
William Conrad
Biography
William Conrad (September 27, 1920 - February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director. He was born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a theatre-owner who moved to southern California, where he excelled at drama and literature while at school. Starting work in radio in the late 1930s in California, Conrad went on to serve as a fighter pilot in World War II. He entered the army in 1942, and was commissioned at Luke Field, Arizona in 1943 (now Luke Air Force Base). On the day of his commission he married June Nelson. He returned to the airwaves after the war, going on to accumulate over 7,000 roles in radio by his own estimate.
Among Conrad's various film roles, where he was usually cast as threatening figures, perhaps his most notable role was his first credited one, as one of the gunmen sent to eliminate Burt Lancaster in the 1946 film The Killers. He also appeared in Body and Soul (1947), Sorry, Wrong Number, Joan of Arc (both 1948), and The Naked Jungle (1954).
As a producer for Warner Brothers, he made a string of feature films, including An American Dream (1966, retitled See You in Hell, Darling for British release), A Covenant With Death (1966), First to Fight (1967) and The Cool Ones (1967), and also directed My Blood Runs Cold, Brainstorm and Two on a Guillotine (all 1965).
Acting (67 movies)

The Return of the King
1980

Sorry, Wrong Number
1948

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982

Cry Danger
1951

The Racket
1951

Tension
1949

Cry of the Hunted
1953

-30-
1959

One Way Street
1950

Dial 1119
1950

The Killers
1946

Johnny Concho
1956

The Naked Jungle
1954

The Sword of Monte Cristo
1951

5 Against the House
1955

Four Faces West
1948

Body and Soul
1947

The Mikado
1983

Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan
1975

Arch of Triumph
1948

Any Number Can Play
1949

East Side, West Side
1949

Moonshine County Express
1977

The Force of Evil
1977

The Ride Back
1957

Keefer
1978

The Milkman
1950

Night Cries
1978

The Return of Frank Cannon
1980

Killing Cars
1986

The Desert Song
1953

The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill
1971

The City
1977

Hamburgers
1974

Catastrophe
1977

The Murder That Wouldn't Die
1980

Cannon
1971

Lone Star
1952

Shock-Trauma
1982

Chisum
1970

The Conqueror
1956

In Like Flynn
1985

Brainstorm
1965

To the Victor
1948

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979

Zero Hour!
1957

Eggs Benedict
1965

Pillow to Post
1945

The Making of Star Wars
1977

Side Show
1981

Hudson Hawk
1991

Chamber of Horrors
1966

The Brotherhood of the Bell
1970

The Box
2009

Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo
1986

Joan of Arc
1948

O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
1971

Turnover Smith
1980

The Naked Sea
1955

Battle of the Bulge
1965

Countdown
1967

The Macahans
1976

The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One
1974

Two on a Guillotine
1965

Design for Disaster
1962

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
2024

Battle of the Bulge
1965
Directing (5 movies)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Ride Back | 1957 | Producer |
| Two on a Guillotine | 1965 | Producer |
| My Blood Runs Cold | 1965 | Producer |
| Brainstorm | 1965 | Producer |
| An American Dream | 1966 | Producer |
| First to Fight | 1967 | Executive Producer |
| The Cool Ones | 1967 | Executive Producer |
| Countdown | 1967 | Executive Producer |
| Chubasco | 1968 | Producer |
| Assignment to Kill | 1968 | Executive Producer |
| The Learning Tree | 1969 | Executive Producer |
| Turnover Smith | 1980 | Executive Producer |

