Question: Facts: - death place: newton , new jersey , united states - yearsactive: 1953 -- 1984 - death date: 27 august 2004 - othername: billy pierson - birth date: 17 july 1926 - name: william pierson - birth place: brooklyn , new york , united states - occupation: actor Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of william pierson .
Answer:
'' for the major league pitcher , see william pierson -lrb- baseball -rrb- '' william pierson -lrb- july 17 , 1926 -- august 27 , 2004 -rrb- was an american television , motion picture and stage actor , best known for his raspy voice and his role as marko the mailman in the 1953 film '' stalag 17 '' as well as a recurring role as dean travers on the 1970s abc-tv series '' three 's company '' .