---
name: "John McLiam"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-mcliam"
fi1m_id: "john-mcliam"
imdb_id: "nm0572897"
tmdb_id: 16558
wikidata_id: "Q3182067"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "24 January 1918"
died: "16 April 1994"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T17:47:19.857936+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."
---

# John McLiam

## Identity

John McLiam

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-mcliam
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-mcliam
- **IMDb ID:** nm0572897
- **TMDB ID:** 16558
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3182067
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLiam, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3182067, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572897/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/16558

Actor. Born 24 January 1918 in Alberta, Canada. Died 16 April 1994.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 24 January 1918, Alberta, Canada
- **Died:** 16 April 1994
- **Active:** 1967–1982
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 2 acting, 1 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 80 (2), 1980s 74 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLiam, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3182067, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572897/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/16558

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*First Blood*](https://film.one/film/first-blood.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

John McLiam (born John Williams) was a Canadian actor. He was born on 24 January 1918 in Alberta, Canada, and died on 16 April 1994 in California, United States. He trained at St. Mary's College of California and served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy during the Second World War, for which he received a Bronze Star. After the war he worked briefly as a journalist before beginning his acting career in the theatre.

McLiam appeared on Broadway in the 1950s and early 1960s, including roles in Barefoot in Athens (1951) and One More River (1960), and wrote the play The Sin of Pat Muldoon. He moved to California in 1960 to work in film and television. His film credits include My Fair Lady (1964), Cool Hand Luke (1967), In Cold Blood (1967), The Iceman Cometh (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976) and First Blood (1982), in which he played Orval the Dog Man. He also appeared as Dr. Agon in Sleeper (1973) and in numerous television series.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (2) — the average rests on these

- *First Blood* (1982), Fi1m 74, as Orval the Dog Man — [page](https://film.one/film/first-blood.md)
- *Cool Hand Luke* (1967), Fi1m 84, as Boss Keen — [page](https://film.one/film/cool-hand-luke.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *My Fair Lady* (1964), Fi1m 76, as Harry (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/my-fair-lady.md)

## Complete filmography (102)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Northern Exposure* (1990), series, as Soapy Sanderson — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/northern-exposure.md)
- *Fall From Grace* (1990), as Rev. Aubrey Sara
- *Split Decisions* (1988), as Pop McGuinn
- *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987), series, as Fento — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation.md)
- *Beauty and the Beast* (1987), series, as Sam Denton
- *Walk Like a Man* (1987), as H.P. Truman
- *J. Edgar Hoover* (1987), as A. Mitchell Palmer
- *Hell Town* (1985), series, as Fast Louie
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Harry Stevens
- *Highway to Heaven* (1984), series, as Ted Simpson, Carl Fred Simms
- *Hunter* (1984), series, as Dr. Harry Montclair
- *Voyager from the Unknown* (1984), as Dr. Bernard
- *Dempsey* (1983), as Hyrum Dempsey
- *The A-Team* (1983), series, as George Nemchek
- *Gavilan* (1982), series, as Streblov
- *First Blood* (1982), as Orval the Dog Man — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/first-blood.md)
- *Richard II* (1982), as John of Gaunt
- *T. J. Hooker* (1982), series, as Father DeMarco, John P. Hooker
- *The Ambush Murders* (1982), as Judge Collier
- *Falcon Crest* (1981), series, as Carl Beck, Commissioner Harold Witken
- *Bret Maverick* (1981), series, as Doc Holliday
- *The End of August* (1981), as Colonel
- *Mistress of Paradise* (1981), as Nathan MacKay
- *The Five of Me* (1981), as Father
- *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), series, as Johnnie Wells
- *Farewell to the Planet of the Apes* (1980), as Gahto
- *Freedom Road* (1979), as President Ulysses S. Grant
- *Archie Bunker's Place* (1979), series, as Vinnie Mulvaney
- *The Legend of the Golden Gun* (1979), as Jake Powell
- *Shadow of Fear* (1979), Actor
- *Dallas* (1978), series, as Wally Kessel
- *The Return of the Incredible Hulk* (1977), as Michael
- *The Incredible Hulk* (1977), series, as Michael
- *Delta County, USA* (1977), as Cap McCain
- *Kingston: Confidential* (1977), series, as Douglas White
- *The Food of the Gods* (1976), as Mr. Skinner
- *The Call of the Wild* (1976), as Prospector
- *The Missouri Breaks* (1976), as David Braxton
- *Lucky Lady* (1975), as Rass Huggins
- *The Secret of the Pond* (1975), as Uncle Ben
- *Bite the Bullet* (1975), as Gebhardt
- *Matt Helm* (1975), series, as Charlie Wendell
- *Starsky & Hutch* (1975), series, as Lionel 'Gramps' Fitzgerald Sr
- *Three for the Road* (1975), series, as Thurman Parsons
- *The Invisible Man* (1975), series, as Blind Man
- *Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan* (1975), series, as Jailer Sutton
- *Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins* (1975), as John Beechwood
- *Harry O* (1974), series, as The Old Salt
- *The Dove* (1974), as Lyle Graham
- *Sleeper* (1973), as Dr. Agon
- *Legend in Granite* (1973), as Dom Olejnickzak
- *The Iceman Cometh* (1973), as Jimmy Tomorrow
- *Runaway!* (1973), as Conductor
- *Showdown* (1973), as F.J. Wilson
- *A Chant of Silence* (1973), as Father Richards
- *Hitched* (1973), as Pete Hunter
- *Barnaby Jones* (1973), series, as Dwight Hopkins, Sheriff Coyle
- *M*A*S*H* (1972), series, as Col. Woody Cooke — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/tv/m-a-s-h-1972.md)
- *Ghost Story* (1972), series, as Titus Paul
- *The Culpepper Cattle Co.* (1972), as Thorton Pierce
- *If Tomorrow Comes* (1971), as Father Miller
- *Big Jake* (1971), as Army Officer (uncredited)
- *Monte Walsh* (1970), as Fightin' Joe Hooker
- *R.P.M.* (1970), as Rev. Blauvelt
- *Halls of Anger* (1970), as Boyd Wilkerson
- *The Reivers* (1969), as Van Tosch
- *Hawaii Five-O* (1969), series, as Ralph Hastings
- *Riverrun* (1968), as Jeffries
- *The Mod Squad* (1968), series, as Sam
- *Gallegher: The Mystery of Edward Sims* (1968), as Ephrem Killigrew
- *Madigan* (1968), as Dunne (uncredited)
- *In Cold Blood* (1967), as Herbert Clutter
- *Cool Hand Luke* (1967), as Boss Keen — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/cool-hand-luke.md)
- *Mannix* (1967), series, as Harry Forrest, Frank Blaney, Tim Fogarty
- *Ironside* (1967), series, as Father Holt, Trash
- *The Invaders* (1967), series, as Hotel Clerk
- *Mission: Impossible* (1966), series, as Dr. Wilson Cardel, Anton Usakos — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md)
- *Daktari* (1966), series, as Sean Murphy
- *The F.B.I.* (1965), series, as David Callander
- *Get Smart* (1965), series, as Seidlitz
- *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, as Tucker
- *Honey West* (1965), series, as Gordon
- *My Fair Lady* (1964), as Harry (uncredited) — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/my-fair-lady.md)
- *12 O'Clock High* (1964), series, as Fisherman, Doker Drew
- *Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea* (1964), series, as Andrews
- *The Fugitive* (1963), series, as Sheriff Grover, Deputy Kelton, Jeff — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-fugitive-1963.md)
- *The Outer Limits* (1963), series, as Arjay Beasley
- *The Virginian* (1962), series, as Carl O'Neill, Eb Smalley, Parker
- *Bus Stop* (1961), series, as Carl
- *87th Precinct* (1961), series, as Menlo, Charles Reynolds
- *Dead to the World* (1961), as Goody
- *The Andy Griffith Show* (1960), series, as Mr. MacDonald
- *My Three Sons* (1960), series, as Postman Brophy, Douglas
- *The Untouchables* (1959), series, as Driver, Trucker, Rick Landy, Father Donovan
- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Cop (uncredited), Man, Guard — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)
- *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Harry Carlis
- *Decoy* (1957), series, as Mike Foley
- *Perry Mason* (1957), series, as Councilman William Daniels
- *Wagon Train* (1957), series, as Latch
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Dougherty, O'Quillian
- *The Wonderful World of Disney* (1954), series, as Ephrem Killigrew
- *The Big Story* (1949), series, Actor

---
© 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/john-mcliam