25 Facts About Claude Akins

Claude Aubrey Akins was an American character actor with a long career on stage, screen, and television.

Claude Akins served with the US Army Signal Corps in World War II in Burma and the Philippines.

Claude Akins graduated in 1949 from Northwestern University, where he had majored in theatre arts and became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Claude Akins appeared as a seaman and shipmate of Lee Marvin's in The Caine Mutiny.

Claude Akins portrayed prisoner Joe Burdette in Rio Bravo, Naval Lt.

Claude Akins had a small part in The Sea Chase with John Wayne.

Claude Akins appeared with Yul Brynner and Robert Fuller in the film Return of the Seven, and appeared in the movie Seasons of the Heart.

Claude Akins was cast in myriad television series, including The Adventures of Superman, in which he plays a villainous conspirator, Crusader, and I Love Lucy in which he portrays himself.

Claude Akins appeared once on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Empire, Laredo, the syndicated series, Pony Express, and The Oregon Trail, with Rod Taylor.

Claude Akins was cast as Jarret Sutton in "Escape to Memphis" and as Beaudry Rawlins in "Duel on the River" on Darren McGavin's NBC series, Riverboat.

Claude Akins played a rodeo clown convicted of armed robbery in "Killer on Horseback", an episode of the NBC anthology series Star Stage, which became the pilot episode for the syndicated police drama State Trooper, starring Rod Cameron.

Claude Akins was featured in two episodes of the original CBS series The Twilight Zone.

Claude Akins made a comedic turn on Hazel, as a frustrated painter.

Claude Akins played another television cop, good-natured Sheriff's Detective Phillip Dix, in the first season of the Perry Mason in "The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife" that aired March 15,1958.

Claude Akins was in a first-season episode of Maverick titled "Burial Ground of the Gods" that starred Jack Kelly.

Claude Akins portrayed prosecuting attorney Calvin Wolf opposite Carl Betz in an episode of Judd, for the Defense.

Claude Akins played a kidnapper in a 1964 episode of The Fugitive.

Also that year, Claude Akins portrayed the head of an Irish immigrant family in The Big Valley.

Claude Akins had an earlier role in the first season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled "Murder Go-Round".

Claude Akins starred in over 40 episodes of Movin' On, plus a made-for-TV movie "In Tandem".

Claude Akins starred as a Nashville police detective, Stoney Huff, in the crime drama Nashville 99.

Claude Akins made a golfing video with Ron Masak, entitled Tom Kite and Friends.

Claude Akins made a latter-day appearance on In the Heat of the Night, starring Carroll O'Connor.

Claude Akins died of stomach cancer in Pasadena, California on January 27,1994, at the age of 67.

Claude Akins was cremated and his ashes were returned to Altadena.