Larry Gates

Lawrence Wheaton Gates was born on September 24, 1915, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and went on to become a versatile American actor whose career spanned film, television, and Broadway from 1940 to 1978. While studying chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota, Gates discovered a passion for acting through student productions, eventually shifting his academic focus to a speech major. Early professional experience came at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, before he established himself on the New York stage.

Gates accumulated an extensive list of Broadway credits over nearly four decades. His appearances included The Taming of the Shrew in 1950, The Teahouse of the August Moon in 1953, The Carefree Tree in 1955, Bell, Book and Candle in 1956, The Love of Four Colonels, and The Highest Tree in 1959. He played Polonius opposite Sam Waterston in a New York revival of Hamlet. In 1976, Gates starred in Poor Murderer, a play centered on an actor who questions whether he actually killed the performer playing Polonius or merely dreamed it. His role in A Case of Libel in 1964 earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He returned to Broadway with First Monday in October in 1978.

Gates appeared in a substantial number of films across several decades. His screen credits included Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), in which he played Doc Baugh, Some Came Running (1958), The Sand Pebbles (1966), and Airport (1970), among many others. He is perhaps most widely recognized for his appearance in In the Heat of the Night (1967), where his character Eric Endicott participates in a scene in which he slaps Sidney Poitier's character and receives a slap in return. Additional film work included Hour of the Gun (1967), Death of a Gunfighter (1969), Lucky Luciano (1973), and Funny Lady (1975).

On television, Gates was a frequent presence on anthology drama series including The Philco Television Playhouse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Kraft Television Theatre, Studio One, and Playhouse 90. He made guest appearances across a wide range of primetime series such as Bonanza, The Defenders, Route 66, Rawhide, and Twelve O'Clock High. He portrayed Secretary of State Dean Rusk in the 1974 teleplay The Missiles of October and President Herbert Hoover in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House. Beginning in 1977 and 1978, Gates appeared on the daytime serial Guiding Light as District Attorney Eric Van Gelder, and from 1983 until his death he played H.B. Lewis on the same program. His performance in that role earned him the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1985.

Gates married Tania Wilkof on August 2, 1959, in Huntington, Connecticut. At the time of his death he was married to Judith Gates. He died on December 12, 1996, in a hospital in Sharon, Connecticut, at the age of 81.