Bill Erwin

William Lindsey Erwin (December 2, 1914 – December 29, 2010) was an American film, television and stage actor and cartoonist with over 250 television and film credits. A veteran character actor, he is widely known for his 1993 Emmy Award-nominated performance on Seinfeld, portraying the embittered, irascible retiree Sid Fields. He also made notable appearances on shows such as I Love Lucy and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In cinema, his most recognized role is that of Arthur, a kindly bellhop at the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel, in Somewhere in Time (1980).[1]

Not to be confused with Bill Irwin.

Bill Erwin
Born	William Lindsey Erwin (1914-12-02)December 2, 1914 Honey Grove, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 29, 2010(2010-12-29) (aged 96) Studio City, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, cartoonist
Years active	1941–2010
Spouse(s)	Fran MacLachlan ​ ( m. 1948; died 1995)
Children	4
Signature

Erwin was a self-taught cartoonist, published in The New Yorker, Playboy, and Los Angeles. He won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award,[1] four Drama-Logue Awards, Gilmore Brown Award for Career Achievement, Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters' Diamond Circle Award, and Distinguished Alumnus Award from Angelo State University.

Early life

Erwin was born in Honey Grove, Texas,[2] to Lee Eugene and Ida Mae (née Lindsey) Erwin. He had a sister named Mary Gene Cosper.[3] He attended San Angelo College before earning his bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Texas, graduating in 1935.[1] He completed a masters of theater arts at California's Pasadena Playhouse in 1941. After serving as a Captain in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II, Erwin returned to Hollywood to resume his acting career.[4] His first film role was in the 1942 film You're in the Army Now.

Career

Stage

Erwin acted in productions at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Laguna Beach Playhouse, the La Jolla Playhouse, and other venues in the Los Angeles area.[1]

Film

In the late 1950s, Erwin was in such films as Man from Del Rio (1956) and The Night Runner (1957), before playing Jack Nicholson's father in The Cry Baby Killer, Nicholson's first starring role in 1958. The long out-of-print film was released on DVD on November 22, 2006. He had credited small roles in films such as The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970), How Awful About Allan (1970), Candy Stripe Nurses (1974) and Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977), before he co-starred alongside Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in the 1980 romantic fantasy Somewhere in Time as Arthur Biehl, the Grand Hotel's venerable bellman, and attended annual reunions of cast, crew, and fans of the film at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Erwin also appeared in numerous films by John Hughes, with cameos in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988), Home Alone (1990), and Dennis the Menace (1993). Hughes often paired him with Billie Bird playing his wife. His later film career included roles in Invitation to Hell (1984), Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994), Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), Menno's Mind (1997), Chairman of the Board (1998), Forces of Nature (1999), Inferno (1999) and A Crack in the Floor (2001).

Television

His television credits were far more numerous in the 1950s, having appeared in such television series as I Love Lucy, Crusader, Trackdown, Colgate Theatre, Perry Mason and The Rifleman. In the 1960s, Erwin appeared in television series such as: The Andy Griffith Show, Mister Ed, Maverick, The Twilight Zone, 87th Precinct, My Three Sons, The Fugitive, Leave It to Beaver and Mannix.

In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in Barnaby Jones, Cannon, Gunsmoke, Married With Children, E/R, Highway to Heaven, Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, Full House, The Golden Girls, Moonlighting, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and The Drew Carey Show.

In the Seinfeld episode ("The Old Man"), for which Erwin received an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series,[5] he played Sid Fields, who participates in the Foster-A-Grandpa Program, which pairs him with Jerry Seinfeld. Erwin's crotchety, aggressive, foul-mouthed character ensures that the relationship is doomed from the beginning. Erwin later reunited with Michael Richards when he guest-starred on the short-lived The Michael Richards Show. In the 2000s, Erwin appeared on Monk, The West Wing, The King of Queens, Everwood and My Name Is Earl.

Other media

After Erwin began his theatrical career with the Laguna Beach and La Jolla playhouses in 1940, he worked as ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's stage manager for Bergen's 1941 tour of the country.[4] Erwin dryly recalled, "I was in charge of the dummies."

Personal life

Erwin was married to actress and journalist Fran MacLachlan Erwin from 1948 to her death in 1995. They lived in the Hollywood Hills and had two sons, Michael and Timothy, and two daughters, Lindsey and Kelly.

Death

Erwin died from natural causes at his home in Studio City, California on December 29, 2010. He lived near the production lot where Seinfeld was filmed.[3]

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1941	Always Tomorrow: The Portrait of an American Business	Sam Tompkins	Uncredited
1941	You're in the Army Now	Soldier	Uncredited
1948	The Velvet Touch	Howard Forman
1949	Easy Living	Minor Role	Uncredited
1949	Battleground	Warrant Officer	Uncredited
1951	Double Dynamite	Minor Role	Uncredited
1952	Holiday for Sinners	Usher	Uncredited
1956	Man from Del Rio	Roy Higgens	Uncredited
1957	The Night Runner	McDermott
1957	The Shadow on the Window	Policeman	Uncredited
1957	House of Numbers	Bank Teller	Uncredited
1957	Jet Pilot	Sergeant	Uncredited
1957	Witness for the Prosecution	Juror	Uncredited
1958	Gun Fever	Bartender
1958	The Cry Baby Killer	Mr. Wallace
1958	The Buccaneer	Civilian	Uncredited
1962	Rome Adventure	Elderly Guest	Uncredited
1962	Terror at Black Falls	Hugh 'Squint' Edwards
1963	Under the Yum Yum Tree	Teacher	Uncredited
1964	The Brass Bottle	Middle-Aged Man	Uncredited
1968	Counterpoint	Trumpet player	Uncredited
1970	The Christine Jorgensen Story	Pastor
1974	Candy Stripe Nurses	Principal
1977	Sixth and Main
1980	Somewhere in Time	Arthur Biehl
1981	Dream On!
1983	Ghost Dancing	Joe Greyfeather	TV movie
1984	Invitation to Hell	Walt Henderson	TV movie
1984	The Bear	Alabama Alumni
1986	Stewardess School	Orchestra Conductor
1987	Planes, Trains and Automobiles	Man on Plane
1988	She's Having a Baby	Grandfather
1988	Silent Assassins	Dr. London
1988	The Land Before Time	Grandfather	Voice
1988	A Place to Hide
1990	Home Alone	Ed (Man in Airport)
1990	The Willies	Old Man
1990	The Color of Evening	Priest
1991	Night of the Warrior	Coco
1991	The Entertainers	Sam
1992	Unbecoming Age	Old Man
1993	Dennis the Menace	Edward Little
1994	Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult	Conductor
1995	Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead	70-Year-Old Man
1997	Menno's Mind	Mr. Lewis
1998	Chairman of the Board	Landers
1998	Art House	Monty
1999	Forces of Nature	Murray
1999	Inferno	Eli Hamilton
2000	Stanley's Gig	Jules
2000	Down 'n Dirty	Janitor
2001	Cahoots	Frenchy
2001	A Crack in the Floor	Harold

References

1. "Character actor got Emmy Nod". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. January 1, 2011. p. 21. Retrieved July 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
3. ""Seinfeld" actor Bill Erwin dies at 96". Reuters, via Yahoo.com, January 3, 2011.
4. Lentz, Harris M., III (2011). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. p. 123. ISBN 9780786486496. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
5. "("Bill Erwin" search results)". Emmy Awards. Television Academy. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.

External links

• Bill Erwin on IMDb