Simon Oakland was an American actor of stage, screen, and television. During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983. His most notable big-screen roles were in Psycho, West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, Bullitt, The Hunting Party and Chato's Land.
Early life and career
Oakland was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the eldest of the three sons of Jacob Weiss and Ethel Oaklander. His father was a plasterer and builder. While he later claimed in media interviews to have been born in 1922, Social Security and vital records indicate he was born Simon Weiss in 1915; his stage name was likely derived from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander. He began his performing arts career as a musician. Oakland began his acting career in the late 1940s. He enjoyed a series of Broadway hits, including Light Up the Sky, The Shrike and Inherit the Wind, and theater was one of his lasting passions. He was a concert violinist until the 1940s.
Moving to films and television
In 1955 Oakland made his film debut, though uncredited, as an Indiana state trooper in The Desperate Hours. He next appeared in two films released in 1958: as the character Mavrayek in The Brothers Karamazov and then in the role of Edward Montgomery in I Want to Live! The character Montgomery was a real-life journalist, who had reported on the California murder trial and 1955 execution of Barbara Graham, played by Susan Hayward in the film. Oakland's portrayal of the journalist as a "tough, but compassionate" personality resulted in the actor's often being typecast in his subsequent roles in both films and on television. Simon Oakland's notable performance in I Want to Live! led to his playing a long series of tough-guy types, usually in positions of authority, most notably in Psycho, in which he plays the psychiatrist who explains Norman Bates's multiple personality disorder. He also appeared in West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, and Bullitt. He made two guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason, both times as the murder victim. He also appeared in the syndicated crime drama, Decoy, starring Beverly Garland. Oakland appeared once each on the CBS western, Dundee and the Culhane and in another syndicated crime drama series, Sheriff of Cochise, starring John Bromfield. Oakland played the regular role of General Thomas Moore on NBC's Baa Baa Black Sheep, starring Robert Conrad. He also appeared in two episodes of the original The Twilight Zone TV series and in The Outer Limits as the alien birdman in "Second Chance". In 1974 and 1975, he was a series regular on , playing newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo. Oakland was the familiar voice-over for the tag line "When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be There Overnight" heard at the end of each television commercial for the long-running Federal Express advertising campaign, created by the New York advertising agency Ally & Gargano. He also played the role of a Sony dealer for an ad campaign of ten national radio commercials, written and directed by Peter Hoffman, for the New York office of the global advertising agency McCann-Erickson when they had the Sony account.
Personal life
Oakland was married to Lois Lorraine Porta. The couple had one daughter, Barbara.
Death
Simon Oakland continued working up to the year of his death. His last credited acting appearance was in the episode "Living and Presumed Dead" on the CBS television series Tucker's Witch. That episode aired just three months before Oakland died of colon cancer in Cathedral City, California, on August 29, 1983, a day after his 68th birthday.
