Harry Lauter
Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990) was an American character actor. Early years. Lauter was born in White Plains, New York. He worked as a model for a professional photographer and was a rodeo rider before moving into acting. Lauter came from an entertainment-oriented family, with his father and grandfather having been part of The Flying Lauters trapeze act. Career. Lauter's acting break came with a role in "The Magnificent Rogue" (1946), in which he played a model. He came to be a familiar presence in supporting roles in low-budget films , serials (where he was often cast because of his facial resemblance to stuntman Tom Steele, who would double for him), and television programs in the 1950s. Only once did he really come close to stardom, as Clay Morgan, one of the leads in the CBS television series "Tales of the Texas Rangers", which aired fifty-two episodes from 1955 to 1958. His co-star was Willard Parker as Ranger Jace Pearson. Lauter portrayed Ralph Cotton on the television version of "The Roy Rogers Show". He made appearances on many television programs, particularly westerns: "The Gene Autry Show" (sixteen episodes), "Annie  Oakley" (twelve episodes), "The Lone Ranger" and "The Range Rider" (eleven episodes each), "Gunsmoke" and "Rawhide" (ten episodes each), "Death Valley Days" and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (seven episodes each), "Laramie" and "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater" (six episodes each), "The Virginian" and "State Trooper" (five times each), and "Cheyenne", "Bonanza", and "Maverick" (three episodes each). In a departure from his appearance in westerns, he played the character of Atlasand, chief officer to Cleolanta the evil Suzerain of Ophesius, in several episodes of Rocky Jones Space Ranger in 1953. Lauter appeared twice as Johnny Tyler in 1959–1960  in two episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series "Colt .45", starring Wayde Preston. Lauter was cast twice on the NBC children's western series "Fury", with Peter Graves and Bobby Diamond, and on "Tombstone Territory", starring Pat Conway. Lauter also appeared on NBC's "Jefferson Drum", "National Velvet", and "Riverboat", on CBS's "Have Gun - Will Travel", with Richard Boone, and the syndicated western-themed crime drama "U.S. Marshal". In 1958 he appeared in the episode "Rodeo", along with Lee Van Cleef, Barbara Baxley, and Dan Blocker, on the CBS crime drama "Richard Diamond, Private Detective", starring David  Janssen. Later he guest-starred in the 1962-1963 ABC drama series "Going My Way" with Gene Kelly. He also made a guest appearance in 1963 on CBS's "Perry Mason" in "The Case of the Potted Planter." His last screen appearance was in 1979 as Marshal Charlie Benton in James Arness's ABC series "How the West Was Won". Most of his career was spent as a serviceable second lead or heavy, though he continued to play bit parts in larger pictures, including an uncredited part as a plain-clothes policeman in the 1949 crime drama "White Heat", which  starred James Cagney and Edmond O'Brien. He also had an uncredited, non-speaking role in the 1963 Stanley Kramer comedy "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" as a police dispatcher. The son of an artist, Lauter devoted much of his energy late in his life to his own painting and the operation of an art gallery. Personal life. Lauter was married to Barbara Ayres. Death. Lauter died of a heart attack on October 30, 1990, in Ojai in Ventura County, California, at age 76. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.