MICHAEL LANDON

MICHAEL LANDON was born Eugene Orowitz in Forest Hills, Long Island on October 31, 1937. In 1955 he moved with his family to Los Angeles and attended U.S.C. on an athletic scholarship. He had been National High School Javelin Champion, but also was interested in the theater. He was chosen to participate in the Warner Bros. Studio dramatic school, and after that played the lead in Tea And Sympathy at the Players Ring theatre in Hollywood. Following this, he went on to perform on many top tv shows.
Producer Herman Cohen, looking for someone to star in his latest movie, selected Michael over several other candidates (Scott Marlowe, John Ashley and a very young Jack Nicholson). The star of I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF went on to portray THE LEGEND OF TOM DOOLEY and appear in GOD'S LITTLE ACRE, but found his greatest fame on television. He co-starred with Lorne Green, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker in the TV seres Bonanza. From there he developed and starred in the series Little House On The Prairie and Highway To Heaven. On Highway To Heaven he went on to poke fun at his werewolf role in an episode called "I Was A Middle-aged Werewolf". He died July 1, 1991 of cancer.

GARY CONWAY

GARY CONWAY, born Gareth Carmody in Boston, Massachusetts on February 4, 1937, moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of ten. While in high school, Gary earned his athletic letter in basketball and football, while also playing the lead in the senior play. After graduating, he attended UCLA as an art major but because of his love for the theater, he enrolled in the Theater Arts and Cinema Departments. He was chosen by Herman Cohen to portray the teenage monster in I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN while still attending college. Like Michael Landon, he too would end up on TV. First he co-starred with Gene Barry in Burke's Law; then was chosen to star in the Irwin Allen series Land Of The Giants.
Today Gary Conway is also a painter, writer and producer (plus occasional actor). He wrote scripts for films like OVER THE TOP and AMERICAN NINJA. He would like to see a film made from the Land Of The Giants TV series, but we'll have to wait and see.

GUY WILLIAMS

GUY WILLIAMS was born Armando Catalano in New York City. He went to grade school in New York, attended George Washington High, and finished at Peekskill Military School. Although he led the life of a typical boy in New York, he also became an expert with a dueling sword and developed into a good horseman.
Guy's father wanted him to enter the brokerage business but he decided to try modeling instead. He met his wife, Janice, on a modeling assignment and they were married in December, 1948. About this time Guy decided to enroll in the famed Neighborhood Playhouse under the guidance of Sandy Meisner. Several popular TV western stars, including Richard Boone and Steve McQueen, attended the same school. While at the Playhouse, Guy started working in TV shows in the New York area, and also did some summer stock. In 1952 a talent scout from Universal International saw Guy and got him a contract.
As with most new contract players, he was only given small parts, and so he left the studio when his term was up. Just before his contract expired, Guy and a friend were riding their horses on the backlot of U-I, and decided to race. Guy was riding bareback, and when he turned his horse suddenly, he was thrown on his left shoulder, smashing it badly. This accident laid him up for a year.
In 1955, his doctor pronounced him fit for work again and he took just about every job that came his way. It was hard for a while, but the break finally came. In the spring of 1957, after portraying a policeman in Herman Cohen's I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, his agent found out that Walt Disney was going to do a Zorro series and Guy was tested for the part. Ten other actors also tried out for the lead before Guy was signed. Soon after Zorro went on the air it became a big hit. To keep his fencing up to par, Guy worked out with Fred Cavens, who had tutored many of Hollywood's swashbuckling heroes including two of the original Zorros -- Fairbanks and Power. Guy is also a boat enthusiast and keeps his 37-footer moored at San Pedro. The Williams and their two children, Steve and Toni, spend many a weekend on the ocean.
Because of a dispute with ABC, Disney pulled the Zorro series off the air; Guy made a few action-adventure films and then went on to star in the cult science fiction series Lost In Space. He also played the part of Will Cartright on Bonanza when the producers and Pernell Roberts were having a contract dispute. Guy did not like being put in the middle and left.
Guy Williams spent his last few years traveling between the US and Argentina, where he was a star because the Zorro series becoming very popular down there. He died of a brain aneurysm May 8, 1989.

FRANK GORSHIN

FRANK GORSHIN was born April 5, 1934 in Pittsburgh, PA. Gorshin is an impressionist who often performed at night clubs. He had been in many movies and had appearances in various TV shows before being chosen to play The Riddler at the age of thirty. Some of the television shows he appeared in are The Untouchables, The Munsters, Lois and Clark and more recently he starred as Dr Fletcher in the movie THE 12 MONKEYS.
Frank Gorshin played a victim of the INVASION OF THE SAUCER-MEN, where he was mainly used for comic relief. He had prevously worked for AIP in films like RUNAWAY DAUGHTERS, HOT ROD GIRL and DRAGSTRIP GIRL plus he was featured in other Hollywood films. Of course he is best remembered for his role as the Riddler in the hit TV series Batman, which starred Adam West. He is currently still active.

WHIT BISSELL

WHIT BISSELL had already enjoyed a career as a character actor in movies and on TV before portraying his two "mad" scientist roles for AIP . Born Whitner Bissell in New York city on October 25, 1909, he spent most of his life there. He went to school in Connecticut and attended the University of North Carolina where he majored in Theater Arts. He went back to New York to appear in many Broadway shows before heading to Hollywood where he appeared in several prestige pictures. His film cedits include THE DESPERATE HOURS, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, BRUTE FORCE, THAT LADY IN ERMINE and DESTINATION TOKYO.
Nowadays Whit is known mainly for his roles as the scientists in I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF and I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN. He did act in movies like CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE TIME MACHINE and SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, plus he had roles in TV series such as Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel (in a supporting role). He passed away March 5, 1996 of Parkinson's disease at Woodland Hills, Ca. (Trivia: his son, Whit Bissell Jr. played Whitey on Leave It To Beaver.)

PHYLLIS COATES

PHYLLIS COATES was born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell on a cattle ranch in Odessa, Texas. In 1943 she moved to California to attend UCLA. She was discovered by Ken Murray to be a dancer for his "blackouts" and later became a member of Earl Carroll's dancing troupe. She eventually ended up at Warner Brothers and ended up co-starring in many of Richard Bare's Joe MacDoakes shorts. From there she made many westerns for Monogram Pictures with stars like Wild Bill Elliott, Joel McCrea and Whip Wilson; she also starred in the serials JUNGLE DRUMS OF AFRICA with Clayton Moore and PANTHER GIRL OF THE CONGO with Myron Healey for Republic Pictures.
The popularity of television beckoned and Phyllis ended up doing many TV roles in series like Perry Mason, Desilu Playhouse and Rawhide.
But her greatest claim to fame was as the feisty Lois Lane in the movie SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN and the first season of the TV series The Adventures Of Superman, which starred the late George Reeves. But Phyllis didn't return for a second season (she was replaced by Noel Neill) to make a TV pilot which wasn't picked up for a series. She has done other TV roles and bit parts in movies, and in fact played Lois Lane's mother in a first season episode of Lois And Clark. (Beverly Garland took over in season two and played the part after that.)
She is now mostly retired and resides in Monterey, California (except for an occasional TV appearance now and then). (Trivia: MGM producer (and later studio manager for Desilu) Gale Getterman came up with the name Phyllis Coates for her when she went for an interview).

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