Leonard Stone
Encyclopedia
Leonard Stone was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films.
starring Jean Arthur
and Ron Harper
. Between 1988 and 1994, he appeared in twelve episodes of the NBC
legal drama
L.A. Law
as Judge Paul Hanson. He played popular and memorable characters on The Outer Limits
, Lost in Space
, M*A*S*H, and more.
One of his most notable roles came in 1971 when he played Sam Beauregarde, the father of Golden Ticket winner Violet Beauregarde, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
. He was one of the last surviving parents from the movie.
Stone started his career as a young actor studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He performed in the West End, on Broadway, and toured around the world. He traveled for eight years in Australia and New Zealand touring the musical South Pacific
. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in Redhead
, a Bob Fosse musical. He also was in the Tony Award-nominated cast of Look Homeward, Angel
in 1957, which premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. It won a Pulitzer Prize.
Stone's final role came in 2006 at the age of 83, when he played a minor character in Surrender Dorothy.
He died on November 2, 2011 at his home in San Diego after a brief bout with cancer, one day shy of his 88th birthday.
On September 22, 2000, Stone appeared as an ordinary, non-celebrity contestant on the popular game show
Wheel of Fortune. He placed second, winning $4,250 in cash and a trip to Bermuda
valued at $5,310.
In the early 1950s, Stone began writing a children's story about a kangaroo who never grew. In 2011, Keepy was published on Kindle and Nook.
Life and career
In 1966, he had a supporting role as Morton on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Jean Arthur ShowThe Jean Arthur Show
The Jean Arthur Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September to December 1966. The series stars Jean Arthur and Ron Harper, and was under the primary sponsorship of General Foods.-Synopsis:...
starring Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
and Ron Harper
Ron Harper (actor)
Ronald Robert "Ron" Harper is an American television and film actor.- Biography :Harper was born in Turtle Creek in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Mabel Grace Champion and George Harper...
. Between 1988 and 1994, he appeared in twelve episodes of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
as Judge Paul Hanson. He played popular and memorable characters on The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
, Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, M*A*S*H, and more.
One of his most notable roles came in 1971 when he played Sam Beauregarde, the father of Golden Ticket winner Violet Beauregarde, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
. He was one of the last surviving parents from the movie.
Stone started his career as a young actor studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He performed in the West End, on Broadway, and toured around the world. He traveled for eight years in Australia and New Zealand touring the musical South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in Redhead
Redhead (musical)
Redhead is a musical with music composed by Albert Hague and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, who with her brother, Herbert, along with Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw wrote the book/libretto...
, a Bob Fosse musical. He also was in the Tony Award-nominated cast of Look Homeward, Angel
Look Homeward, Angel (play)
Look Homeward, Angel is an acclaimed 1957 stage play by the playwright Ketti Frings. It opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre November 28, 1957, and ran for a total of 564 performances, closing on April 4, 1959....
in 1957, which premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. It won a Pulitzer Prize.
Stone's final role came in 2006 at the age of 83, when he played a minor character in Surrender Dorothy.
He died on November 2, 2011 at his home in San Diego after a brief bout with cancer, one day shy of his 88th birthday.
Personal
Stone married Carole Kleinman in 1964, and together they raised four children and eight grandchildren. In 1983, Stone moved to San Diego from his longtime home in Los Angeles, but continued to commute for work.On September 22, 2000, Stone appeared as an ordinary, non-celebrity contestant on the popular game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Wheel of Fortune. He placed second, winning $4,250 in cash and a trip to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
valued at $5,310.
In the early 1950s, Stone began writing a children's story about a kangaroo who never grew. In 2011, Keepy was published on Kindle and Nook.
Filmography
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
(1971) – Sam Beauregarde, father of Violet Beauregarde - Soylent GreenSoylent GreenSoylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
(1973) – Charles (Chelsea Towers West manager) - American PopAmerican PopAmerican Pop is a 1981 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film tells the story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music....
(1981) – Leo (voice)