Richard Erdman, whose film career stretched back 75 years, and who had more recently become a familiar face on the TV series “Community,” died Saturday at 93. THR reported his death, as confirmed by film historian Alan K. Rode. No further details were available.
Born June 1, 1925, in Enid, Oklahoma, the actor won a Warner Bros. contract as a teenager when he wowed famed director Michael Curtiz.
Among his most memorable films were “The Men,” the 1950 film debut of Marlon Brando (to whom at least one reviewer compared Erdman favorably); the noir classic “Cry Danger” (1951); and “Stalag 17” (1953).
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With Jean Porter in “Cry Danger”; the actress passed away at 95 in 2018
On TV, Erdman made a strong impression in the 1963 “Twilight Zone” episode “A Kind of Stopwatch”; playing a widower engaged to postman Cliff’s mother on an episode of “Cheers” (1986); and as Leonard on “Community” (2009-2015).
In all, he had close to 200 screen credits to his name, and directed two episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1966); the films “Teenage Tease” (1971); and “The Brothers O’Toole” (1973); and the made-for-TV movie “Mooch Goes to Hollywood” (1971).