Clinton Sundberg

Clinton Charles Sundberg (December 7, 1903 – December 14, 1987) was an American character actor whose career spanned stage, film, and television across several decades. Born in Appleton, Minnesota, he attended Hamline University in St. Paul, where he was active in drama, served as president of his fraternity, and captained the tennis team. Before turning to acting professionally, Sundberg taught English literature. He eventually left teaching to pursue a stage career, gaining early experience in stock theater productions throughout New England.

Sundberg made his Broadway debut in Nine Pine Street in 1933, beginning a stage career that would extend through 1961. Among his Broadway credits were The Rugged Path, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Man in the Dog Suit, Midgie Purvis, and Mary, Mary. His most prominent Broadway role came in the original 1957 production of The Diary of Anne Frank, in which he played Mr. Kraler. He also served as a replacement in the role of Mortimer Brewster in the 1944 production of Arsenic and Old Lace.

Sundberg became a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he took on numerous supporting roles in films of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He appeared alongside Judy Garland in Easter Parade, playing Mike, a bartender who listens to her character's troubles. In the 1949 film In the Good Old Summertime, which starred Garland and Van Johnson, he played a friendly co-worker and confidant of Johnson's character. He also appeared in Annie Get Your Gun, portraying the hotel owner who arranges for Annie Oakley to enter a shooting contest against Frank Butler.

His television work included a 1957 appearance in the Have Gun – Will Travel episode "The Englishman" and a 1962 guest-starring role in the Lawman episode "The Man Behind the News," in which he played Luther Boardman, a naive newspaper publisher visiting Laramie, Wyoming. He also appeared in two episodes of Perry Mason: "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito" in 1963 and "The Case of the Scarlet Scandal" in 1966, in addition to several television commercials.