Claude

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Akins was signed by talent agent Meyer Mishkin and became one of 'Meyer Mishkin's Band of Uglies,' a group of character actors that included Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jeff Chandler, James Coburn, Michael Ansara, and Chuck Connors. Early in his career, he did his own stunts in low-budget movies, once being run over by a wagon in a western. His film debut was in *From Here to Eternity* (1953). He appeared in *The Caine Mutiny* (1954) as one of a pair of incorrigible seamen, Horrible and Meatball, the other played by Lee Marvin. He portrayed prisoner Joe Burdette in *Rio Bravo*, and Naval Lt. Commander Farber in *Don't Give Up the Ship* with Jerry Lewis. He appeared in *Porgy and Bess* (1959), played Rockwell W. 'Rocky' Rockman in *The Devil's Brigade*, the Reverend Jeremiah Brown in *Inherit the Wind* (1960), and outlaw Ben Lane in *Comanche Station* that same year. He received critical acclaim for his performance as Sgt. Kolowicz in Sam Fuller's *Merrill's Marauders* (1962), especially for a scene in which his unit rests in a Burmese village and he is fed rice by an elderly woman and weeps. Fuller wrote in his memoir *A Third Face* that it was 'one of the scenes I'm most proud of,' and that whenever he sees it he bursts into tears. He played Seely Jones in *A Distant Trumpet* (1964), and the gorilla leader Aldo in *Battle for the Planet of the Apes* (1973), the last original Apes movie. He had a small part in *The Sea Chase* with John Wayne, appeared with Yul Brynner and Robert Fuller in *Return of the Seven* (1966), and appeared in *Seasons of the Heart* (1993). In a 1987 interview, Akins called his film career 'disappointing,' and said his biggest regret was losing the role of 'Dragline' in *Cool Hand Luke* (1967) to George Kennedy, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In Their Own Story

Akins was cast in myriad television series, including *The Adventures of Superman* (episode 69, 'Peril by Sea'), in which he plays a villainous conspirator, Crusader, and *I Love Lucy* in which he portrays himself. Much of his work was on Westerns, including *Frontier*, *My Friend Flicka* (three times), *Boots and Saddles*, *Maverick*, *Northwest Passage*, *The Restless Gun* (four times), *The Sheriff of Cochise*, *Wagon Train* (four times), *Overland Trail*, *Frontier Circus*, *The Tall Man*, *The Rebel*, *The Big Valley*, *Daniel Boone*, *The Legend of Jesse James*, *Death Valley Days* with Jane Russell, *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (four times), *The Rifleman* (three times), *Rawhide* (seven times), *Gunsmoke* (10 times), *Bonanza* (four times), *The Alaskans* (twice), *The Texan* (twice), and *Bat Masterson* (season 1, ep 29, 'The Death of Bat Masterson'). He appeared once on *Richard Diamond, Private Detective*, *Empire*, *Laredo* ('The Treasure of San Diablo'), the syndicated series *Pony Express* (in 'The Story of Julesburg' with Sebastian Cabot and James Best), and *The Oregon Trail* with Rod Taylor. He was cast as Jarret Sutton in 'Escape to Memphis' (1959) and as Beaudry Rawlins in 'Duel on the River' (1960) on *Riverboat*. He played a rodeo clown convicted of armed robbery in 'Killer on Horseback', an episode of *Star Stage* that became the pilot for *State Trooper*. He appeared in the 1963 episode 'The Chooser of the Slain' on *The Dakotas*. Among his four appearances on *Laramie* was the role of former Sheriff Jim Dark in 'Queen of Diamonds' (September 20, 1960). He was featured in two episodes of *The Twilight Zone* ('The Little People' and 'The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street'), and guest-starred in three episodes each of *Combat!* and *The Untouchables*. He made a comedic turn on *Hazel* as a frustrated painter. He appeared on *City Detective*, *Meet McGraw*, *The Roaring 20's*, and *Police Story*. He played a policeman on *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* in 'Place of Shadows' (1956) and 'Reward to Finder' (1957), and played Sheriff's Detective Phillip Dix in the first season of *Perry Mason* in 'The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife' (episode 1-26, March 15, 1958). He was in a first-season episode of *Maverick* titled 'Burial Ground of the Gods' (1958). In 1965, he played El Supremo in 'The Very Important Zombie Affair' on *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.*. In 1967, he played Lt. Finch in *The Lucy Show* episode 'Lucy Meets the Law'. He portrayed prosecuting attorney Calvin Wolf opposite Carl Betz in an episode of *Judd, for the Defense*. He was cast as Lou Myerson in the 1964 episode 'One Monday Afternoon' of *Mr. Novak*, and as Dr. Roy Kirk in an episode of *Slattery's People*. He played a kidnapper in a 1964 episode of *The Fugitive*. In 1965, he was featured in an episode of *Kraft Suspense Theatre* playing a German infiltrator. Also that year, he portrayed the head of an Irish immigrant family in *The Big Valley* ('The Brawlers'). He had an earlier role in the first season of *Barnaby Jones* in 'Murder Go-Round'. Before his signature character Sheriff Lobo, Akins appeared as owner-operator trucker Sonny Pruitt in NBC's *Movin' On* from 1974 to 1976, with Frank Converse, starring in over 40 episodes plus a made-for-TV movie 'In Tandem'. He also starred as Nashville police detective Stoney Huff in *Nashville 99*. His best-known role of Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo began as a recurring character on *B.J. and the Bear*. In the late 1970s, Akins did testimonial TV commercials for PoliGrip, Rollins Truck Leasing, and AAMCO Transmissions. In the late 1980s, he lent his voice to the work safety instructional video series *Safety Shorts*, and made a golfing video with Ron Masak entitled *Tom Kite and Friends*. He made a latter-day appearance on *In the Heat of the Night* starring Carroll O'Connor.

Reader's Guide

Akins was married to Therese Fairfield from 1952 until his death. His widow died on June 12, 2006. They had three children together. Akins died of stomach cancer in Altadena, California, on January 27, 1994, at the age of 67. In May 1993, half of his stomach had been removed in cancer surgery. He was cremated, and his ashes were returned to Altadena. In a 1987 interview, Akins said he felt 'like an outsider in a business I have been a part of for 37 years. For some reason, Hollywood's mainstream has eluded me.' He added: 'A guy who looks like Robert Redford will most often be cast as a hero. A guy like me or Ernie Borgnine plays a lot of heavies. If you're big, they think you're tough. And if you're tough, they think you're dumb.' The Claude Akins Memorial Golf Classic, a six-person scramble-format golf tournament, takes place at Otis Park Golf Course in Bedford, Indiana, in August or September of each year. Proceeds go to the Akins Scholarship and the Bedford Recreation Foundation Scholarship, given every year to a graduating senior at Bedford North Lawrence High School, as well as many recreation projects. In 1986, Akins attended the 55th annual American Indian Exposition in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Akins, who was part Cherokee, was a guest speaker and received the Outstanding Indian/Native American of the Year Award.

Did You Know?

• Akins served in the Pacific with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II.
• He graduated from Northwestern University in 1949, where he majored in theatre arts and was trained in Shakespeare.
• He was once run over by a wagon while doing his own stunt in a western.
• Akins lost the role of 'Dragline' in *Cool Hand Luke* to George Kennedy, who won an Academy Award for it.
• He was part Cherokee and received the Outstanding Indian/Native American of the Year Award in 1986.