William Lanteau (born William Lanctot) (November 12, 1922 – November 3, 1993) was an American character actor. Among his best known roles are Charlie the mail carrier in On Golden Pond[1] and mayor Chester Wanamaker[2] in Newhart.

William Lanteau
William Lanteau in The Andy Griffith Show 1960
Born
William Lanctot

November 12, 1922
DiedNovember 3, 1993 (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, US
Years active1954–1991
Known forCharacter actor

Life and career

edit

Lanteau was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. During WWII he was in the Army.[3] His first television appearance was in 1954 in an episode of Goodyear Television Playhouse. He appeared in over 80 television shows, among them The Donna Reed Show, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Andy Griffith Show, Here's Lucy, Wonder Woman, No Soap, Radio, Centennial and Amen. He appeared in the first season of Barnaby Jones in an episode titled "To Denise, with Love and Murder" (April 22, 1973). He also appeared in the movies Li'l Abner (1959), The Honeymoon Machine (1961), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Hotel (1967), From Noon till Three (1976), On Golden Pond (1981), Cold Steel (1987), and Shadow of a Doubt (1991).Other notable appearances on television included The Twilight Zone , Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Waltons, CHiPs, Trapper John, M.D., Diff'rent Strokes, Hart to Hart, Cagney & Lacey, Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, The Wonder Years, Newhart, Amen, and Coach

Death

edit

He died of complications from heart surgery on November 3, 1993, at age 70.[4]

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1959 Li'l Abner Available Jones
1960 The Facts of Life Airline Clerk
1961 The Honeymoon Machine Tommy Dane
1962 That Touch of Mink Leonard Uncredited
1964 Sex and the Single Girl Sylvester
1967 Hotel Mason
1976 From Noon till Three Reverend Cabot
1981 On Golden Pond Charlie Martin
1987 Cold Steel Sam Modine

References

edit
  1. ^ The Associated Press (6 November 1993). "William Lanteau, 70, Character-Role Actor". The New York Times. p. 1001054. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  2. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (2 December 2014). "How the second season of Newhart proves sitcoms need time to learn". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. ^ "William Lanteau, 70, Character-Role Actor". New York Times via Associated Press. November 6, 1993. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "W. Lanteau; Stage, Screen, TV Performer". Los Angeles Times. 5 November 1993. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  • 3. Demetria Fulton previewed William Lanteau's appearance in the first season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled, "To Denise, with Love and Murder" (April 22, 1973).
edit