'Twilight Zone' Actor Than Wyenn Dies At 95

Prolific character actor and entertainment industry veteran Than Wyenn died last Friday at the age of 95. Wyenn spent over 40 years working in film and television, and was known for his roles in such films as Imitation of Life (1959) and Splash (1984), starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. He also appeared in Dragnet, Zorro, Perry Mason, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Untouchables, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Barnaby Jones, Beginning of the End, Pete Kelly’s Blues, The Boy and the Pirates, Being There, and many others. Wyenn was also known for appearing in a memorable 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone as a time-traveling villain who gets what he deserves in the form of some Old West justice.

Pictured below with Lana Turner in Imitation of Life, Wyenn was a native New Yorker

who spent his teen years studying acting with notable teachers such as Lee Strasburg and Michael Chekhov. He got his start touring nationally with a Shakespearean troupe and later moved to Los Angeles where he eventually launched a career in film and television. Wyenn had been a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1966, and spent many of his later years as an active member of the Los Angeles' Jewish culture community, working for 37 years as the drama consultant for the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education.

Here's Wyenn in a complete episode of The Twilight Zone, where he played one of his most notable roles:

Image: Universal Pictures (2)