Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger ( April 22 , 1906 – May 26 , 2005 ) , known professionally as Eddie Albert , was an American actor and activist . He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in " Roman Holiday " , and in 1973 for " The Heartbreak Kid " . Other well - known screen roles of his include Bing Edwards in the " Brother Rat " films , traveling salesman Ali Hakim in the musical " Oklahoma ! " , and the corrupt prison warden in 1974 ' s " The Longest Yard " . He starred as Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s television situation comedy " Green Acres " and as Frank MacBride in the 1970s crime drama " Switch " . He also had a recurring role as Carlton Travis on " Falcon Crest " , opposite Jane Wyman . Early life . Edward Albert Heimberger was born in Rock Island , Illinois , on April 22 , 1906 , the oldest of the five children of Frank Daniel Heimberger ( 1874 – 1970 ) , a realtor , and his wife Julia ( née Jones ) . His year of birth is often given as 1908 , but this is incorrect . His parents were unmarried when Albert was born and his mother altered his birth certificate after her marriage . When he was one year old , his family moved to Minneapolis , Minnesota . Young Edward secured his first job as a newspaper boy when he was only six . During World War I , his German name led to taunts as " the enemy " by his classmates . He studied at Central High School in Minneapolis and joined the drama club . His schoolmate Harriette Lake ( later known as actress Ann Sothern ) was a few years his junior . Finishing high school in 1924 , he entered the University of Minnesota , where he majored in business . Career . When he graduated , he embarked on a business career . However , the stock market crash in 1929 left him substantially unemployed . He then took odd jobs , working as a trapeze performer , an insurance salesman , and a nightclub singer . Albert stopped using his last name professionally , since it invariably was mispronounced as " Hamburger " . He moved to New York City in 1933 , where he co - hosted a radio show , " The Honeymooners - Grace and Eddie Show " , which ran for three years . At the show ' s end , he was offered a film contract by Warner Bros . In the 1930s , Albert performed in Broadway stage productions , including " Brother Rat " , which opened in 1936 . He had lead roles in " Room Service " ( 1937 – 1938 ) and " The Boys from Syracuse " ( 1938 – 1939 ) . In 1936 , Albert had also become one of the earliest television actors , performing live in RCA ' s first television broadcast , a promotion for their New York City radio stations . Performing regularly on early television , Albert wrote and performed in the first teleplay , " The Love Nest " , written for television . Done live ( not recorded on film ) , this production took place November 6 , 1936 and originated in Studio 3H ( now 3K ) in the GE Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City . Hosted by Betty Goodwin , " The Love Nest " starred Albert , Hildegarde , The Ink Spots , Ed Wynn , and actress Grace Brandt . Before this time television productions were adaptations of stage plays . In 1938 , he made his feature film debut in the Hollywood version of " Brother Rat " with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman , reprising his Broadway role as cadet " Bing " Edwards . The next year , he starred in " On Your Toes , " adapted for the screen from the Broadway smash by Rodgers and Hart . Military . Prior to World War II , and before his film career , Albert had toured Mexico as a clown and high - wire artist with the Escalante Brothers Circus , but secretly worked for U . S . Army intelligence , photographing German U - boats in Mexican harbors . On September 9 , 1942 , Albert enlisted in the United States Navy and was discharged in 1943 to accept an appointment as a lieutenant in the U . S . Naval Reserve . He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat " V " for his actions during the invasion of Tarawa in November 1943 , when , as the pilot of a U . S . Coast Guard landing craft , he rescued 47 Marines who were stranded offshore ( and supervised the rescue of 30 others ) , while under heavy enemy machine - gun fire . As character actor . From 1948 on , Albert guest - starred in nearly ninety television series . He made his guest - starring debut on an episode of " The Ford Theatre Hour " . This part led to other roles such as " Chevrolet Tele - Theatre " , " Suspense " , " Lights Out " , " Schlitz Playhouse of Stars " , " Studio One " , " Philco Television Playhouse " , " Your Show of Shows " , " Front Row Center " , " The Alcoa Hour " , and in dramatic series , " The Eleventh Hour " , " The Reporter " , and " General Electric Theater " . In 1959 , Albert was cast as businessman Dan Simpson in the episode " The Unwilling " of the NBC western series , " Riverboat " . In the story line , Dan Simpson attempts to open a general store in the American West despite a raid from pirates on the Mississippi River who stole from him $ 20 , 000 in merchandise . Debra Paget is cast in this episode as Lela Russell ; Russell Johnson , as Darius , and John M . Picard is uncredited as a river pirate . On stage . The 1950s also saw a return to Broadway for Albert , including roles in " Miss Liberty " ( 1949 – 1950 ) and " The Seven Year Itch " ( 1952 – 1955 ) . In 1960 , Albert replaced Robert Preston in the lead role of Professor Harold Hill , in the Broadway production of " The Music Man " . Albert also performed in regional theater . He created the title role of Marc Blitzstein ' s " Reuben , Reuben " in 1955 in Boston . He performed at The Muny Theater in St . Louis , reprising the Harold Hill role in " The Music Man " in 1966 and playing Alfred P . Doolittle in " My Fair Lady " in 1968 . 1950s and 1960s film career . In the 1950s , Albert appeared in film roles such as that of Lucille Ball ' s fiancé in " The Fuller Brush Girl " ( 1950 ) , as Bill Gorton in " The Sun Also Rises " ( 1957 ) and as a traveling salesman in " Carrie " ( 1952 ) . He was nominated for his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor with " Roman Holiday " ( 1953 ) . In " Oklahoma ! " ( 1955 ) , he played a womanizing Persian peddler , and in " Who ' s Got the Action ? " ( 1962 ) , he portrayed a lawyer helping his partner ( Dean Martin ) cope with a gambling addiction . In " Teahouse of the August Moon " ( 1956 ) he played a psychiatrist with an enthusiasm for farming . He appeared in several military roles , including " The Longest Day " ( 1962 ) , about the Normandy Invasion . The film " Attack ! " ( 1956 ) provided Albert with a dark role as a cowardly , psychotic Army captain whose behavior threatens the safety of his company . In a similar vein he played a psychotic United States Army Air Force colonel in " Captain Newman , M . D . " ( 1963 ) , opposite Gregory Peck . Television series . Albert ' s first television series was " Leave It to Larry " , a CBS sitcom that aired in the 1952 - 1953 season , with Albert as Larry Tucker , a shoe salesman who lives with his young family in the home of his father - in - law and employer , played by Ed Begley . He guest starred on various series , including ABC ' s " The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom " as well as the Westinghouse Studio One series ( CBS , 1953 – 54 ) , playing Winston Smith in the first TV adaptation of " 1984 " , by William Templeton . In 1964 , Albert guest starred in " Cry of Silence " , an episode of the science fiction television series " The Outer Limits " . Albert played Andy Thorne who , along with his wife Karen ( played by June Havoc ) , had decided to leave the city and buy a farm ( a recurring role in Albert ' s career ) . They find themselves lost and in the middle of a deserted valley where they come under attack by a series of tumbleweeds , frogs , and rocks . Albert was cast as Charlie O ' Rourke in the 1964 episode " Visions of Sugar Plums " of the NBC education drama series , " Mr . Novak " , starring James Franciscus . Bobby Diamond , formerly of the " Fury " series also appeared in this episode . " Green Acres " . In 1965 , Albert was approached by producer Paul Henning to star in a new sitcom for CBS called " Green Acres " . His character , Oliver Wendell Douglas , was a lawyer who left the city to enjoy a simple life as a farmer . Co - starring on the show was Eva Gabor as his urbanite , spoiled wife . The show was an immediate hit , achieving fifth place in the ratings in its first season . By 1971 , " Green Acres " was still reasonably popular but was canceled when CBS decided to discontinue their lineup of rural - themed programs ( which included The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction ) due to what THEY perceived as changing tastes and because they were sensitive to the fact that they had been disparagingly referred to in the press as the " Country Broadcasting System " and " The Hillbilly Network " . They were primarily concerned this may alienate advertisers . " Switch " . After a four - year - absence from the small screen , and upon reaching age 69 in 1975 , Albert signed a new contract with Universal Television , and starred in the popular 1970s adventure / crime drama " Switch " for CBS , as a retired police officer , Frank McBride , who goes to work as a private detective with a former criminal he had once jailed . In its first season , " Switch " was a hit . By late 1976 , the show had become a more serious and traditional crime drama . At the end of its third season in 1978 , ratings began to drop , and the show was canceled after 70 episodes . Television specials . Eddie Albert appears in a number of television special s . His first was the 1956 made - for - television NBC documentary " Our Mr . Sun " , a Bell Telephone - produced color special . Directed by Frank Capra , it blends live action and animation . Albert appears with Dr . Frank Baxter , who appears in several other Bell Telephone science specials . In 1965 , the year that " Green Acres " premiered , Albert served as host / narrator for the telecast of a German - American made - for - television film version of " The Nutcracker " , which was rerun several times and is now available as a Warners Archive DVD . The host sequences and the narration , all included on the DVD , were especially filmed for English - language telecasts of this short film ( it was only an hour in length , and cut much from the Tchaikovsky ballet ) . In 1968 , he voiced Myles Standish in the Rankin / Bass Animated TV special " The Mouse on the Mayflower " . Later work . In 1972 , Albert resumed his film career and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as an overprotective father , in " The Heartbreak Kid " ( 1972 ) and delivered a memorable performance as an evil prison warden in 1974 ' s " The Longest Yard " . In a lighter vein , Albert portrayed the gruff though soft - hearted Jason O ' Day in the successful Disney film " Escape to Witch Mountain " in 1975 . Albert appeared in such 1980s films as " How to Beat the High Co $ t of Living " ( 1980 ) , " Yesterday " ( 1981 ) , " Take This Job and Shove It " ( 1981 ) , " Goliath Awaits " ( 1981 television film ) , " Rooster " ( 1982 television film ) , " Yes , Giorgio " ( 1982 ) , and as the US President in " Dreamscape " ( 1984 ) . His final feature film role was a cameo appearance in " The Big Picture " ( 1989 ) . In the mid - 1980s , Albert was reunited with longtime friend and co - star of the " Brother Rat " and " An Angel from Texas " films Jane Wyman in a recurring role as the villainous Carlton Travis in the popular 1980s soap opera " Falcon Crest " . He also guest - starred on an episode of the ' 80s television series " Highway to Heaven " , as well as " Murder She Wrote " and " Columbo : Dead Weight " , and in 1990 he reunited with Eva Gabor for a " Return To Green Acres " . In 1993 , he guest - starred for several episodes on the ABC daytime soap opera " General Hospital " as Jack Boland , and also made a guest appearance on the " Golden Girls " spin - off , " The Golden Palace " the same year . Activism and interests . Albert was active in social and environmental causes especially from 1970s onward . Beginning in the 1940s , his Eddie Albert Productions produced films for various US corporations , as well as documentaries such as " Human Beginnings " ( a for - its - time controversial sex education film ) and " Human Growth " . He narrated and starred in a 1970 film promoting views of the Weyerhaeuser Company , a major international forestry products concern . He was special envoy for Meals for Millions and consultant for the World Hunger Conference . He joined Albert Schweitzer in a documentary about African malnutrition and fought agricultural and industrial pollution , particularly DDT . Albert promoted organic gardening , and founded City Children ' s Farms for inner city children , while supporting eco - farming and tree planting . Albert was national chairman for the Boy Scouts of America ' s conservation program and founded the Eddie Albert World Trees Foundation . He was a trustee of the National Recreation and Park Association and a member of the U . S . Department of Energy ' s advisory board . " TV Guide " called him " an ecological Paul Revere " . Albert was also a director of the U . S . Council on Refugees and participated in the creation of Earth Day and spoke at its inaugural ceremony in 1970 . Personal life . Albert married Mexican actress Margo ( née María Margarita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O ' Donnell ) in 1945 . Albert and Margo had a son , Edward Jr . , also an actor , and adopted a daughter , Maria , who became her father ' s business manager . Margo Albert died from brain cancer on July 17 , 1985 . The Alberts lived in Pacific Palisades , California , in a Spanish - style house on an acre of land ( 4 , 000 square meters ) with a cornfield in front . Albert grew organic vegetables in a greenhouse and recalled how his parents had a " liberty garden " at home during World War I . Last years and death . Albert suffered from Alzheimer ' s disease in his last years . His son put his acting career aside to care for his father . Despite his illness , Albert exercised regularly until shortly before his death . Eddie Albert died of pneumonia in 2005 at the age of 99 at his home in Pacific Palisades . He was interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles , California , next to his wife Margo and his " Green Acres " co - star Eva Gabor . Albert ' s son , Edward Jr . ( 1951 – 2006 ) was an actor , musician , singer , and linguist / dialectician . He died at age 55 , one year after his father . He had been suffering from lung cancer for 18 months . For contributions to the television industry , Eddie Albert was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6441 Hollywood Boulevard .