![Karl Swenson](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/36uUxu4K8WQi8oZJMsciKzu15kS.jpg)
Karl Swenson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne
Swenson was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Swedish parentage. Planning to be a doctor, he enrolled at Marietta College and undertook pre-medical studies but left that field to pursue acting.
Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s.
Swenson entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter, followed by more than thirty-five roles in feature films and television movies. No Name on the Bullet (1959) is only one of the many westerns in which he performed for both film and television.
Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963) and had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Seconds (1966). In 1967, Swenson appeared in the western Hour of the Gun, and played the role of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the western film Brighty of the Grand Canyon, with co-stars Pat Conway and Joseph Cotten. His later film appearances included roles in ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972).
Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins.
Swenson died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. Swenson was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut. CLR
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 17.629 |
Birthday | 1908-07-23 |
Place of Birth | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA |
Also Known As |
![The Birds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eClg8QPg8mwB6INIC4pyR5pAbDr.jpg)
1963
![The Birds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eClg8QPg8mwB6INIC4pyR5pAbDr.jpg)
The Birds
7.525/3934
Thousands of birds flock into a seaside town and terrorize the residents in a series of deadly attacks.
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The Birds
![Judgment at Nuremberg](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cqumfgd74ftVzOKJpFGOG64WlXL.jpg)
1961
![Judgment at Nuremberg](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cqumfgd74ftVzOKJpFGOG64WlXL.jpg)
Judgment at Nuremberg
8.042/745
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chie...
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Judgment at Nuremberg
![The Cincinnati Kid](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s4Apy8FcF6a0lR1Qay1atpfwAv9.jpg)
1965
![The Cincinnati Kid](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s4Apy8FcF6a0lR1Qay1atpfwAv9.jpg)
The Cincinnati Kid
6.979/268
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
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The Cincinnati Kid
![Seconds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5G3q3OvulFTnFdiouaZdD8wjtIc.jpg)
1966
![Seconds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5G3q3OvulFTnFdiouaZdD8wjtIc.jpg)
Seconds
7.274/339
An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity – one that comes with its...
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Seconds
![North to Alaska](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1HSf0NsKtEy2w5qIJqpP5BppZkL.jpg)
1960
![North to Alaska](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1HSf0NsKtEy2w5qIJqpP5BppZkL.jpg)
North to Alaska
6.6/106
After striking gold in Alaska, the romantic George sends his womanizing partner Sam to bring his fiancée up from Seattle. When Sam finds that she has...
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North to Alaska
![Vanishing Point](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1ThnpFx2G2HPhecvODGFEQxfOpO.jpg)
1971
![Vanishing Point](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1ThnpFx2G2HPhecvODGFEQxfOpO.jpg)
Vanishing Point
7.181/430
Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup...
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Vanishing Point
![The Sword in the Stone](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dYQhKThGXl3xQv71Ysw0RSmVmBA.jpg)
1963
![The Sword in the Stone](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dYQhKThGXl3xQv71Ysw0RSmVmBA.jpg)
The Sword in the Stone
7.255/3717
Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him...
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The Sword in the Stone
![Major Dundee](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/afdhdupMyfn3tDoL3XosgQF82gX.jpg)
1965
![Major Dundee](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/afdhdupMyfn3tDoL3XosgQF82gX.jpg)
Major Dundee
6.7/150
During the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Amos Dundee leads a contentious troop of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and scouts on a...
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Major Dundee
![Ulzana's Raid](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mftnQcqDDFEIOLc8M4rA626MaEC.jpg)
1972
![Ulzana's Raid](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mftnQcqDDFEIOLc8M4rA626MaEC.jpg)
Ulzana's Raid
6.981/132
A report reaches the US Army Cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, L...
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Ulzana's Raid
![Lonely Are the Brave](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g6wKfhwGPsKgPI77ZiLhL6argMQ.jpg)
1962
![Lonely Are the Brave](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g6wKfhwGPsKgPI77ZiLhL6argMQ.jpg)
Lonely Are the Brave
7.292/142
A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the peni...
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Lonely Are the Brave
![The Hanging Tree](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cABsWJB3DBq5n2U7gl4vx0K88p7.jpg)
1959
![The Hanging Tree](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cABsWJB3DBq5n2U7gl4vx0K88p7.jpg)
The Hanging Tree
6.6/99
Joseph "Doc" Frail is a doctor with a past he's trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a ma...
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The Hanging Tree
![Walk on the Wild Side](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/t1fPzQlKpk06an9Akme1LJX2MjU.jpg)
1962
![Walk on the Wild Side](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/t1fPzQlKpk06an9Akme1LJX2MjU.jpg)
Walk on the Wild Side
6.54/50
At a 1930s New Orleans bordello, Hallie is the main attraction for both clients and the shrewd madam. The arrival of Dove Linkhorn, her lovesick sweet...
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Walk on the Wild Side
![The Sons of Katie Elder](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n6ox5IniBxxx6ISTol5pm36WoFr.jpg)
1965
![The Sons of Katie Elder](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n6ox5IniBxxx6ISTol5pm36WoFr.jpg)
The Sons of Katie Elder
7.1/267
The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their Hometown of Clearwater, Texas for their Mother's funeral, and discover that the family ranch is now in t...
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The Sons of Katie Elder
![Ice Palace](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eYVb8Ukhzg6DDa6f3CSogWqxc5z.jpg)
1960
![Ice Palace](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eYVb8Ukhzg6DDa6f3CSogWqxc5z.jpg)
Ice Palace
5.8/7
Alaska: America's last great wilderness frontier. A land of primitive grandeur, of glaciers, mountains and ice-fields. And of ambitious cannery tycoon...
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Ice Palace
![Flaming Star](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/xdDKj2Vnl1WKzdHl7S4eGPIFw6O.jpg)
1960
![Flaming Star](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/xdDKj2Vnl1WKzdHl7S4eGPIFw6O.jpg)
Flaming Star
6.5/85
Sam Burton's second wife is a Kiowa, and their son is therefore born mixed-race. When a struggle starts between the whites and the native Kiowas, the...
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Flaming Star
![No Name on the Bullet](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lqajhCQhtyzDfj7vKAfpVVw68B8.jpg)
1959
![No Name on the Bullet](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lqajhCQhtyzDfj7vKAfpVVw68B8.jpg)
No Name on the Bullet
6.569/72
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of...
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No Name on the Bullet
![Kings Go Forth](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yN29cYV4lEq6MpFzzKujvERlhAg.jpg)
1958
![Kings Go Forth](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yN29cYV4lEq6MpFzzKujvERlhAg.jpg)
Kings Go Forth
6.1/16
Toward the end of World War II, two American soldiers fighting in Southern France become romantically involved with a young, American woman. Her backg...
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Kings Go Forth
![The Man from Galveston](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pvHuFd6DQNcoz02TtuRwbUWCag2.jpg)
1963
![The Man from Galveston](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pvHuFd6DQNcoz02TtuRwbUWCag2.jpg)
The Man from Galveston
5.2/4
Circuit-riding Texas lawyer Timothy Higgins defends a former girlfriend against a murder charge stemming from an extortionist's threat to reveal her s...
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The Man from Galveston
![A Howling in the Woods](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ya4R0VEmV1JgBpnAU9maiCijW2K.jpg)
1971
![A Howling in the Woods](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ya4R0VEmV1JgBpnAU9maiCijW2K.jpg)
A Howling in the Woods
5.179/14
A disillusioned housewife on a vacation in the woods is disturbed by her husband continually trying to get her to come home and, more ominously, a mys...
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A Howling in the Woods
![Strangers All](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8V1nfBCQxibmyP8meYCUTHsvYiN.jpg)
1935
![Strangers All](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8V1nfBCQxibmyP8meYCUTHsvYiN.jpg)
Strangers All
5.5/1
Domestic drama about an elderly woman and her four squabbling adult children.
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Strangers All
![The Gallant Hours](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7YKWqCWnSfE3fJB2lLUAiQOu0ol.jpg)
1960
![The Gallant Hours](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7YKWqCWnSfE3fJB2lLUAiQOu0ol.jpg)
The Gallant Hours
6.6/16
A semi-documentary dramatization of five weeks in the life of Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, Jr., from his assignment to command the U.S. nava...
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The Gallant Hours
![The Gun and the Pulpit](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hrhXP3QOgqOu9NRr4gw4PnxSTDA.jpg)
1974
![The Gun and the Pulpit](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hrhXP3QOgqOu9NRr4gw4PnxSTDA.jpg)
The Gun and the Pulpit
6.5/10
In the days of the "Wild West," a gunslinger, with a price on his head, discovers the body of a traveling minister who has been killed in an ambush. F...
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The Gun and the Pulpit
![Tick... Tick... Tick...](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/rBNgytHXZEXgOl805pYWKiBQe7s.jpg)
1970
![Tick... Tick... Tick...](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/rBNgytHXZEXgOl805pYWKiBQe7s.jpg)
Tick... Tick... Tick...
6.521/24
Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South.
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Tick... Tick... Tick...
![One Foot in Hell](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fk19RrQE7XIlQFSopW2ezu8rZ8W.jpg)
1960
![One Foot in Hell](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fk19RrQE7XIlQFSopW2ezu8rZ8W.jpg)
One Foot in Hell
5.3/19
Mitch Barrett becomes embittered because his wife is allowed to die when he can't pay for the medicine she needs. The remorseful townspeople hire Mitc...
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One Foot in Hell
![Gateways to the Mind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tzjM5ypJzAWXxEb3BqZ1Jpmx6oC.jpg)
1958
![Gateways to the Mind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tzjM5ypJzAWXxEb3BqZ1Jpmx6oC.jpg)
Gateways to the Mind
0/0
The film presents how the human body recognizes and becomes aware of its surroundings. The various information pathways to the brain such as sight, so...
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Gateways to the Mind
![Brighty of the Grand Canyon](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7YwUriGF09udEfpysqArINoealW.jpg)
1966
![Brighty of the Grand Canyon](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7YwUriGF09udEfpysqArINoealW.jpg)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
5.5/2
At the turn of the century in the Southwest, Brighty the wild burro accompanies his friend, a prospector named Old Timer, on a hunt for gold. A claim...
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Brighty of the Grand Canyon
![How the West Was Won](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8skxwfZEige3QdnlrHFi2Ls31iO.jpg)
1962
![How the West Was Won](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8skxwfZEige3QdnlrHFi2Ls31iO.jpg)
How the West Was Won
7/422
The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one...
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How the West Was Won
![December 7th](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vrfkeXuHyogHMTUIZ4srU3680is.jpg)
1943
![December 7th](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vrfkeXuHyogHMTUIZ4srU3680is.jpg)
December 7th
5.7/23
"Docudrama" about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and its results, the recovering of the ships, the improving of defense in Hawaii a...
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December 7th
![The Wild Country](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oLmJ92Cx3FsdIVvUaWLhytcbSSp.jpg)
1970
![The Wild Country](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oLmJ92Cx3FsdIVvUaWLhytcbSSp.jpg)
The Wild Country
6/6
Uprooted from their comfortable home in Pennsylvania, James and Kate Tanner, along with their sons, Virgil and Andy, journey to the wild country of 18...
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The Wild Country
![Disney's Halloween Treat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6wWlntu8Sub0mSEyH2zFgGNZpxz.jpg)
1982
![Disney's Halloween Treat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6wWlntu8Sub0mSEyH2zFgGNZpxz.jpg)
Disney's Halloween Treat
5.9/6
Contains memorable scenes from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Lady and the Tramp," "Peter Pan," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," and...
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Disney's Halloween Treat
![The Spiral Road](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fCT60hw231TnBpEme2P3YabsnMp.jpg)
1962
![The Spiral Road](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fCT60hw231TnBpEme2P3YabsnMp.jpg)
The Spiral Road
5.2/10
A selfish and prideful young Dutch doctor, through a series of circumstances, comes to learn that he does indeed "need" a higher spiritual being and o...
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The Spiral Road
![Four Boys and a Gun](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/9tF6RCX9vDWGROFnmuf3o1X48HL.jpg)
1957
![Four Boys and a Gun](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/9tF6RCX9vDWGROFnmuf3o1X48HL.jpg)
Four Boys and a Gun
6.333/6
The moving story of four young men struggling against overwhelming odds to remain honest. When their crooked employer shorts their earnings; they turn...
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Four Boys and a Gun
![The Prize](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/k5A9KlSQaCg5epjrMH5RFyYQoTs.jpg)
1963
![The Prize](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/k5A9KlSQaCg5epjrMH5RFyYQoTs.jpg)
The Prize
6.8/93
A group of Nobel laureates descends on Stockholm to accept their awards. Among them is American novelist Andrew Craig, a former literary luminary now...
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The Prize
![Hour of the Gun](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4sFnOXm9wvJIfWzfwIvTN1dZ8KE.jpg)
1967
![Hour of the Gun](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4sFnOXm9wvJIfWzfwIvTN1dZ8KE.jpg)
Hour of the Gun
6.476/85
Marshal Wyatt Earp kills a couple of men of the Clanton-gang in a fight. In revenge Clanton's thugs kill the marshal's brother. Thus, Wyatt Earp start...
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Hour of the Gun
![Alice in Wonderland](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iDlNIatdfU4jaxDskFt3vMgF6oU.jpg)
1955
![Alice in Wonderland](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iDlNIatdfU4jaxDskFt3vMgF6oU.jpg)
Alice in Wonderland
0/0
A young girl named Alice falls down a rabbit-hole and finds herself in Wonderland, a fantasy land of strange characters and ideas.
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Alice in Wonderland
![Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ddsvsrEJUEygHwwJgpHwcxVs7Xi.jpg)
1995
![Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ddsvsrEJUEygHwwJgpHwcxVs7Xi.jpg)
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
8.8/5
Sing, dance, and play along with your favorite Disney songs! It's fun and easy as you read the on-screen lyrics and join your favorite characters in t...
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Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
![The New Healers](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/m04GrpQNufCorXJeUVbAAM3sZwu.jpg)
1972
![The New Healers](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/m04GrpQNufCorXJeUVbAAM3sZwu.jpg)
The New Healers
0/0
The small town hospital staff is trying to gain the confidence of the local farmers and merchants.
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The New Healers
![Pericles on 31st Street](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1t5VmEvVRxr899QfOU8YwfM27mj.jpg)
1962
![Pericles on 31st Street](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1t5VmEvVRxr899QfOU8YwfM27mj.jpg)
Pericles on 31st Street
0/0
Racial tensions break out on 31st Street, a multi-ethnic community. Sam Peckinpah directed this original adaptation of the Harry Mark Petrakis novel f...
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Pericles on 31st Street
![Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lirxZ9ObfLj7R2AXkmPpcpZ9ol6.jpg)
1967
![Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lirxZ9ObfLj7R2AXkmPpcpZ9ol6.jpg)
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
0/0
Peter Schermann is angry at the world after his children move him into a nursing home. Still physically and mentally strong, he searches for a meaning...
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