died of a heart attack. He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950 | The Goldbergs | Dutch | |
| 1955 | Marty | Ralph | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Four Boys and a Gun | Ollie Denker | |
| 1961 | Town Without Pity | Sgt. Chuck Snyder | |
| 1965 | The Satan Bug | Donald | |
| 1974 | Hurricane | Bert Pearson | Television movie released posthumously (final film role) |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950-1955 | Tom Corbett, Space Cadet | Cadet Eric Raddison | |
| 1954 | The Glenn Miller Story | uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Edge of Night | Sgt. Fitzsimmons | |
| 1958-1961 | Naked City | Franklin Maquon | |
| 1960-1961 | Deadline | John McDowell | Lead role in the episode "To Move a Mountain" (1960) |
| 1960-1961 | The Secret Storm | Joe Sullivan #2 | |
| 1961-1962 | Gunsmoke | Charlie (1961) Olie (1962) Billy Tooker/Marston (1962) | |
| 1962 | Have Gun – Will Travel | Davey Walsh | One-time role – The Trap (1962) |
| 1962 | The Twilight Zone | Frank, Jerry's manager | One-time role in episode "The Dummy" |
| 1962-1963 | Combat! | Corporal Cording | – The Chateau (1963) |
| 1962-1963 | The Untouchables | Benny Stryker (1962) Smiley Barris (1962) Angie Stazak (1963) Sgt. Davey McCain (1963) | The Stryker Brothers (1962) ... Benny Stryker The Contract (1962) ... Smiley Barris The Speculator (1963) ... Angie Stazak The Butcher's Boy (1963) ... Sgt. Davey McCain |
| 1963 | The Fugitive | (deputy) Jackson | One-time role in episode 3 "The Other Side of the Mountain" |
| 1963 | Death Valley Days | Diamondfield Jack | Episode: Diamond Field Jack aired October 1, 1963 |
| 1964 | The Andy Griffith Show | Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter | One-time role in episode "Gomer Pyle – USMC" |
| 1964-1969 | Gomer Pyle – USMC | Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter | |
| 1966 | Password | Himself | Game show contestant / Celebrity guest star |
| 1969-1971 | The Jim Nabors Hour | Himself | |
| 1970–1973 | Love American Style | Various | Episodes: Love and the Bonded Separation (1973) Love and the Secret Life (1972) Love and the Guru (1972) Love and the Lady Barber(1971) ... Herb Redding Love and the Haunted House (1970) ... Walter |