Tom Pittman (actor) explained

Tom Pittman
Birth Name:Jerry Lee Alten
Birth Date:16 March 1932
Birth Place:Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Death Place:Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Othername:Geoff Parish
Thomas Pittman
Occupation:Actor
Yearsactive:1956-1958

Tom Pittman (March 16, 1932 – October 31, 1958) was an American film and television actor. After his death at the age of 26, the Los Angeles Times called him "one of Hollywood's most promising young actors."

Career

Pittman was born Jerry Lee Alten in Phoenix, Arizona. His father was television and radio actor Frank Alten. Pittman began his career in acting in 1956 with a guest starring role on Science Fiction Theatre. He made his film debut that same year in D-Day the Sixth of June. Pittman went on to roles in numerous television Westerns including Gunsmoke (playing “Jimmy McQueen” a young affable yet smart herder who seeks revenge on a career horse-thief in the 1956 S1E32 entitled “Dutch George” and in 1957 as “Budge Grilk”, a psychotic step-son in S3E5’s “Potato Road”), Cheyenne, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Restless Gun, and Cimarron City.[1] He also appeared in the 1957 drama The Young Stranger (1957) and the musical comedy Bernardine (1957). His final two roles were in the films Verboten! and High School Big Shot, both released in 1959, the year following his death.[2]

Death

On October 31, 1958, Pittman was driving home after a Halloween party when he ran his Porsche Spyder off the road at a sharp curve in the Hollywood Hills. After he failed to return home, his father filed a missing persons report. On November 19, Los Angeles police officer Roy Kerton[3] retraced the roads Pittman's father said his son liked to drive and found the wreckage of Pittman's Porsche at the bottom of a 150-foot ravine. Pittman died after crashing through the guard rail, his car landing at the bottom of the ravine where it remained out of sight.[4]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1956D-Day the Sixth of JuneAir Force Officer Uncredited
1956Between Heaven and HellReplacement Uncredited
1957The Young StrangerLynn Spears
1957The True Story of Jesse JamesHughieUncredited
1957The Way to the GoldSid Songster, Jr.
1957BernardineGeorge Olsen Uncredited
1957No Time to Be YoungStu Bradley
1957Black PatchFlytrap (Carl)
1958The Proud RebelTom Burleigh Credited as Thomas Pittman
1958Apache TerritoryLonnie Foreman Credited as Thomas Pittman
1959Verboten!Bruno Eckart Released posthumously
1959High School Big ShotMarvin "Marv" Grant Shot in 1958. Released posthumously, (final film role)
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1956Science Fiction TheatreWillisEpisode: "Who Is This Man?"
1956Climax!Episode: "Sit Down With Death"
1956Highway PatrolCarjack VictimEpisode: "Taxi"
1956 GunsmokeJimmy McQueenEpisode: "Dutch George"
1956CheyenneBushrodEpisode: "The Long Winter"
1956West PointEpisode: "The Mystery of Cadet Layton"
1956The Man Called XEpisode: "Underground"
1956The Ford Television TheatreEpisode: "The Women Who Dared"
1957Navy LogLieutenant Cal RadinEpisode: "Operation Golden Rule"
1957SuspicionJoeEpisode: "Four O'Clock"
1957Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreJohn HarrisEpisode: "The Deserters"
1957TrackdownTom SladenEpisode: "The Marple Brothers"
1957The Restless GunLex HarcourtEpisode: "Revenge at Harness Creek"
1957 GunsmokeBudge GrilkEpisode: "Potato Road"
1957Wagon TrainTom "Tommy" Nichols Episode: "The Mary Halstead Story"
1957General Electric TheaterEpisode: "The Trail to Christmas"
1958Have Gun – Will Travel'Grady StewartEpisode: "The Reasonable Man"
Credited as Geoff Parish
1958Studio 572 episodes
1958The Walter Winchell FileWoody2 episodes
1958Telephone TimeWes SheekEpisode: "Trail Blazer"
1958TrackdownRed BoltonEpisode: "The Winter Boys"
1958Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside TheatreHankEpisode: "The Last Test"
1958M SquadBurt KennedyEpisode: "Day of Terror"
1958Tombstone TerritoryBilly ClantonEpisode: "Pick Up the Gun"
Credited as Thomas Pittman
1958The Restless GunJason LeafEpisode: "The Manhunters"
1958BuckskinDan PruittEpisode: "The Ballad of Gabe Pruitt"
1958Tales of Wells FargoBill DowdEpisode: "The Gambler"
1958M SquadAlvin JessopEpisode: "Dead or Alive"
1958Westinghouse Desilu PlayhouseHeroldEpisode: "The Case of Dr. Mudd"
1958Man with a CameraTerry KilleenEpisode: "Profile of a Killer"
1959ZorroRomualdo Episode: "The Runaways"
1959Cimarron CityJesse StainbackEpisode: "Child of Fear"

Notes and References

  1. News: Rising Actor Meets Fate of James Dean. November 20, 1958. Associated Press. August 9, 2010.
  2. News: Body of Actor Tom Pittman Found in Car. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103122718/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/445140992.html?dids=445140992:445140992&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+20,+1958&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Body+of+Actor+Tom+Pittman+Found+in+Car&pqatl=google. dead. November 3, 2012. November 20, 1958. Los Angeles Times. August 9, 2010.
  3. News: Roy Kerton Obituary. May 17, 2013. The Daily Republic. January 29, 2015.
  4. News: Tom Pittman, Like James Dean, Is Killed Driving His Race Car. November 20, 1958. The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA). 2. January 8, 2015.