Richard Denning

Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998)^[2] was an American actor best known for starring in science fiction films of the 1950s, including Unknown Island (1948), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Target Earth (1954), Day the World Ended (1955), Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), and The Black Scorpion (1957). Denning also appeared in the film An Affair to Remember (1957) with Cary Grant and on radio with Lucille Ball, as George and Liz Cooper, in My Favorite Husband (1948–1951), the forerunner of television's I Love Lucy.

Biography

With Pat Crowley

Denning was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger, Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. He became an actor, best known for his recurring starring roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. In later life, he had a recurring role as the fictitious governor of Hawaii, Paul Jameson, in the CBS television crime drama series, Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980), starring Jack Lord. He also starred as the title character in the detective series Michael Shayne (1960–1961) and shared title billing with Barbara Britton in the detective series Mr. and Mrs. North (1952–1954). He was later cast as Dr. Greg Graham in the 1959 series, The Flying Doctor.

He appeared three times on the ABC religion anthology series Crossroads, as Dr. Ira Langston in "Chinese Checkers" (1955) and as the Reverend George Bolton in "The Bowery Bishop" and as the Reverend Lloyd E. Williams in "The Pure White Orchid" (both 1956).^[3]

Denning's wife Evelyn Ankers

According to Denning, his military service during World War II in the United States Navy effectively disrupted his acting career, and after his discharge from military service it would be another year and a half before Paramount Pictures offered Denning any more acting work. During that time period, Denning and his family lived in a mobile home that he alternately parked at Malibu and Palm Springs. His period of unemployment ended when he was hired to star on the radio opposite Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband.^[4] Denning later appeared in several 'B' crime drama films before starring in a number of science fiction and horror films. In 1957, he began the first of what would become a steady series of television appearances, usually as a supporting character, though he did star briefly in two television dramas, The Flying Doctor (1959), and Michael Shayne (1960–61).

In 1968, Denning completed his last film, a comedy titled "I Sailed to Tahiti with an All-Girl Crew." Semi-retired and living on the island of Maui with his wife, Denning was contacted by producer Leonard Freeman, who offered him the supporting role as the governor of Hawaii in the TV detective series, "Hawaii Five-O." In order to persuade Denning to sign on in the recurring role, Freeman guaranteed Denning five-hour days and a four-day work week.^[5]

Personal life

Denning was married to 1940s horror film queen Evelyn Ankers (co-star of The Wolf Man, Ghost of Frankenstein and Son of Dracula), who retired from films at the age of thirty-two after they were married. After Ankers' death from cancer in 1985, Denning remarried, to Patricia Leffingwell. Denning and Ankers are buried at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao, Hawaii.^[2]

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Denning.

• Richard Denning at the Internet Movie Database
• Richard Denning at Find a Grave