Actor, Author. Leo Gordon was an award-winning American character actor, often having the role of the tough, bad guy. At 6'2" tall, he had the scariest, fierce stare. He appeared in more than 170 film and television productions. He was also a screenwriter. Born Leo Vincent Gordon, he lived a childhood in poverty, leaving formal education in the eighth grade. During World War II, he enlisted in 1941 as a private as he was penniless, serving two years before being discharged. From the arresting police officer, he received a gunshot wound to the abdomen while he was committing an armed robbery in a bar. After being convicted of armed robbery, he served five years starting in May of 1944 in San Quentin State Prison, where he read every book in the place, self-educating himself. Upon being released, he entered the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, using his GI Bill benefits. While at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he met a fellow student, Lynn Cartwright. The couple married in 1950 and stayed married until his death. They had a daughter. For his role of a convict in the two-episode "The Madman," airing in the second season of the television drama "The Defenders," he was awarded an Emmy for "Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" in 1964. His final role was playing Wyatt Earp in a 1994 episode of the television series "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." Using the name "Leo V. Gordon", he was a screenwriter and authored several novels. Between the television series "Bonanza," "Cheyenne and "Maverick," he wrote nearly 50 episodes. In 1969 he published "All the Loving Couples." In 1991 he co-authored with Brigham Young University history professor Richard Vetterli the novel "Powderkeg," which was set in the Utah Territory and then to the halls of Congress and the office of United States President James Buchanan. The screen rights were purchased by Warner Brother Studios. He authored the novel "Cut to the Chase," which was published posthumously in 2006.
Actor, Author. Leo Gordon was an award-winning American character actor, often having the role of the tough, bad guy. At 6'2" tall, he had the scariest, fierce stare. He appeared in more than 170 film and television productions. He was also a screenwriter. Born Leo Vincent Gordon, he lived a childhood in poverty, leaving formal education in the eighth grade. During World War II, he enlisted in 1941 as a private as he was penniless, serving two years before being discharged. From the arresting police officer, he received a gunshot wound to the abdomen while he was committing an armed robbery in a bar. After being convicted of armed robbery, he served five years starting in May of 1944 in San Quentin State Prison, where he read every book in the place, self-educating himself. Upon being released, he entered the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, using his GI Bill benefits. While at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he met a fellow student, Lynn Cartwright. The couple married in 1950 and stayed married until his death. They had a daughter. For his role of a convict in the two-episode "The Madman," airing in the second season of the television drama "The Defenders," he was awarded an Emmy for "Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" in 1964. His final role was playing Wyatt Earp in a 1994 episode of the television series "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." Using the name "Leo V. Gordon", he was a screenwriter and authored several novels. Between the television series "Bonanza," "Cheyenne and "Maverick," he wrote nearly 50 episodes. In 1969 he published "All the Loving Couples." In 1991 he co-authored with Brigham Young University history professor Richard Vetterli the novel "Powderkeg," which was set in the Utah Territory and then to the halls of Congress and the office of United States President James Buchanan. The screen rights were purchased by Warner Brother Studios. He authored the novel "Cut to the Chase," which was published posthumously in 2006.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Family Members
Advertisement
