James Callahan (actor)

James T. Callahan
James Callahan as seen in the opening credits of Charles in Charge
Born	James Thomas Callahan October 4, 1930 Grand Rapids, Michigan
Died	August 3, 2007 (aged 76) Fallbrook, California
Cause of death	Esophageal cancer
Spouse(s)	Peggy Cannon (May 18, 1994 – August 3, 2007, his death)

James Thomas Callahan (October 4, 1930 – August 3, 2007) was an American film and television actor who appeared in more than 120 films and television programs between 1959 and 2007. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal from 1987 to 1990 of Walter Powell on the syndicated sitcom Charles in Charge, starring Scott Baio.

He also had recurring roles in two 1960s series, as Danny Adams in ABC's Wendy and Me, with a cast including George Burns, Connie Stevens, Ron Harper, and J. Pat O'Malley, and as Lieutenant O'Connell on NBC's 13-episode war drama, Convoy, with John Gavin and John Larch.

Life and career

One of three children, Callahan was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to William and Elenora Callahan on October 4, 1930. After his service in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953, he worked for the United States Postal Service. While attending school in the Midwest, he discovered acting and on the advice of a teacher, he enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He studied drama and graduated in the late 1950s.^[1][2]

Callahan did not marry until he was sixty-three, when he wed Peggy Cannon in 1994.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	The Californians	James McFadden	Episode: "The Fur Story"
1959	Steve Canyon	Lt. Hageman	Episode: "Operation Firebee"
1960	Bourbon Street Beat	Detective	Episode: "Twice Betrayed"
1960	Dennis the Menace	Officer Holt	Episode: "Dennis Runs Away"
1960	Manhunt	Willie	Episode: "A Rose for Willie"
1960	Two Faces West	Cleve	Episode: "Prognosis: Death"
1961	National Velvet	Johnny	Episode: "The Bridegroom"
1961	The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor	Phil	Episode: "Hit and Miss"
1961	The Jim Backus Show	Lou	2 episodes
1962	Have Gun – Will Travel	Albert Eubanks	Episode: "Don't Shoot the Piano Player"
1962	Perry Mason	Bookkeeper Fred Carlyle	Episode: "The Case of the Shapely Shadow"
1962	Route 66	Smudge	Episode: "City of Wheels"
1962	G.E. True	Detective Floyd Wright	Episode: "Hercule Poirot"
1962	Saints and Sinners	Edgar	Episode: "Judgement in Jazz Alley"
1962	The Untouchables	Miles Henning	Episode: "The Economist"
1962	Have Gun - Will Travel	Albert Eubanks	Episode: "Don't Shoot the Piano Player"
1962	Stoney Burke	Bert	Episode: "Spin a Golden Web"
1962-1964	Dr. Kildare	Dr. Yates Atkinson	6 episodes
1963	Combat!	Reischer	Episode: "The Squad"
1963	Empire	Redford	Episode: "A House in Order"
1963	Grindl	Mike	Episode: "Grindl and the Counterfeiters"
1963	The Eleventh Hour	Matt Hopewell	Episode: "I Feel Like a Rutabaga"
1963	The Twilight Zone	Doug Kirk	Episode: "Ninety Years Without Slumbering"
1963	The Lieutenant	Markley	Episode: "Fall from a White Horse"
1964	My Favorite Martian	Jack	Episode: "Unidentified Flying Uncle Martin"
1964- 1965	Wendy and Me	Danny Adams	TV series
1965	Convoy	Lt. Dick O'Connell	TV series
1965	Profiles in Courage	Barnes	Episode: "General Alexander William Doniphan", with Peter Lawford as Doniphan
1966	The Fugitive	Two different roles	Episodes: "Right in the Middle of the Season" and "The White Knight"
1966	The Time Tunnel	Navy Ensign Beard	Episode: "One Way To The Moon"
1967	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	Sam Chapman	Episodes: "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" and "Willie and the Yank: The Deserter"
1968	A Man Called Gannon	Bo	Feature film
1969	Adam-12	Miles Wellman	Episode: "Log 92: Tell Him He Pushed a Little Too Hard"
1969- 1970	The Governor & J.J.	George Callison	TV series
1970	Tropic of Cancer	Fillmore	Feature film
1971	Cade's County	Llewellyn Burton	Episode: "Safe Deposit"
1972	Lady Sings the Blues	Reg Hanley	Feature film
1972	Love, American Style	Jim	Episodes: "Love and the Confession"
1973	Love, American Style	Malcolm	Episodes: "Love and the Hand Maiden"
1973	Marcus Welby, M.D.		Episode: "A More Exciting Case"
1973	M*A*S*H	Cpl. Tommy Gillis	Episode: "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"
1973	The Wonderful World of Disney	Sheriff Wyndham	Episode: "The Mystery of Dracula's Castle"
1974	The Missiles of October	Dave Powers	TV Movie
1975	Cannon	Police Lieutenant	Episode: "The Victim"
1976	The Practice	Jim	Episode: "Molly and Jim"
1977	Outlaw Blues	Garland Dupree	Feature film
1977	The Rockford Files	Leslie Hartman	Episode: "New Life, Old Dragons"
1978- 1979	The Runaways	Sgt. Hal Grady	TV series
1980- 1982	Benson	Dr. Phillips	Episodes: "Kraus's Deadly Mistake" and "Benson in the Hospital"
1980- 1982	Quincy, M.E.	Two different roles	Episodes: "Next Stop, Nowhere" and "New Blood"
1980	The Ropers	Tom Cummins	Episode: "Old Flames"
1980	Cloud Dancer	Walt Lawson	Feature film
1981- 1982	Alice	Two different roles	Episodes: "Alice and the Acorns" and "Alice Strikes Up the Band"
1981	Bosom Buddies	Dr. Leonard Bob	Episode: "What Price Glory?"
1981	Inchon	General Almond	Feature film
1983	Little House on the Prairie: A Look Back to Yesterday	Doctor Houser	TV movie
1983	Remington Steele	Emmett DeVore	Episode: "Steele's Gold"
1983	Too Close for Comfort	Marvin Rowe	Episode: "Out to Lunch"
1984	The A-Team	Captain Fallone	Episode: "The Island"
1984	The Burning Bed	Berlin Hughes	TV movie
1985	A Bunny's Tale	Phil	TV movie
1985	Copacabana (musical)	Dennis Riley	TV Musical
1986	Highway to Heaven	Jack Brent	Episode: "Children's Children"
1986	Growing Pains	Uncle Bob	Episode: "Extra Lap"
1987- 1990	Charles in Charge	Walter Powell	Seasons 2 through 5
1992	The Golden Girls	Malcolm Gordon	Episode: "Goodbye, Mr. Gordon"
1993	Return of the Living Dead 3	Colonel Peck	Feature film
1995	Return to Two Moon Junction	Mr. Bowman	Feature film
1995	Midnight Man	Chief Massey	Feature film
1995	A Norman Rockwell Christmas Story	Samuel Cavanaugh	TV Movie
1996	Caroline in the City	Mayor Paisley	Episode: "Caroline and the Twenty-Eight-Pound Walleye"
1996	Promised Land	Warren Dempsey	Episode: "Christmas"
1997	ER	Oliver	Episode: "Something New"
1999	The Practice	Trevor Wayne	Episode: "Oz"
2000	ER	Mr. Bristol	Episode: "Homecoming"
2005	Medium	Jury Foreman	Episode: "Judge, Jury and Executioner"
2006	Wild Hearts	Arliss - Mayor of Hope	Hallmark TV Movie
2006	7th Heaven	Father Mulligan	Episode: "And More Secrets"

Death

In February 2007, Callahan was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Six months later, on August 3, 2007, Callahan died at his home in Fallbrook, California.^[3] He was 76 years old.

References

1. Chicago Tribune: James T. Callahan: 1930 - 2007 Grandpa on 'Charles in Charge'
2. Remembering Charles in Charge's James T. Callahan
3. L.A. Times Obituary- James Callahan, 76; played grandfather on TV's 'Charles in Charge' (URL last accessed January 22, 2013)

External links

• James Callahan at the Internet Movie Database