Dean Harens

Dean Arthur Harens (June 30, 1920 – May 20, 1996) was an American actor born in South Bend, Indiana, whose career spanned film, stage, and television over four decades. He came to the attention of actress Alison Skipworth while performing in Michigan, and she became his mentor, helping to shape his early professional path. Before reaching Broadway, Harens built his foundational experience in summer stock.

Harens made his Broadway debut in 1941 with The Talley Method, launching a stage career that continued through 1953. His other Broadway credits included the dramas Men in Shadow and Those Endearing Young Charms, as well as Be Your Age and A Girl Can Tell. It was during his Broadway years that he met actress June Dayton, whom he married after the two crossed paths on the New York stage in 1947.

His film work began in 1944, when he appeared in Christmas Holiday at the age of 24. Over the course of his career he accumulated seven film appearances, though none placed him in a starring role. Television became a significant part of his professional life, and he served as a cast member on three separate series. Among his recurring television work was a role on the ABC drama The F.B.I. He made four guest appearances on Perry Mason, portraying murderer Frank Fettridge in the 1959 episode "The Case of the Calendar Girl," appearing as the brother-in-law of a victim in the 1959 episode "The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma," and playing double murderer Riley Morgan in the 1960 episode "The Case of the Wandering Widow." Harens also appeared twice on the western series Bonanza, playing Jim Poole in the 1965 episode "Jonah" and rancher Morgan Tanner in the 1966 episode "Credit for a Kill."

June Dayton died in 1994 at the age of 70. Harens died two years later on May 20, 1996, in Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, at the age of 75. He was interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in San Fernando, California.