Actor, Motion Picture Director. His acting career encompassed radio and the movies, and he achieved national stardom for his roles on a number of popular television series. Born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, his baritone voice made him a natural for radio broadcasting, starting in the late 1930s. His professional career began as a musician while showing promise as a singer. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Forces, rising to the rank of Captain. After his discharge, he returned to radio in the postwar, lending his voice to many roles during radio's heyday, with his most noteworthy being 'Matt Dillon' in the radio version of western frontier series "Gunsmoke" which aired from 1952 to 1961. When the series was brought to television, his large frame eliminated him from reprising his role. William Conrad was then cast in various film roles, usually as a threatening figure, appearing in "The Killers," "Body and Soul," "Sorry, Wrong Number," "Joan of Arc," and "The Naked Jungle." He was a producer-director for Warner Bros. Pictures for fifteen years, producing many low budget movies. With the rise of the popularity of television, he returned to voice work reminisce of his early radio days. He narrated the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons and many other animated shows on television. In the 1970s and 1980s, he starred in three television detective series –"Cannon" (1971 to 1976), "Nero Wolfe" (1981) and "Jake and the Fatman" (1987 to 1992) – that he would be best remembered for. During his career, he was nominated twice for a Best Actor Golden Globe Award, both for the "Cannon" television series. After his death, he was posthumously elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.
Actor, Motion Picture Director. His acting career encompassed radio and the movies, and he achieved national stardom for his roles on a number of popular television series. Born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, his baritone voice made him a natural for radio broadcasting, starting in the late 1930s. His professional career began as a musician while showing promise as a singer. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Forces, rising to the rank of Captain. After his discharge, he returned to radio in the postwar, lending his voice to many roles during radio's heyday, with his most noteworthy being 'Matt Dillon' in the radio version of western frontier series "Gunsmoke" which aired from 1952 to 1961. When the series was brought to television, his large frame eliminated him from reprising his role. William Conrad was then cast in various film roles, usually as a threatening figure, appearing in "The Killers," "Body and Soul," "Sorry, Wrong Number," "Joan of Arc," and "The Naked Jungle." He was a producer-director for Warner Bros. Pictures for fifteen years, producing many low budget movies. With the rise of the popularity of television, he returned to voice work reminisce of his early radio days. He narrated the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons and many other animated shows on television. In the 1970s and 1980s, he starred in three television detective series –"Cannon" (1971 to 1976), "Nero Wolfe" (1981) and "Jake and the Fatman" (1987 to 1992) – that he would be best remembered for. During his career, he was nominated twice for a Best Actor Golden Globe Award, both for the "Cannon" television series. After his death, he was posthumously elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.
Bio by: Donald Greyfield
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