--- name: "Fred Clark" canonical: "https://film.one/person/fred-clark" fi1m_id: "fred-clark" imdb_id: "nm0163939" tmdb_id: 8632 wikidata_id: "Q2484213" roles: ["Actor"] born: "19 March 1914" died: "5 December 1968" reviewed_on_fi1m: 3 average_fi1m_score: 86 average_as: "actor" average_over: 3 updated: "2026-09-25T04:51:15.084392+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fred Clark ## Identity Fred Clark - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/fred-clark - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** fred-clark - **IMDb ID:** nm0163939 - **TMDB ID:** 8632 - **Wikidata ID:** Q2484213 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Clark, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2484213, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0163939/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8632 Actor. Born 19 March 1914 in Lincoln, California, USA. Died 5 December 1968. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 19 March 1914, Lincoln, California, USA - **Died:** 5 December 1968 - **Active:** 1949–1958 - **Also known as:** Frederick Leonard Clark, Frederic Leonard Clark - **Average Fi1m score:** 86, as actor, over 3 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 86 (1), 1950s 86 (2) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 86 to 81 across 3 titles - **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 2, Romance 1, Thriller 1 - **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $15m across 3 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Clark, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2484213, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0163939/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8632 ## Fi1m on Fred Clark > Fred Clark makes an authority figure funny by letting his patience run out slowly. We value the dry timing and economical displeasure, even when the parts ask him to be much the same difficult man. Fred Clark lets his displeasure build slowly. The bald head, pencil-thin moustache and cigar suggest a man used to being obeyed; the dry delivery lets us hear how much other people trouble him. In *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), his sceptical studio executive Sheldrake puts that manner to good use. We laughed at his weary authority; Clark makes a man's lack of enthusiasm funny without turning him into a clown. His film work began with Michael Curtiz's *The Unsuspected* (1947), and the early parts were not confined to comedy. He is Daniel Winston in Raoul Walsh's *White Heat* (1949), then defence attorney Bellows in George Stevens's *A Place in the Sun* (1951). We recommend both, though neither is a film we would send someone to principally for Clark. James Cagney's frightening performance dominates the former; Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor are the centre of attention in the latter. *Sunset Boulevard* gives us a clearer reason to seek him out. Billy Wilder's satire has room for Clark's businesslike scepticism alongside Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond, and he needs no grand display to make the executive register. The writing can insist on its cleverness; his deadpan manner is a useful restraint. This is where we most value him: giving an ensemble a firm, unshowy supporting performance rather than competing for every laugh. Television made regular use of that timing. From 1951 to 1953 he played Harry Morton in *The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show*, the exasperated neighbour opposite Burns, Allen and Bea Benaderet. His stuffy executor Dwight Babcock in *Auntie Mame* (1958), opposite Rosalind Russell, offered a related sort of disapproval. From the mid-1950s, television guest appearances became a larger part of his work. The limitation is plain: too many parts wanted the indignant official already familiar from the last one. Even good timing can become predictable when the character has so little chance to change. That makes us cautious about recommending a film simply because Clark is in it. Start with *Sunset Boulevard*, where we recommend the company as much as the actor. ## Biography Fred Clark (1914–1968) was an American character actor who appeared in films and on television from the late 1940s until his death. He often played authoritative or irascible figures in both dramatic and comedic roles. Clark made his film debut in The Unsuspected (1947). His credits include White Heat (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950) as Sheldrake, A Place in the Sun (1951), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Auntie Mame (1958). On television he was a regular as Harry Morton on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and made guest appearances in series including The Twilight Zone, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Addams Family and I Dream of Jeannie. He trained at Stanford University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his television work. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (3) - *A Place in the Sun* (1951), Fi1m 81, as Defense Attorney Bellows — [page](https://film.one/film/a-place-in-the-sun.md) - *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), Fi1m 91, as Sheldrake — [page](https://film.one/film/sunset-boulevard.md) - *White Heat* (1949), Fi1m 86, as Daniel Winston — [page](https://film.one/film/white-heat.md) ## Complete filmography (86) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew* (1968), as 'Generous' Josh - *Skidoo* (1968), as Tower Guard - *The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit* (1968), as Tom Dungan - *The Face of Eve* (1968), as John Burke - *ABC Stage 67* (1966), series, as Dean Severance - *The Double Life of Henry Phyfe* (1966), series, as Gerald B. Hannahan - *War Italian Style* (1965), as Gen. Zacharias - *Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine* (1965), as D.J. Pevney - *When the Boys Meet the Girls* (1965), as Bill Dennis - *I Dream of Jeannie* (1965), series, as Vanderhaven - *Laredo* (1965), series, Actor - *F Troop* (1965), series, Actor - *Sergeant Deadhead* (1965), as General Fogg - *John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!* (1965), as Overreach - *The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb* (1964), as Alexander King - *The Addams Family* (1964), series, as Mr. Courtney - *Move Over, Darling* (1963), as Mr. Codd - *Petticoat Junction* (1963), series, as General Loomis - *Burke's Law* (1963), series, as 'Mac' McNulty, Jackson Trade - *Vacation Playhouse* (1963), series, Actor - *Young Girls of Good Families* (1963), as Mr. Whitehall - *Zotz!* (1962), as General Bullivar - *Going My Way* (1962), series, Actor - *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1962), series, as Dr. Clyburn - *Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man* (1962), as Mr. Turner - *Boys' Night Out* (1962), as Mr. Bohannon - *The Hold-Out* (1962), as Charles Judson - *The Dick Van Dyke Show* (1961), series, as William Van Buren - *Bus Stop* (1961), series, Actor - *A porte chiuse* (1961), as Xatis, procuratore generale - *La moglie di mio marito* (1961), as Bietti - *The Passionate Thief* (1960), as L'americano - *Pete and Gladys* (1960), series, Actor - *Bells Are Ringing* (1960), as Larry Hastings - *Visit to a Small Planet* (1960), as Major Roger Putnam Spelding - *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Chester Dietrich — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md) - *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Judge Neeley - *It Started with a Kiss* (1959), as Tim O'Connell - *The Mating Game* (1959), as Oliver Kelsey - *Auntie Mame* (1958), as Dwight Babcock - *Mardi Gras* (1958), as Al Curtis - *Naked City* (1958), series, as Grainger - *Don't Go Near the Water* (1957), as Lt. Cmdr. Clinton T. Nash - *Joe Butterfly* (1957), as Col. E.E. Fuller - *The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown* (1957), as Police Sergeant McBride - *Back from Eternity* (1956), as Crimp - *The Solid Gold Cadillac* (1956), as Clifford Snell - *The Birds and the Bees* (1956), as Horace Hamilton - *Miracle in the Rain* (1956), as Steven Jalonik - *The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell* (1955), as Col. Moreland - *How to Be Very, Very Popular* (1955), as B.J. Marshall - *Daddy Long Legs* (1955), as Griggs - *Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops* (1955), as Joseph Gorman - aka Sergei Toumanoff - *Living It Up* (1954), as Oliver Stone - *How to Marry a Millionaire* (1953), as Waldo Brewster - *Here Come the Girls* (1953), as Harry Fraser - *The Caddy* (1953), as Mr. Baxter - *The Stars Are Singing* (1953), as McDougall - *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Judge Cyrus Dunn, Charles Judson - *Cavalcade of America* (1952), series, as Ollendorf - *Dreamboat* (1952), as Sam Levitt - *Three for Bedroom C* (1952), as Johnny Pizer - *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, Actor - *Meet Me After the Show* (1951), as Timothy Wayne - *A Place in the Sun* (1951), as Defense Attorney Bellows — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/a-place-in-the-sun.md) - *Hollywood Story* (1951), as Sam Collyer - *The Lemon Drop Kid* (1951), as Moose Moran - *Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone* (1950), as Tim Marino - *The Jackpot* (1950), as Andrew Woodruff - *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Harry Phillips - *The Eagle and the Hawk* (1950), as Basil Danzeeger - *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), as Sheldrake — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/sunset-boulevard.md) - *Return of the Frontiersman* (1950), as Ryan - *The Lady Takes a Sailor* (1949), as Victor Santell (uncredited) - *So You Want to Be an Actor* (1949), as Mr. Frisbee - *White Heat* (1949), as Daniel Winston — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/white-heat.md) - *The Younger Brothers* (1949), as Daniel Ryckman - *Flamingo Road* (1949), as Doc Waterson - *Alias Nick Beal* (1949), as Frankie Faulkner - *Studio One* (1948), series, as Mort - *Cry of the City* (1948), as Lt Collins - *Two Guys from Texas* (1948), as Dr. Straeger - *Hazard* (1948), as Lonnie Burns - *Fury at Furnace Creek* (1948), as Bird - *The Unsuspected* (1947), as Richard Donovan - *Ride the Pink Horse* (1947), as Frank Hugo ## Gallery - ![A. Ekberg e F. Clark in una scena del film "A porte chiuse" (1961)](https://film.one/media/person/59257/gallery-79bd6f0dbd38.png) A. Ekberg e F. Clark in una scena del film "A porte chiuse" (1961) — sconosciuto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Aportechiusefilm.png/1280px-Aportechiusefilm.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Photo of Fred Clark and Gene Kelly from the television program Going My Way. in this episode, "A Matter of Principle", Father O'Malley (Kelly) takes one of the ](https://film.one/media/person/59257/gallery-fd076bf4e6e5.jpg) Photo of Fred Clark and Gene Kelly from the television program Going My Way. in this episode, "A Matter of Principle", Father O'Malley (Kelly) takes one of the — ABC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Gene_Kelly_Going_My_Way_television_series_1962.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Fred Clark](https://film.one/media/person/59257/gallery-990f681c8899.jpg) Fred Clark — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/fred-clark