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Wally Cox

Actor

Wally Cox

Born December 6, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan, USADied February 15, 197323 films

Wally Cox was a beloved character actor who made his mark in television and ranks as one of the medium's most memorable performers. His ability to show his range likely was limited by his short stature, slight frame, and high-pitched voice, which along with his talent for being very funny, made him ideal for comedy parts such as his memorable turn as Professor P. Caspar Biddle in "The Bird-Watchers" episode of The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) in 1966. His television persona was that of a shy, timid man in horn-rimed glasses who spoke in a tentative, though distinctly enunciated, voice. It was a persona that his long-time friend Marlon Brando said was completely at odds with the real man.

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Cox always will be remembered as the eponymous "Mr. Peepers" and the voice of "Underdog," but he was an actor of wider talents seldom used by the industry, as can be seen in his turns as the sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1965) and as the potential suicide Wally Haverstraw in The Bill Cosby Show (1969) episode "Goodbye, Cruel World" in 1970. Dying unexpectedly on February 15, 1973, from what some newspapers described as an accidental overdose of sedatives but which Marlon Brando in his autobiography said was a heart attack, Wally Cox's cremated remains were kept hidden in a closet by his old friend for three decades. According to Brando's son Miko, both his father's and Cox's ashes were scattered at the same time in Death Valley, California, in a ceremony following Brando's death, thus reuniting the lifetime friends.

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The Bedford Incident posterFirst watchThe Bedford Incident19657.0as Seaman Merlin QueffleDuring a routine patrol, a reporter is given permission to interview a hardened cold-war warrior and captain of the American destroyer USS Bedford.View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach

Filmography

23 films as actor
  1. 1973The Night StranglerMr. Berry
  2. 1972Once Upon a MattressThe Jester
  3. 1972Magic CarpetHarold Kane
  4. 1971The Barefoot ExecutiveMertons
  5. 1970Up Your Teddy BearClyde King
  6. 1970The Wacky Zoo of Morgan CityBecker
  7. 1970The BoatniksJason
  8. 1970The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico CountyMr. Bester
  9. 1970The Young CountryAaron Grimes / Ira Greebe
  10. 1970QuarantinedWilbur Mott
  11. 1968The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family BandMr. Wampler
  12. 1967A Guide for the Married ManTechnical Adviser
  13. 1967IronsideScoutmaster
  14. 1966Murder at N.B.C.
  15. 1965The Bedford IncidentSeaman Merlin Queffle
  16. 1965MorituriDr. Ambach
  17. 1964The Yellow Rolls-RoyceFerguson
  18. 1964Fate Is the HunterRalph Bundy
  19. 1963Spencer's MountainPreacher Goodman
  20. 1962State FairHipplewaite
  21. 1955Babes in ToylandGrumio, the Toymaker
  22. 1955HeidiPeter
  23. 1954Babes in ToylandGrumio, the Toymaker