Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. He was a founding member of The Actors Studio, and he performed in both the original Broadway play and 1951 film versions of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. His longest-lasting roles on television were in ten episodes each of Gunsmoke and Angel.
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Early life and career
Born in Highspire, Pennsylvania in August 1916, Donald Keefer was the youngest of three sons of Edna (née Hood) and John E. Keefer, who worked as a butcher. When he was in his early twenties, "Don" moved to New York City, where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating from that prestigious acting school in 1939. That same year, at the New York World's Fair, he performed various roles on stage in excerpts of works by William Shakespeare. During the 1940s, Keefer found work as supporting characters in Broadway plays such as Junior Miss and Othello. He also began studying method acting in Manhattan as an early member of The Actors Studio. In this period, he gained some early experience and performed in the new medium of television. In 1947, Keefer appeared in a televised presentation of Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night and in an episode of the anthology series Kraft Television Theatre. The next year, he performed again on Kraft Theatre in an episode titled "The Silver Cord".The Twilight Zone and the original Broadway production of Death of a Salesman, Keefer served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II from 1943 to 1946. Before his military service, he had been studying at Pasadena Junior College from 1942 to 1943.
By 1949, Keefer was back on Broadway as a cast member in the acclaimed production of Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, directed by Elia Kazan. Keefer's exposure in that play led to his first movie role, reprising his performance as Bernard in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman. He soon appeared in other films, including The Girl in White (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Six Bridges to Cross (1955), Away All Boats (1956), and Hellcats of the Navy (1957). Increasingly, however, Keefer in the 1950s began focusing on performing on the "small screen", accepting more roles in a wide variety of television series.
Later films and television
Keefer appeared in dozens of television series. He also had small roles in some feature films, including Woody Allen's Sleeper (1973). In 1966, he played the character Irving Christiansen in the movie The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. He also had a small role in Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone prequel “Time Element” in 1958, starring William Benedix, Darryl Hickman and Martin Balsam. Keefer gave a moving performance as Dan in The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life" (1961), playing a character whose birthday party turns fatal when he opposes six year old Anthony, played by Billy Mumy.
Personal life and death
On May 7, 1950, Keefer married the actress Catherine McLeod, and the couple remained married for 47 years, until her death on May 11, 1997.
In 1957, Don played husband to Catherine on an episode of Gunsmoke titled “Wrong Man” (season 2, episode 29), his character being a homesteader turned cowardly killer and abusive husband whom she finally leaves.
At the time of Catherine's death (following his retirement in acting), the Keefers were living in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. The three Keefer sons are Donald McLeod, John H., and Thomas James. Keefer died at the age of 98 on September 7, 2014.
Western roles
Keefer's Gunsmoke appearances included three half-hour episodes and seven full one-hour broadcasts that aired from 1957-1973:
Keefer appeared in more than a dozen other western series:
Angel and other comedies
On Angel, Keefer portrayed the neighbor George, husband of Susie, a character played by Doris Singleton, a veteran of the original I Love Lucy series. Marshall Thompson played Johnny Smith, a young architect and the husband of Annie Fargé's Angel Smith character. Keefer's Angel roles include 26 credited episodes:
The following are a selection of other sitcoms in which Keefer performed:
Dramatic episodes
Keefer appeared as Cromwell in the 1968 episode "Assignment: Earth" of the NBC science fiction series Star Trek. Earlier, he had roles in the following three episodes of CBS's The Twilight Zone: as Dan Hollis in "It's a Good Life" (1961), as Spiereto in "Passage on the Lady Anne" (1963), and as Fred Danziger in "From Agnes - With Love" (1964).
His other drama roles include:
Keefer's final role was as a beggar at a courthouse in the 1997 film Liar Liar.