Richard Erdman turns 93

Richard Erdman (r.) with Regis Toomey (l.) and Dick Powell (c.) in Cry Danger (1951)

Today marks the birthday of character actor Richard Erdman, who is still alive at 93. Erdman started in the movies almost right out of high school, having a bit part in Mr. Skeffington in 1944, and having small roles in a lot of other movies. One of his better movie performances in the 50s came in Stalag 17 as Sgt. Hoffman.

The 50s also meant the coming of television in a big way, and Erdman did a lot of work in episodic television as well. Erdman's career continued the the current decade, being a recurring character on the sitcom Community (I'll admit I've never seen the show since I don't watch much episodic TV.)