William Schallert, SAG President and "Patty Duke Show" Father Dies

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - Funeral services were pending today for William Schallert, a veteran character actor best known for portraying Patty Duke's father on "The Patty Duke Show" but whose credits include an array of classic television series.

Schallert, a former president of the Screen Actors Guild union, died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades. He was 93.

A Los Angeles native, Schallert was the son of Los Angeles Times film and drama editor Edwin Schallert and former Sid Grauman publicist Elaz Schallert. He began acting while attending UCLA, where he was editor of the Daily Bruin student newspaper.

His career spanned seven decades, appearing in the short film "Dr. Jim" in 1947 and going on to work in hundreds of productions, most notably on the small screen. His TV credits include appearances on shows including "Zorro," "Leave it to Beaver," "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show," "Father Knows Best," "Maverick," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Philip Marlowe," "Wagon Train," "The Twilight Zone," "The Untouchables," "The Rifleman," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Surfside 6," "Bonanza," "Perry Mason," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "Rawhide," "The Lucy Show" and "Mission: Impossible."

Trekkies will remember him as troublesome Federation bureaucrat Nilz Baris on the classic "Star Trek" episode "The Trouble with Tribbles."

He continued working into his 90s, appearing in a 2014 episode of the sitcom "2 Broke Girls."

Schallert served as president of SAG from 1979-81.

"Bill Schallert's remarkable career put him in the rare position of being able to understand actors at all levels of the business," SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. "He worked virtually every SAG contract. He enjoyed working with movie stars and background performers. He was a series regular and an uncredited bit player. Despite leading the union during a very difficult time, Bill maintained his integrity and commitment that extended into many more years of board service."

Schallert oversaw the union during the 1980 TV-theatrical strike, a walkout fueled by compensation issues arising from the popularity of home video and pay TV channels. He lost his bid for re-election to Ed Asner.

He is survived by four sons and seven grandchildren.

Schallert is the third SAG president to die in the past three months. Ken Howard died March 23, while still leading the combined SAG-AFTRA union. Patty Duke, who was president of the union in the late 1980s, died March 29.

City News Service; Photo by commons.wikimedia.org