The actor William Phipps is likely best known as the actor who voiced Prince Charming in the animated Disney classic Cinderella, but he also appeared in countless roles from riveting Westerns in the 1940s to diverse TV appearances on hit shows through the 1990s. Classic TV fans saw him in just about every show you can think of, from a Batman henchman to an eerie presence in The Twilight Zone, as well as hit TV Westerns like Bonanza, Wagon Train, Maverick, Gunsmoke and many more. 

The Twilight Zone

Batman

When Phipps cracks a smile onscreen, the warmth in his face helps you see how he ended up cast in the occasional sitcom like F Troop or Empty Nest, but his true flare seemed to be for the dramatic, squaring his shoulders to command a room as a sergeant on The Twilight Zone or a wrongly convicted felon on Perry Mason. At the same time, the actor was also becoming a regular feature in exciting sci-fi films of the 1950s like War of the Worlds and Invaders from Mars.

Perry Mason

Perry Mason

In the 1970s, the actor continued appearing on television, in hit shows like Charlie's Angels, Mannix, The Rockford Files and The Waltons. The 1980s found him cast on shows like Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues, T.J. Hooker and many more, including recurring roles as Uncle Link on Boone and Jake Dodge on Santa Barbara. The actor retired from acting in 1993 after a final role in the family film Homeward Bound: the Incredible Journey, returning just once more to the big screen in 2000 for a part in the comedy Sordid Lives.

On Friday, June 1, the prolific actor Williams Phipps passed away at the age of 96.