Richard Eastham
Encyclopedia
Richard Eastham, born as Dickinson Swift Eastham (June 22, 1916—July 10, 2005), was an American
actor of stage
, film, and television and a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice.
, along with his younger co-star, Pat Conway
(1931–1981), in the role of Sheriff Clay Hollister of the western
television series Tombstone Territory
. Quintin Sondergaard
(1925–1984) also appeared as Deputy Quint, and Gilman Rankin
(1911–1993) appeared as Deputy Charlie Riggs. Eastham introduced and narrated each of the ninety-three episodes of the series, set in Tombstone
, south of Tucson, Arizona
. The program aired on ABC
for its first season (1957–1958) and then syndication
for its two later years, 1958-1960.
Tombstone Territory often invoked the popular line "The Town Too Tough Too Die". Among the last episodes of the series were "Juan Diega", "Crime Epidemic", "The Injury", "The Outlaw", and "The Treaty", "Betrayal", "The Return of Kansas Joe", and "The Siesta Killer". Two 1958 episodes were entitled "Geronimo
" and "Johnny Ringo
's Last Ride".
In 1960, Eastham appeared as Jim Amber in the episode "Never Too Late" of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
, a CBS western anthology series.
. As a student at Washington University in St. Louis
, Missouri
, Eastham performed with the St. Louis Grand Opera. He served for four years in the United States Army
during World War II
, part of the time in Paris, France
.
Thereafter, he performed at the American Theatre Wing in New York City
as an understudy of the international opera singer Ezio Pinza
. Eastham appeared as plantation
owner Emile DeBecque in South Pacific
; his co-stars were Mary Martin
and, later, Janet Blair.
Eastham performed "Bloody Mary" in the chorus of singing sailors. Eastham appeared on Broadway with Ethel Merman
, who became a close friend, in Call Me Madam
, a musical based on the life of presidential party-giver and Democratic
hostess Perle Mesta
. His first film appearance was with Merman in a non-singing role in the 20th Century Fox
musical There's No Business Like Show Business
.
At his wife urging, he gave up his promising singing career to concentrate on acting. Marjorie Lord
, who co-starred with Danny Thomas
on The Danny Thomas Show
sitcom, recalled that Eastham's "voice could break your heart. If I had been married to him, he would have never dropped it." Lord and Eastham met in 1955 in San Francisco
when they were performing in Anniversary Waltz and developed a long friendship.
, a 1957 production starring Bing Crosby
. He starred as Colonel Sam Castle the Ringmaster in Walt Disney
's 1960 production, Toby Tyler
, with child actor
Kevin Corcoran
in the starring role. He also appeared as Supervisor Newton in That Darn Cat!, a 1965 Disney comedy film, and in Not with My Wife, You Don't!
and Murderers' Row
, both in 1966.
His first television appearance was in 1948 on Ed Sullivan
's Toast of the Town variety program. He appeared in numerous crime dramas and westerns. He frequently guest starred as both prosecutor and suspect on CBS's Perry Mason
legal drama
with Raymond Burr
. He guest starred in 1957 in the series premiere of the syndicated military drama Men of Annapolis
. In 1960, he appeared as Sinclair in the episode "Disaster Below" in CBS's short-lived adventure
series about diver
s, The Aquanauts, starring Keith Larsen
and Jeremy Slate
. In 1961, he portrayed Sam Verner in the episode "Along the Barbary Coast" of the NBC
anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show
. In 1962, he appeared as Don Hart in the episode "Hostage Below" of the syndicated series about skydiver
s, Ripcord
, starring Ken Curtis
and Larry Pennell
.
In the early 1970s, he appeared twice on Arthur Hill
's ABC legal drama Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
and on Karl Malden
's The Streets of San Francisco
. In 1974, he appeared as Jack Seymour in "Killing in the Second House" on Telly Savalas
's CBS series Kojak
. Between 1976 and 1977, Eastham appeared a dozen times as general Phil Blankenship on Lynda Carter
's CBS adventure series Wonder Woman
replacing John Randolph
.
family drama in episodes entitled "The Warrior" (as Judge Thomas Parrish, 1977) and "The Lumberjack" (as Wesley Northridge, 1981). He recreated the role of Mr. Northridge in the 1982 CBS television film "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain". Eastham appeared three times on Buddy Ebsen
's CBS detective
series Barnaby Jones
: as R.B. Catlin in the 1975 episode, "Murder Once Removed", and in the two-part 1979 segment "Child of Love, Child of Vengeance". He appeared three times in 1979 and 1982 on Jack Klugman
s NBC series Quincy M.E.
In 1982-1983, Eastham appeared as Dr. Howell on six episodes of CBS's Falcon Crest
starring Jane Wyman
as Angela Channing. That same year, he appeared briefly on an episode of Robert Wagner's Hart to Hart
ABC drama series. His last acting role was in 1991 as Frank Hillson on CBS's long-running Dallas
in episodes entitled "Designing Women" and "The Decline and Fall of the Ewing Empire".
at an assisted living facility in Pacific Palisades, California. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor of stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, film, and television and a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice.
Tombstone Territory
Eastham appeared as newspaperman Harris Claibourne, editor of the actual Tombstone EpitaphTombstone Epitaph
The Tombstone Epitaph is a Tombstone, Arizona-based monthly publication that serves as a window in the history and culture of the Old West. Founded on May 1, 1880, The Epitaph is the oldest continually published newspaper in Arizona.-History:...
, along with his younger co-star, Pat Conway
Pat Conway
Patrick Douglas Conway, known as Pat Conway , was an American actor best known for his role as young but tough Sheriff Clay Hollister on the ABC and then syndicated western television series Tombstone Territory . He was a maternal grandson of silent film star Francis X...
(1931–1981), in the role of Sheriff Clay Hollister of the western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959...
. Quintin Sondergaard
Quintin Sondergaard
Quentin Charles Sondergaard, known primarily as Quintin Sondergaard , was an American actor principally active on television westerns from 1957-1970...
(1925–1984) also appeared as Deputy Quint, and Gilman Rankin
Gilman Rankin
Gilman W. Rankin was a Massachusetts-born actor who appeared primarily in television westerns between 1956 and 1975. Between 1957 and 1959, he had a supporting role as Deputy Charlie Riggs in seven episodes of the series Tombstone Territory...
(1911–1993) appeared as Deputy Charlie Riggs. Eastham introduced and narrated each of the ninety-three episodes of the series, set in Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
, south of Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. The program aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for its first season (1957–1958) and then syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
for its two later years, 1958-1960.
Tombstone Territory often invoked the popular line "The Town Too Tough Too Die". Among the last episodes of the series were "Juan Diega", "Crime Epidemic", "The Injury", "The Outlaw", and "The Treaty", "Betrayal", "The Return of Kansas Joe", and "The Siesta Killer". Two 1958 episodes were entitled "Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
" and "Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
's Last Ride".
In 1960, Eastham appeared as Jim Amber in the episode "Never Too Late" of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.-Overview:Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short and Charles A. Wallace...
, a CBS western anthology series.
Early years, education, military
Eastham was born in Opelousas, LouisianaOpelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
. As a student at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Eastham performed with the St. Louis Grand Opera. He served for four years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, part of the time in Paris, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Thereafter, he performed at the American Theatre Wing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as an understudy of the international opera singer Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
. Eastham appeared as plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner Emile DeBecque in 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...
; his co-stars were Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
and, later, Janet Blair.
Eastham performed "Bloody Mary" in the chorus of singing sailors. Eastham appeared on Broadway with Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
, who became a close friend, in Call Me Madam
Call Me Madam
Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed...
, a musical based on the life of presidential party-giver and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
hostess Perle Mesta
Perle Mesta
Perle Skirvin Mesta was an American socialite, political hostess, and U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg ....
. His first film appearance was with Merman in a non-singing role in the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
musical There's No Business Like Show Business
There's No Business Like Show Business (film)
There's No Business Like Show Business is a 20th Century Fox musical film that was released on December 16, 1954. The title is borrowed from the famous song in the stage musical Annie Get Your Gun....
.
At his wife urging, he gave up his promising singing career to concentrate on acting. Marjorie Lord
Marjorie Lord
Marjorie Lord is an American television and film actress. She played Kathy "Clancy" Williams opposite Danny Thomas on Make Room for Daddy and later Make Room for Granddaddy.-Early life and career:...
, who co-starred with Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
on The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
sitcom, recalled that Eastham's "voice could break your heart. If I had been married to him, he would have never dropped it." Lord and Eastham met in 1955 in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
when they were performing in Anniversary Waltz and developed a long friendship.
Film and television appearances
Eastham appeared in such films as Man on FireMan on Fire
Man on Fire is a 1981 thriller novel by the English novelist Philip Nicholson, writing as A. J. Quinnell. The plot features his popular character Creasy, an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion, in his first appearance.-Plot:...
, a 1957 production starring Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. He starred as Colonel Sam Castle the Ringmaster in Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's 1960 production, Toby Tyler
Toby Tyler
Toby Tyler is a Disney film released on January 21, 1960 by Buena Vista Distribution Company, based on the 1880 children's book Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus by James Otis Kaler....
, with child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
Kevin Corcoran
Kevin Corcoran
Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran is an American director, producer, and former child actor. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, frequently as an irrepressible character with the nickname Moochie...
in the starring role. He also appeared as Supervisor Newton in That Darn Cat!, a 1965 Disney comedy film, and in Not with My Wife, You Don't!
Not with My Wife, You Don't!
Not with My Wife, You Don't! is a 1966 comedy film starred by Tony Curtis, Virna Lisi and George C. Scott. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy....
and Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row (film)
Murderers' Row is a 1966 American comedy-spy-fi film starring Dean Martin and very loosely based upon the Matt Helm spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton, which was published in 1962....
, both in 1966.
His first television appearance was in 1948 on Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
's Toast of the Town variety program. He appeared in numerous crime dramas and westerns. He frequently guest starred as both prosecutor and suspect on CBS's Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
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...
with Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
. He guest starred in 1957 in the series premiere of the syndicated military drama Men of Annapolis
Men of Annapolis
Men of Annapolis is a 41-episode half-hour syndicated drama television series in anthology format which aired from 1957–1958 and was hosted by the voice of Art Gilmore. Darryl Hickman appeared four times on the program as Dusty Rhodes, a fictitious midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in...
. In 1960, he appeared as Sinclair in the episode "Disaster Below" in CBS's short-lived adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
series about diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
s, The Aquanauts, starring Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.-Background:...
and Jeremy Slate
Jeremy Slate
Jeremy Slate was an American film and television actor.-Early life:He attended a military academy and joined the navy when he was 16. He was barely 18 when his destroyer assisted in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day . After the war he attended St. Lawrence University where he graduated with honors in...
. In 1961, he portrayed Sam Verner in the episode "Along the Barbary Coast" 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...
anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
. In 1962, he appeared as Don Hart in the episode "Hostage Below" of the syndicated series about skydiver
Skydiver
A skydiver is a person who engages in the sport of parachuting. It may also refer to:* SkyDiver a futuristic submarine featured in the TV series UFO* "Skydiver" a carnival ride produced by Chance Morgan...
s, Ripcord
Ripcord (TV series)
Ripcord is an American syndicated television series that ran for 76 episodes from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation by the same name.-Overview:...
, starring Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the long-running CBS western television series Gunsmoke.-Early years:...
and Larry Pennell
Larry Pennell
Larry "Bud" Pennell , aka Alessandro Pennelli, is an American television and film actor.Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he is mainly a supporting actor, best known for his role as "Dash Riprock," the conceited, image-conscious, and macho Hollywood movie star courting "Elly May Clampett" in the...
.
In the early 1970s, he appeared twice on Arthur Hill
Arthur Hill (actor)
Arthur Edward Spence Hill was a Canadian actor best known for appearances in British and American theater, movies and television...
's ABC legal drama Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law is an American legal drama, jointly created by David Victor and former law professor Jerry McNeely, that starred actor Arthur Hill. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1971 to 1974...
and on Karl Malden
Karl Malden
Karl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
's The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
. In 1974, he appeared as Jack Seymour in "Killing in the Second House" on Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
's CBS series Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
. Between 1976 and 1977, Eastham appeared a dozen times as general Phil Blankenship on Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter
Lynda Jean Carter is an American actress and singer, best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series The New Original Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ....
's CBS adventure series Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
replacing John Randolph
John Randolph (actor)
John Randolph was an American film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants Dorothy , an insurance agent, and Louis Cohen, a hat manufacturer...
.
Later career and passing
He appeared twice on CBS's The WaltonsThe Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
family drama in episodes entitled "The Warrior" (as Judge Thomas Parrish, 1977) and "The Lumberjack" (as Wesley Northridge, 1981). He recreated the role of Mr. Northridge in the 1982 CBS television film "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain". Eastham appeared three times on Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
's CBS detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
series Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
: as R.B. Catlin in the 1975 episode, "Murder Once Removed", and in the two-part 1979 segment "Child of Love, Child of Vengeance". He appeared three times in 1979 and 1982 on Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
s NBC series Quincy M.E.
In 1982-1983, Eastham appeared as Dr. Howell on six episodes of CBS's Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
starring Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman was an American singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades...
as Angela Channing. That same year, he appeared briefly on an episode of Robert Wagner's Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
ABC drama series. His last acting role was in 1991 as Frank Hillson on CBS's long-running Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
in episodes entitled "Designing Women" and "The Decline and Fall of the Ewing Empire".
Personal life
Eastham was married to his wife, Betty Jean, from 1942 until her death in 2002. They had no children. Eastham died at the age of 89 from complications from Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at an assisted living facility in Pacific Palisades, California. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.