Richard Carlson

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Actor | Director | Screenwriter | Writer Born April 29, 1912 in Albert Lea, Minn.

Actor Richard Carlson was a star of stage, screen and later television in the long-running series "I Led 3 Lives," about a man who infiltrated the American Communist Party.

The actor graduated with a master's degree in English from the University of Minnesota, but instead of entering a career as a professor, he invested his money in a Minneapolis theater company to gain experience.

He made his motion picture debut in the film "The Young in Heart."

Other films included: "Back Street," "White Cargo," "Little Foxes," "Valentino," "King Solomon's Mines," "It Came From Outer Space," "Creature From the Black Lagoon," "Last Command" and "Bengazi."

Carlson was perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of FBI counterspy Herbert A. Philbrick, whose experiences with the communists formed the basis for the "I Led 3 Lives" series in the early 1950s.

Carlson was also a successful author of short stories and nonfiction, and wrote and directed several television films and series segments.

Carlson died at age 65, after he suffered a cerebral hemorage.

— Los Angeles Times Nov. 26, 1977