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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 23, 1908
Died
October 8, 1978
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As
- Peter Wayne
Karl Swenson
1.0 Popularity
Biography
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) and as the voice of Merlin in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963). On television, he had numerous credits in guest roles on various shows, especially Westerns, including episodes of Bonanza, The Virginian, and Gunsmoke. He had a major recurring role as Walnut Grove founder Lars Hanson on Little House on the Prairie (1974 - 1978). Swenson also had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Seconds (1966), Hour of the Gun (1967), ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972). Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, he originally planned to be a doctor and studied at Marietta College before pursuing acting. Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s. He entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter. Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins. He died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. He was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut.
Known For
8.3
(voice) (archive footage)
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
1995
🎬
8.3
Merlin (archive footage) (voice)
Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
1990
5.9
Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
Disney's Halloween Treat
1982
6.2
The Amazing Spider-Man
1978
0.0
Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
Disney's Greatest Villains
1977
7.9
Lars Hanson
Little House on the Prairie
1974
5.9
Adams
The Gun and the Pulpit
1974
7.6
Happy Days
1974
0.0
Doc Elliot
1973
6.9
Rukeyser
Ulzana's Raid
1972
Credits
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
as (voice) (archive footage)
1995
8.3
🎬
Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
as Merlin (archive footage) (voice)
1990
8.3
Disney's Halloween Treat
as Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
1982
5.9
The Amazing Spider-Man
1978
6.2
Disney's Greatest Villains
as Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
1977
0.0
Little House on the Prairie
as Lars Hanson
1974
7.9
The Gun and the Pulpit
as Adams
1974
5.9
Happy Days
1974
7.6
Doc Elliot
1973
0.0
Ulzana's Raid
as Rukeyser
1972
6.9
Ghost Story
as Ed Barnes
1972
7.1
The New Healers
as Mr. Fisherman
1972
0.0
Emergency!
as Gus
1972
7.8
A Howling in the Woods
as Apperson
1971
4.9
Cannon
1971
6.6
Vanishing Point
as Clerk
1971
7.1
The Wild Country
as Jensen
1970
6.0
The Odd Couple
as Captain Potter
1970
7.8
The Immortal
1970
7.4
The Young Rebels
1970
4.5
… tick… tick… tick…
as Frank Braddock Sr.
1970
6.5
The Mod Squad
1968
6.2
The Outcasts
1968
5.3
Hawaii Five-O
as Abel Morgan
1968
7.1
Hour of the Gun
as Dr. Charles Goodfellow
1967
6.5
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
as Dr. Keller
1967
0.0
The Guns of Will Sonnett
1967
6.2
Judd for the Defense
1967
7.5
Cimarron Strip
1967
5.5
Cimarron Strip
as Dr. Kihlgren
1967
5.5
Ironside
as Vet
1967
6.8
🎬
CBS Playhouse
1966
7.0
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
as Theodore Roosevelt
1966
5.5
Seconds
as Dr. Morris
1966
7.3
Mission: Impossible
as Colonel Dubov
1966
7.6
Mission: Impossible
as Dr. Ziegler
1966
7.6
The Rat Patrol
as Colonel Seidner
1966
7.2
Tarzan
1966
6.7
The Cincinnati Kid
as Mr. Rudd
1965
7.0
Hogan's Heroes
as Dr. Karl Svenson
1965
7.5
The Big Valley
as Bert Hadley
1965
6.1
The Big Valley
as Aaron Moyers
1965
6.1
The Big Valley
as Steve Minter
1965
6.1
The Sons of Katie Elder
as Doc Isdell
1965
7.0
Major Dundee
as Captain Waller
1965
6.6
🎬
Profiles in Courage
as Chynoweth
1964
5.0
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
as Col. Harper
1964
7.0
The Prize
as Hilding
1963
6.7
The Sword in the Stone
as Merlin (voice)
1963
7.2
The Man from Galveston
as Sheriff
1963
5.2
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
as Coley Bishop
1963
5.3
Mr. Novak
as Mr. Haskell
1963
6.5
The Bill Dana Show
1963
6.0
The Fugitive
as Axel Nielsen - Service station owner
1963
7.2
The Fugitive
as Morgan
1963
7.2
🎬
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
5.0
The Lieutenant
1963
6.0
The Birds
as Drunken Doomsayer in Diner
1963
7.5
The Dakotas
1963
5.7
How the West Was Won
as Train Conductor (uncredited)
1962
7.0
General Electric True
1962
0.0
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
as George Sherston
1962
7.8
The Virginian
as Col. Theodore Roosevelt
1962
6.4
The Virginian
as Karl Swenson
1962
6.4
The Virginian
as Ben Wallace
1962
6.4
Sam Benedict
1962
6.0
Sam Benedict
as Barney Rosvalley
1962
6.0
Sam Benedict
as Barney Rossvalley
1962
6.0
The Spiral Road
as Insp. Bevers
1962
5.2
Lonely are the Brave
as Rev. Hoskins
1962
7.4
Walk on the Wild Side
as Schmidt
1962
6.5
Judgment at Nuremberg
as Heinrich Geuter
1961
8.0
Ben Casey
1961
5.6
Dr. Kildare
as Judge
1961
5.5
Flaming Star
as Dred Pierce
1960
6.5
North to Alaska
as Lars Nordqvist
1960
6.5
Klondike
as Judge Frank Weinstock
1960
6.2
Surfside 6
1960
5.0
The Andy Griffith Show
as Mr. McBeevee
1960
7.6
The Westerner
as Ben Potts
1960
6.8
Outlaws
1960
6.2
One Foot in Hell
as Sheriff Ole Olson
1960
5.1
The Gallant Hours
as Bill Bailey
1960
6.7
Hong Kong
as John Olwine
1960
0.0
Ice Palace
as Scotty Ballantyne
1960
5.8
Mr. Lucky
1959
6.4
Hawaiian Eye
1959
5.2
The Rebel
as Lew Bussey
1959
4.7
Johnny Ringo
as Kramer
1959
5.7
Lock-Up
1959
6.2
Riverboat
as Ansel Torgin
1959
6.2
Bonanza
as Carl Harris
1959
7.5
Tightrope
1959
5.5
The Sunrise Gun
as Lud Greening
1959
0.0
The Hanging Tree
as Tom Flaunce
1959
6.7
No Name on the Bullet
as Stricker
1959
6.6
Black Saddle
as Dr. Wyle
1959
6.0
Rawhide
1959
7.2
Gateways to the Mind
as Hal - the Cameraman (uncredited)
1958
0.0
77 Sunset Strip
1958
6.7
Bat Masterson
as Jim Pate
1958
6.1
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
5.8
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
as Van Kemp
1958
5.8
The Rifleman
as Chris Manse
1958
7.1
The Texan
1958
5.5
Bronco
1958
5.9
Kings Go Forth
as The Colonel
1958
6.0
Leave It to Beaver
as George Haskell
1957
6.9
Trackdown
1957
6.4
🎬
The Court of Last Resort
1957
0.0
The Walter Winchell File
1957
5.0
Maverick
1957
6.9
Maverick
as Captain Nares
1957
6.9
Maverick
as Sheriff Griffin
1957
6.9
Perry Mason
as Axel Norstaad
1957
7.7
Perry Mason
as Corley Ketchum
1957
7.7
Perry Mason
as Charles Norman
1957
7.7
Perry Mason
as Unk Hazekian
1957
7.7
Sugarfoot
as Andy Burke
1957
4.8
Sugarfoot
as Bill Manning
1957
4.8
Sugarfoot
as Alexi Sharlokov
1957
4.8
Sugarfoot
as Dennis O'Hara
1957
4.8
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
7.3
Four Boys and a Gun
as Mr. Badek
1957
6.3
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Lee Willis
1956
6.0
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Lud Greening
1956
6.0
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Will Harmon
1956
6.0
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
as Andre Rochambeau
1956
5.0
Alice in Wonderland
as Humpty Dumpty
1955
4.5
🎬
Playwrights '56
1955
6.0
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as Ed Holland
1955
7.8
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as John
1955
7.8
Gunsmoke
as Hank Luz
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Raff
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Hutch
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Adam
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Tabe
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Ian McGovern
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Lars Karlgren
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as McGruder
1955
6.6
Gunsmoke
as Mr. Hubert
1955
6.6
The Wonderful World of Disney
as Laredo Marshal (uncredited)
1954
7.8
Lassie
1954
6.1
🎬
Portia Faces Life
1954
1.0
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Humpty Dumpty
1951
8.6
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Asmussen
1951
7.2
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
5.6
December 7th
as Machine-Gunner (uncredited)
1943
5.8
Strangers All
as Protester at Communist Meeting
1935
5.5