Howard Wendell

A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Wendell was one of two sons born to Irwin Wendell and Clara Heal.^[1][3] By 1913, the family had relocated to Elyria, Ohio,^[4] where his father found regular employment at Parsch Lumber and Coal Company,^[5] first as a truck driver and later as the foreman at the lumber yard.^[6][7] Wendell attended Ohio University and later apprenticed at the Cleveland Playhouse.^[8][9]

Wendell's Broadway credits include Make a Wish (1951), The Curious Savage (1950), Arms and the Man (1950), The Show Off (1950), and The Great Campaign (1947).^[10] He acted in the Santa Barbara Summer Theatre and in theaters in Hollywood, Phoenix, La Jolla, and San Francisco.^[11] He received a gold cup in recognition of being named as the actor with the best performance in 1946 at the Newport Casino Theatre in Rhode Island.^[12]

Between 1949 and 1970, Wendell made a number of film appearances but worked mostly on TV, in such programs as Dragnet, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Batman (season 1, episodes 3 and 4), The Munsters, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hazel, and The Big Valley. His final appearance was in Adam-12.

From September 13, 1937 until their divorce in January 1968, Wendell was married to Harriet Morley,^[3][13] whom he had met while apprenticing at the Cleveland Play House, where she was employed as a costumer. The union produced three sons and one daughter.^[14]

On August 11, 1975, at age 67, Wendell died of undisclosed causes at his home in Oregon City, survived by his wife, children and brother.^[1]