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