Judson Pratt


Judson Pratt was an American character actor. Pratt began his professional career on stage in the 1940s. From the 1950s to 1980, he appeared in over 100 film and television roles.
Pratt retired from acting in 1980.

Early life and career

Pratt was born in Hingham, Massachusetts. In 1941, he made his Broadway debut in the play Popsy. The play closed after two days. In 1950, Pratt made his television debut on Armstrong Circle Theatre. Throughout the rest of the decade, he had guest roles on numerous television shows including Shadow of the Cloak, Have Gun – Will Travel, Kraft Television Theatre, Westinghouse Studio One, Men of Annapolis, The Web, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theater, The Donna Reed Show, and Riverboat.
In 1951, Pratt made his film debut in an uncredited role in the 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess. In 1956, he co-starred in The Toy Tiger, starring Jeff Chandler, Outside the Law, and Somebody Up There Likes Me. From 1958 to 1959, Pratt had a recurring role as Bill Kincaid on the syndicated Western series Union Pacific.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Pratt became a staple on television with appearances on a variety of series. In 1966 he appeared on the only color episode of Perry Mason, "The Case of the Twice-Told Twist," as theater director Tom Loman. Other television appearances include Father Knows Best, Hotel de Paree, The Man from Blackhawk, Overland Trail, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Kondike, Bronco, Saints and Sinners, The Iron Horse, That Girl, Circle of Fear, S.W.A.T., Charlie's Angels, and The Quest.
He also made multiple appearances on Western series including This Man Dawson, Cain's Hundred, Laramie, Outlaws, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Death Valley Days, Slattery's People, Daniel Boone, The Virginian,and Bonanza. Pratt also had multiple roles on dramas and comedies including Bracken's World, Mayberry RFD, Kojak, Disney's Wonderful World, and Police Story.
In addition to his extensive work in television, Pratt also had roles in numerous film during the 1960s including The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, Kid Galahad, starring Elvis Presley, The Ugly American, with Marlon Brando, Cheyenne Autumn, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. In the 1970s, Pratt had roles in The Barefoot Executive, Futureworld, Vigilante Force, starring Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent. Pratt's final film role was in the 1978 drama film F.I.S.T., starring Sylvester Stallone. In the film, Pratt portrayed Stallone's character's attorney. Pratt made his final on-screen appearance a 1980 episode of Quincy, M.E..

Personal life

On May 21, 1950, Pratt married Broadway actress Roberta Jonay. The couple had two sons. They remained married until Jonay's death from cancer in April 1976. On February 9, 2002, Pratt died at the age of 85.

Stage career

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1956The 20th Century-Fox HourMacIntyreEpisode: "The Moneymaker"
1957GunsmokeBill Pense, bartender in The Long Branch SaloonEpisode: "Bad Girl Lost"
1957Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheaterClay RamseyEpisode: "No Man Living"
1957Ford TheatreCaptain BrooksEpisode: "House of Glass"
1958SuspicionPolice SergeantEpisode: "Fraction of a Second"
1958Jefferson DrumFather Andrew DamonEpisode: "Prison Hill"
1959The Rough RidersJack McCoyEpisode: "The Rifle"
1959The Lawless YearsRuditsky's PartnerEpisode: "The Big Greeny Story"
1959Goodyear Television PlayhouseCol. HoltEpisode: "Point of Impact"
1959The Rough RidersJack McCoyEpisode: "The Rifle"
1960Bourbon Street BeatSergeant BogartEpisode: "Twice Betrayed"
1960ThrillerPolice Lt. Bill GordonEpisode: "The Mark of the Hand"
1960Dan RavenMarkinEpisode: "Tinge of Red"
1961The AmericansSgt. WillersEpisode: "The Sentry"
1961Dennis the MenaceMr. KowalskiEpisode: "The Pioneers"
1961Adventures in ParadiseHarry SummersEpisode: "The Assassins"
1961-1963BonanzaJim Bronson / Jeb Nelson2 episodes
1962CheyenneVince HarperEpisode: "One Way Ticket"
1963Stoney BurkeEd MitchnetEpisode: "Color Him Lucky"
1964The FugitiveBowersEpisode: "Come Watch Me Die"
1965Death Valley DaysGeneral BradleyEpisode: "Raid on San Francisco Mint", with Ronald W. Reagan as William Chapman Ralston
1966Mister EdPark PolicemanEpisode: "Ed and the Motorcycle"
1966The Donna Reed ShowMetcalfeEpisode: " Is There a Small Hotel?"
1966Perry MasonTom LomanEpisode: "The Case of the Twice Told Twist"
1967BewitchedEastwoodEpisode: "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
1967The Second Hundred YearsPolicemanEpisode: "Dear Father Come Home with Me Now"
1967LassiePat RockfordEpisode: "Inferno"
1969The Guns of Will SonnettJohn HardwickEpisode: "On Angry Juror"
1969The Mod SquadDr. Arthur SteelmanEpisode: "Never Give the Fuzz an Even Break"
1970Nanny and the ProfessorMr. HilderEpisode: "The New Butch"
1970IronsideParrishEpisode: "The Man on the Inside"
1971Room 222PolicemanEpisode: "I Hate You, Silas Marner"
1972CannonMikeEpisode: "Treasure of San Ignacio"
1972The Partridge FamilyCab DriverEpisode: "Fellini, Bergman, and Partridge"
1972Warden LorimerEpisode: "Hit"
1973Kung FuCottonEpisode: "An Eye for an Eye"
1973Runaway!Bill TraversTelevision movie
1973The RookiesAllen MaysonEpisode: "A Matter of Justice"
1974Marcus Welby, M.D.Fred BlaineyEpisode: "The Fatal Challenge"
1975Barney MillerLt. FaradayEpisode: "Escape Artist"
1975Matt HelmGuardEpisode: "Death Rods"
1976The Blue KnightCliffEpisode: "The Creeper"
1976Little House on the PrairieSam WallaceEpisode: "The Long Road Home"
1976SwitchJarvisEpisode: "Maggie's Hero"
1977The Streets of San FranciscoMr. StewartEpisode: "One Last Trick"
1978ABC Weekend SpecialSheriffEpisode: "If I'm Lost, How Come I Found You?"
1978The Incredible HulkGuard SamuelsonEpisode: "Stop the Presses"
1979-1980Quincy, M.E.Various2 episodes,