Wally Cox
Born
December 6, 1924
Died
February 15, 1973 (48 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Wally Cox was a beloved character actor who made his mark in television and ranks as one of the medium's most memorable performers. His ability to show his range likely was limited by his short stature, slight frame, and high-pitched voice, which along with his talent for being very funny, made him ideal for comedy parts such as his memorable turn as Professor P. Caspar Biddle in "The Bird-Watchers" episode of The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) in 1966. His television persona was that of a shy, timid man in horn-rimed glasses who spoke in a tentative, though distinctly enunciated, voice. It was a persona that his long-time friend Marlon Brando said was completely at odds with the real man.
Cox always will be remembered as the eponymous "Mr. Peepers" and the voice of "Underdog," but he was an actor of wider talents seldom used by the industry, as can be seen in his turns as the sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1965) and as the potential suicide Wally Haverstraw in The Bill Cosby Show (1969) episode "Goodbye, Cruel World" in 1970. Dying unexpectedly on February 15, 1973, from what some newspapers described as an accidental overdose of sedatives but which Marlon Brando in his autobiography said was a heart attack, Wally Cox's cremated remains were kept hidden in a closet by his old friend for three decades. According to Brando's son Miko, both his father's and Cox's ashes were scattered at the same time in Death Valley, California, in a ceremony following Brando's death, thus reuniting the lifetime friends.
Known For
Television: The First Fifty Years
Robinson J. Peepers (archive footage)
1999

Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths
(archive footage)
1990

Reel Horror
Clyde (archive footage)
1985

The Night Strangler
Mr. Berry
1973

Once Upon a Mattress
The Jester
1972

Magic Carpet
Harold Kane
1972

Search
(1 episode)
1972

McMillan & Wife
(1 episode)
1971

The Barefoot Executive
Mertons
1971

Alias Smith and Jones
(1 episode)
1971

Up Your Teddy Bear
Clyde King
1970

Night Gallery
(1 episode)
1970

The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City
Becker
1970

The Odd Couple
Mr. Fegivney · (1 episode)
1970

The Boatniks
Jason
1970

The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
Mr. Bester
1970

The Young Country
Aaron Grimes / Ira Greebe
1970

Quarantined
Wilbur Mott
1970

Love, American Style
Peter · (1 episode)
1969

The Bill Cosby Show
Wally Haverstraw · (1 episode)
1969

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
Self · (2 episodes)
1969

Here's Lucy
Rock Barnett · (1 episode)
1968

Here's Lucy
Wally Manley · (1 episode)
1968

Here's Lucy
Gustav Vandemeer · (1 episode)
1968

Here's Lucy
Tommy Tucker · (1 episode)
1968

The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · (3 episodes)
1968

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Mr. Wampler
1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self · (1 episode)
1968

It Takes a Thief
Tourist · (1 episode)
1968

A Guide for the Married Man
Technical Adviser (Married 14 years)
1967

Ironside
Scoutmaster
1967
Murder at N.B.C.
1966

Hollywood Squares
Self · (6 episodes)
1966

Mission: Impossible
Terry Targo · (1 episode)
1966

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
(1 episode)
1966

The Bedford Incident
Seaman Merlin Queffle
1965

Get Smart
(1 episode)
1965

Mister Roberts
(1 episode)
1965

Lost in Space
Tiabo · (1 episode)
1965

I Spy
Herbie · (1 episode)
1965

Morituri
Dr. Ambach
1965

The Yellow Rolls-Royce
Ferguson
1964

Fate Is the Hunter
Ralph Bundy
1964

Underdog
(125 episodes)
1964

Underdog
Underdog (Voice) · (62 episodes)
1964

The Hollywood Palace
Self · (1 episode)
1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
(1 episode)
1963

Burke's Law
Count Carlo Szipesti · (1 episode)
1963

Burke's Law
Dr. Heresford Handy · (1 episode)
1963
Vacation Playhouse
Alfred · (1 episode)
1963

Spencer's Mountain
Preacher Goodman
1963

Marilyn
Self ("Something's Got to Give") (archive footage) (uncredited)
1963

The Lucy Show
Harold Tuttle · (1 episode)
1962

The Merv Griffin Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · (1 episode)
1962

The Beverly Hillbillies
Professor P. Caspar Biddle · (2 episodes)
1962

State Fair
Hipplewaite
1962

Something's Got to Give
Shoe Salesman
1962

The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1961

The Dick Van Dyke Show
(1 episode)
1961

The Twilight Zone
James Elwood · (1 episode)
1959

DuPont Show of the Month
Messenger 7013 · (1 episode)
1957
The Lux Show
Self · (3 episodes)
1957

Wagon Train
Vincent Eaglewood · (1 episode)
1957
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self · (1 episode)
1957

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self · (1 episode)
1956

The Adventures of Hiram Holliday
Hiram Holliday · (23 episodes)
1956

The Steve Allen Show
Self · (1 episode)
1956

Babes in Toyland
Grumio, the Toymaker
1955

Matinee Theater
(2 episodes)
1955

Babes in Toyland
Grumio, the Toymaker
1954
Max Liebman Presents
(1 episode)
1954

Letter to Loretta
Leslie Nettleton · (1 episode)
1953

General Electric Theater
Monroe Winkler · (1 episode)
1953
Mister Peepers
Robinson Peepers · (48 episodes)
1952
Danger
(1 episode)
1950

The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self · (3 episodes)
1950

Your Show of Shows
(1 episode)
1950

What's My Line?
Self - Panelist · (2 episodes)
1950

What's My Line?
Self · (1 episode)
1950

Suspense
(1 episode)
1949

Suspense
Ace McCoy · (1 episode)
1949

The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · (1 episode)
1948