The Late Great Richard Erdman

"Richard Erdman" may not be a name most movie and television viewers would recognise, but they would certainly recognise his face. In a career that spanned over seventy years, Richard Erdman appeared in such films as Cry Danger (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). He appeared frequently on television, as a regular on such shows as Where's Raymond?, The Tab Hunter Show, and Community and a guest star on such shows as The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Wild Wild West, and Quincy M.E. On top of all of this, he was a voice actor on numerous animated shows. Richard Erdman died on March 16 2019 at the age of 93.

Richard Erdman was born on June 1 1925 in Enid, Oklahoma. He grew up in Colorado Springs. It was a stage director who told Mr. Erdman that he thought he could succeed in movies. He and his mother then moved to California where he enrolled at Hollywood High. It was not long before he caught the attention of Warner Bros., who signed him.

Richard Erdman made his film debut in an uncredited role as a Western Union messenger in the film Mr. Skeffington (1944). He appeared in uncredited roles in such films as Janie (1944), The Very Thought of You (1944), and Hollywood Canteen (1944) before appearing in his first credited role in the film Objective, Burma! (1945). He played Private Nebraska Hooper. In the late Forties he appeared in such films as Danger Signal (1945), Janie Gets Married (1946), Wild Harvest (1947), Easy Living  (1949), The Men (1950), and The Admiral Was a Lady (1950).

In the Fifties Mr. Erdman made his television debut in an episode of Your Jeweller's Showcase in 1952. He was a regular on the sitcom Where's Raymond? (the "Raymond" of the title was legendary star Ray Bolger) and The Tab Hunter Show. He guest starred on such shows as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Medic, Science Fiction Theatre, The Ford Television Theatre, Matinee Theatre, Panic!, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, December Bride, Perry Mason, Make Room for Daddy, and Aloca Theatre. He appeared in such films as Cry Danger (1951), You're in the Navy Now (1951), The Wild Blue Yonder (1951), The Blue Gardenia (1953), Stalag 17 (1953), Anything Goes (1956), The Power and the Prize (1956), and Saddle the Wind (1958).

In the Sixties Richard Erdman was a regular on the drama Saints and Sinners. He made what may be his best known guest appearance on a TV show, playing the boorish McNulty in the classic Twilight Zone episode "A Kind of Stopwatch". He also made multiple guest appearances on Perry Mason. He also guest starred on the shows Mister Ed, The Bill Dana Show, Petticoat Junction, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Green Acres, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. Terrific, Gomer Pyler: USMC, Premiere, The Name of the Game, Hogan's Heroes, Mayberry R.F.D., I Dream of Jeannie, The Wild Wild West, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Here's Lucy. He appeared in the films Marines, Let's Go (1961), The Brass Bottle (1964), Namu, the Killer Whale (1966), Rascal (1969), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

In the Seventies Richard Erdman guest starred on such shows as That Girl; Love, American Style; Police Story; Kate McShane; The Six Million Dollar Man; The Bionic Woman; Alice; Time Express; The Amazing Spider-Man, From Here to Eternity, and One Day at a Time. He appeared in the movies The Brothers O'Toole and Mr. Majestyk.

In the Eighties Mr. Erdman provided voices for such animated series as Space Stars, The Dukes, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Popeye and Son, The Flintstone Kids, and The Further Adventures of SuperTed. He guest starred on such shows as Lou Grant; Quincy M.E.; Too Close for Comfort; Legmen; Small Wonder; Remington Steele; Johnny Quest; Cheers; Wildfire; She's the Sheriff; It's a Living; Jesse; Murder, She Wrote; Wings; and Out of This World. He appeared in the movies Trancers (1984), Tomboy (1985), Stewardess School (1986), and Valet Girls (1987).

In the Nineties Richard Erdman was a regular voice actor on the animated series The Pirates of Dark Water. He was a guest voice on Batman: The Animated Series and Capitol Critters. He guest starred on such shows as The New Adam-12, Picket Fences, Hudson Street; Beverly Hills 90210, and Felicity. He provided a voice for the feature film The Pagemaster (1994) and The Learning Curve (1999).

In the Naughts Richard Erdman began playing Leonard on the sitcom Community, continuing to play the role into the Teens. He guest starred on the shows Boomtown, Judging Amy, The Bernie Mac Show, and Joan of Arcadia. He appeared in the mini-series Weird Loners. His last appearance on screen was in the sitcom Dr. Ken (starring fellow Community alum Ken Jeong. Fittingly enough, in the episode Richard Erdman played himself.

Arguably, Richard Erdman was one of the greatest characters actors of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. While many character actors are typecast in one sort of role, Mr. Erdman could play a wide variety of roles. That having been said, he had a particular gift for playing comedy and for playing quirky characters. In the classic film noir Cry Danger he played Delong, a heavy drinking, former Marine with a very dark sense of humour. In "A Kind of Stopwatch" on The Twilight Zone he played McNulty, a boorish man who was too full of himself who finds himself in possession of a very special kind of watch. Of course, he may be most familiar to younger viewers as Leonard on Community, the elderly yet still laid-back, occasionally rash business major with a gift for pranks and wisecracks.

Of course, Richard Erdman was perfectly capable of playing serious characters in dramas. In Stalag 17 he played barracks chief Sgt. "Hoffy" Hoffman. While Hoffy has a sense of humour, it is clear that he takes his position in the prisoner of war camp very seriously. In the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Absent Artist" he played tax accountant Charles "Monty"  Montrose, one of the many suspects in the episode. In the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! he played Colonel Edward F. French. Richard Erdman certainly had a gift for comedy and playing quirky characters, but such was his talent that he could play serious characters in dramas as well.