Biography: Dabbs Greer was a very familiar face in films and especially on TV. He was a sort of "everyman" in his roles and played merchants, preachers, businessmen, and other "pillars of the community" types as well as assorted villains. With his plain looking face, wavy hair and mellow, distinctive voice he was a solid supporting actor. He was born on April 2, 1917 in Fairview, Missouri but reared in Ander ... show all Dabbs Greer was a very familiar face in films and especially on TV. He was a sort of "everyman" in his roles and played merchants, preachers, businessmen, and other "pillars of the community" types as well as assorted villains. With his plain looking face, wavy hair and mellow, distinctive voice he was a solid supporting actor. He was born on April 2, 1917 in Fairview, Missouri but reared in Anderson, Missouri. He was the only child of a pharmacist father and a speech therapist mother. His first acting experience was on stage in a children's theatre production when he was 8 years old. He attended Drury College in Springfield, Mo. where he earned a BA and headed the drama department and Little Theatre in Mountain Grove, Missouri from 1940-43. He then moved on to the famed Pasadena Playhouse in California as actor, instructor and administrator from 1943-50. He made his film debut in "Reign of Terror (1949)" (aka "The Black Book") in an uncredited bit part and went onto appear in many parts during the next fifty years, full details can be found in his filmography. He is probably best remembered for his role as Reverend Alden on "Little House on the Prairie" (1974)" but he was also a regular on the TV series "Gunsmoke" (1955)" as merchant, Mr. Jones; "Hank" (1965)" as Coach Ossie Weiss and "Picket Fences" (1992)" as Rev. Henry Novotny. He also appeared in made for TV movies and guest-starred on such series as: "Adventures of Superman" (1952)"; "Rifleman, The" (1958)"; "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958)"; "Trackdown" (1957)"; "Perry Mason" (1957)"; "Bonanza" (1959)"; "Fugitive, The" (1963)" and "The Brady Bunch" (1969)". hide |
