In Remembrance: Arthur Franz

     Arthur Franz, the character actor who appeared in films for over three decades, has passed away on June 17, 2006 in Oxnard, CA. He was 86.

     Born on February 29, 1920 in Perth Amboy, NJ, Franz reportedly became interested in acting while in high school. While serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Franz’s plane was shot down over Romania where he spent a short time in a Prisoner of War camp before escaping.

     Franz made his screen debut in the 1948 war film Jungle Patrol. Franz made a career out of playing genial supporting characters in such films as Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949), Abbott And Costello Meet The Invisible Man (1951), Rainbow `Round My Shoulder (1952), Invaders From Mars (1953), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Hellcats Of The Navy (1957), The Carpetbaggers (1964) and Sisters Of Death (1977).

     Franz’s one starring role was in the 1952 thriller The Sniper, where he portrayed an ex-soldier who goes on a killing spree in San Francisco after being rejected by a woman.

     Starting in the 1950s, Franz spent a good portion of his career working in television, appearing on such series as Zane Grey Theater, Rawhide, Perry Mason, The Mod Squad, 77 Sunset Strip, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Hawaii Five-O and Mission: Impossible.

     Franz’s final film was the 1982 drama That Championship Season.