William Windom

About William Windom

A man of all mediums, this veteran, Manhattan-born character actor was
named after his great-grandfather, Lincolnesque Congressman William
Windom. Born in 1923, the son of Paul Windom, an architect, and the
former Isobel Wells Peckham, Bill attended Williams College and the
University of Kentucky, among others, before serving in the Army during
WWII. After the war, he studied at both Fordham and Columbia
universities in New York City before settling on an acting career.
Trained at the American Repertory Theatre (1946-1961), he made his
minor Broadway debut with the company in November of 1946 with
revolving productions of "Henry VIII", "What Every Woman Knows", "John
Gabriel Borkman" and "Androcles and the Lion". The following year, he
continued building up his Broadway resume with roles in "Yellow Jack"
and as the "White Rabbit" in a production of "Alice in Wonderland".In the early 1950s, a new avenue opened up to Bill: television. For the
duration of the decade, he shifted between stage, which included
Broadway roles in "A Girl Can Tell" (1953), "Mademoiselle Colombe"
(1954), "Fallen Angels" (1956), "The Greatest Man Alive" (1957) and
"Viva Madison Avenue!" (1960), and TV drama, with stalwart work in such
programs as
Robert Montgomery Presents (1950)
and
Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951).Major attention came Windom's way on TV moving into the following
decade. In addition to hundreds of guest appearances on the most
popular shows of the day
(Combat! (1962),
The Fugitive (1963),
All in the Family (1971),
Dallas (1978),
Highway to Heaven (1984)),
his standout work included a co-starring role opposite the luminous
Inger Stevens in the popular light comedy
series
The Farmer's Daughter (1963).
On the show, Windom portrayed widower "Glen Morley", a decent
congressman who eventually falls in love with his pert and pretty
Swedish governess "Katy Holstrum" (played by Stevens). Prior to this
success, both he and Ms. Stevens had been singularly recognized for
their sterling performances on various episodes of
The Twilight Zone (1959).
Following this success, Windom enjoyed critical notice as the
cartoonist/protagonist whose vivid imagination causes problems on the
homefront on the Thurberesque weekly series
My World and Welcome to It (1969).
Despite the show's critical merit and Windom's "Best Actor" Emmy win,
the show, years ahead of its time, lasted only one season. Decades
later, Windom would play
James Thurber on stage in one-man
shows.The native New Yorker went on to essay a number of loungy Southerners
and down-home types with incredible ease--both heroes and villains. He
offered strong support in his film debut as
Gregory Peck's opposing counsel in the
Alabama-based
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962),
and went on to play prelate
Norman Vincent Peale's father in
One Man's Way (1964) starring
Don Murray. Windom demonstrated the
maturity to carry off the character even though he was only 5 years
older than Murray. He also delivered a variety of pungent roles in such
films as The Detective (1968) (as a
closeted gay married man),
Robert Altman's
Brewster McCloud (1970) (as a
political blow...

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