Joe Higgins (actor)

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Joe Higgins
Born
Joseph H. Higgins[1]

(1925-07-12)July 12, 1925
Logansport, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJune 15, 1998(1998-06-15) (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Dayton
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
OccupationCommercial, film and television actor
Years active1930s–1987
Spouse(s)Jackie Higgins[2]
Children3[2]

Joseph H. Higgins (July 12, 1925 – June 15, 1998) was an American commercial, film and television actor.[3] He was known for playing the role of "Jake Shakespeare" in the American legal drama television series Arrest and Trial, with also being known for playing the recurring role of "Nils Swenson" in The Rifleman.[2]

Life and career[]

Higgins was born in Logansport, Indiana.[2] At the age of nine, he began his acting career, in which he moved to Dayton, Ohio.[2] Higgins attended at the University of Dayton, while he acted on radio.[2][4] He also earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.[2] Higgins began his film and television career in 1960, where he played the recurring role of blacksmith "Nils Swenson" in the western television series The Rifleman.[4]

Later in his career, Higgins guest-starred in television programs, Gunsmoke, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Bonanza, That Girl, Petticoat Junction, The Monkees, The Big Valley, Green Acres, Hill Street Blues, The Fall Guy, Death Valley Days, The Detectives, I Dream of Jeannie and The Twilight Zone.[4] He also co-starred and appeared in films, such as, Flipper (and its sequel Flipper's New Adventure), The Perils of Pauline, Sixpack Annie, Namu, the Killer Whale and Record City.[4] He co-starred in the legal drama television series Arrest and Trial,[4] where he played the role of "Jake Shakespeare", in which Higgins also co-starred in Sigmund and the Sea Monster, where he played the role of the local sheriff "Chuck Bevans".[5]

In 1969, Higgins appeared on commercials, where he played the role as a "Safety Sheriff", in which he appeared on Automobile commercials, til' 1975.[2] He won an Clio Award, in the 1970s.[2] Higgins was chosen to play the sheriff on the NBC television pilot of Cat Ballou.[6] He mainly played as sheriffs on commercials,[4] being perhaps best known for playing "Sheriff J.W." on Dodge commercials.[7] Higgins got the job to be the "spokesman" for the General Electric Company, being the spokesman from 1976 to 1982.[2] He was later asked by Chief of the Kansas City Police Department and second director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Clarence M. Kelley, to join the "task force team", in 1979.[2]

Death[]

Higgins died in June 1998 of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 72.[2][4]

References[]

  1. ^ Hischak, Thomas (October 6, 2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 99. ISBN 9780786486946 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Joseph H. Higgins". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. June 24, 1998. p. 22. Retrieved December 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. ^ Davy, Jimmy (October 5, 1977). "Higgins, Prophet Join Pro-Celebrity Roster". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 28. Retrieved December 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lentz, Harris (July 1999). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1998. McFarland. pp. 104–105. ISBN 9780786407484 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Erickson, Hal (March 13, 2015). Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993. McFarland. p. 93. ISBN 9781476607849 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ McDonnell, John (December 15, 1969). "Joe Higgins, Actor, Select Circle". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 94. Retrieved December 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. closed access
  7. ^ Lltz, Ralph (July 11, 1979). "BH Firm Plays Host To Sheriff". The Herald-Palladium. Saint Joseph, Michigan. p. 8. Retrieved December 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. closed access

External links[]

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