---
name: "S. John Launer"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/s-john-launer"
fi1m_id: "s-john-launer"
imdb_id: "nm0490961"
tmdb_id: 131272
wikidata_id: "Q7387566"
roles: []
born: "5 November 1919"
died: "8 November 2006"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T15:31:59.908387+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."
---

# S. John Launer

## Identity

S. John Launer

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/s-john-launer
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** s-john-launer
- **IMDb ID:** nm0490961
- **TMDB ID:** 131272
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7387566
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._John_Launer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7387566, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0490961/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/131272

Actor. Born 5 November 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Died 8 November 2006.

## Details

- **Born:** 5 November 1919, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- **Died:** 8 November 2006
- **Also known as:** Saul John Launer
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._John_Launer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7387566, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0490961/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/131272

## Biography

S. John Launer (also credited as Saul John Launer) was an American film and television actor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he appeared in numerous films and television programmes from the mid-1950s to the late 1980s, often in uncredited or supporting roles as judges and authority figures.

His film credits include *The Werewolf* (1956), *I Was a Teenage Werewolf* (1957), *Jailhouse Rock* (1957), *Marnie* (1964) as Sam Ward, *Pendulum* (1969) and *Mommie Dearest* (1981). On television he had a recurring role as a judge on *Perry Mason* over nine years and appeared in episodes of *The Twilight Zone*, *Batman*, *Bonanza* and *Gunsmoke*.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Marnie* (1964), Fi1m 68, as Sam Ward — [page](https://film.one/film/marnie.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

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

- *M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers* (1983), as Judge Sheldon Grossfeld
- *Mommie Dearest* (1981), as Pepsi Chairman
- *Inmates: A Love Story* (1981), as Chairman
- *Scared Straight! Another Story* (1980), as Judge Wadsworth
- *The Last Song* (1980), as Milliken
- *All God's Children* (1980), Actor
- *A Question of Love* (1978), as The Judge
- *The Girl Called Hatter Fox* (1977), as Mr. Winton
- *The Amazing Howard Hughes* (1977), as Doctor
- *Gable and Lombard* (1976), as The Judge
- *Trapped Beneath the Sea* (1974), as Capt. Osborn
- *Harry O* (1974), series, Actor
- *Petrocelli* (1974), series, Actor
- *The Rookies* (1972), series, Actor
- *Crosscurrent* (1971), as Doctor (uncredited)
- *Pendulum* (1969), as Judge Kinsella
- *The Mod Squad* (1968), series, Actor
- *The Doomsday Flight* (1966), as Major
- *Felony Squad* (1966), series, Actor
- *Batman* (1966), series, as Mr. Ladd
- *The F.B.I.* (1965), series, as Werth, Jury Foreman, Warden, Dr. Paul Obert
- *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, Actor
- *Honey West* (1965), series, as Tyler
- *The Big Valley* (1965), series, as Frank MacGarrett, Ted Jessup
- *Run for Your Life* (1965), series, as The Conductor
- *Apache Rifles* (1964), as Gen. Nelson
- *Marnie* (1964), as Sam Ward — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/marnie.md)
- *Kraft Suspense Theatre* (1963), series, as Dr. Manson
- *Stoney Burke* (1962), series, Actor
- *The Alfred Hitchcock Hour* (1962), series, as Ed Rutherford
- *Saints and Sinners* (1962), series, as Dr. Walsh
- *Ben Casey* (1961), series, Actor
- *Target: The Corruptors!* (1961), series, Actor
- *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, as Dr. Sadvary
- *87th Precinct* (1961), series, Actor
- *Hawaiian Eye* (1959), series, Actor
- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Moran (uncredited), PA Announcer, Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Harrington — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)
- *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Jason Carter
- *Tightrope* (1959), series, Actor
- *The Texan* (1958), series, Actor
- *Zero Hour!* (1957), as Vancouver Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
- *The Court of Last Resort* (1957), series, as Marshall Houts
- *The Walter Winchell File* (1957), series, Actor
- *Perry Mason* (1957), series, as Judge, Judge Thomas J. Hood, Judge Ryder, Judge Telford
- *M Squad* (1957), series, as Police Captain Timothy Riley, Carl Wright
- *Have Gun, Will Travel* (1957), series, Actor
- *Richard Diamond, Private Detective* (1957), series, as Dr. Norton
- *I Was a Teenage Werewolf* (1957), as Bill Logan
- *The Country Husband* (1956), as Airplane Passenger
- *Sizeman and Son* (1956), as Magnusson
- *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Wilkins - Storekeeper
- *The Adventures of Jim Bowie* (1956), series, Actor
- *The Werewolf* (1956), as Dr. Emery Forrest
- *Uranium Boom* (1956), as Mac
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Judge, Townsman
- *Creature with the Atom Brain* (1955), as Capt. Dave Harris
- *The Millionaire* (1955), series, as John Bateman
- *Father Knows Best* (1954), series, as Mr. Clark

## Gallery

- ![S. John Launer in Richard Diamond, Private Detective, episode Escape From Oak Lane (cropped screenshot) (1957)](https://film.one/media/person/3910212/gallery-35648fe78ed3.jpg) S. John Launer in Richard Diamond, Private Detective, episode Escape From Oak Lane (cropped screenshot) (1957) — TV episode screenshot (CBS), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/S._John_Launer_in_Richard_Diamond_%28Escape_From_Oak_Lane%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![S. John Launer](https://film.one/media/person/3910212/gallery-9238b6f4a1de.jpg) S. John Launer — 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/s-john-launer