Wesley Lau
Wesley Lau as Dave Walker in "Desert Justice" episode of Bonanza (1960)
Born(1921-06-18)June 18, 1921
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, US
DiedAugust 30, 1984(1984-08-30) (aged 63)
Los Angeles, California, US
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin
Yale Drama School
Occupation(s)Actor, screenwriter
Spouses
  • Marie Louise Metcalf
  • Sirin Devrim

Wesley Lau (June 18, 1921 – August 30, 1984) was an American film and television actor, and occasional screenwriter.

Early life

Wesley Lau was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. His parents were Albert and Agnes (née Feldner) Lau. He graduated from Central High School in 1939.

A World War II veteran of the United States Army Air Forces, Lau studied playwriting at the University of Wisconsin and received a Master of Arts degree at Yale Drama School,[1] later continuing his studies at The Actors Studio in New York.[2]

He took time off from college at one point to serve in World War II as part of the air corps. Although his goal in life was to be a writer, he ended up acting simply because he found more jobs as an actor than as a playwright when he arrived in New York City seeking work.

Career

Lau was probably best known as Lt. Andy Anderson in the series Perry Mason. He appeared frequently during the latter part of the show's run, especially during times when longtime series regular Ray Collins, who played Lt. Arthur Tragg, was absent. Collins died in 1965 before the series ended its run. Lau first appeared on Perry Mason as defendant Amory Fallon in "The Case of the Impatient Partner" in September 1961. Less than a month later, he made the first of 81 appearances as Lt. Anderson, a role which ran from the fourth episode, "The Case of the Malicious Mariner" of the fifth season (1961–1962) through the last episode, "The Case of the Mischievous Doll" of the eighth season (1964–1965).

Other shows in which Lau made appearances include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Mike Hammer, Johnny Ringo, Have Gun-Will Travel, Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone, The Time Tunnel, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, Wagon Train, and The Six Million Dollar Man. He would reunite with Raymond Burr in an episode of Ironside called "In the Forests of the Night".

He appeared in motion pictures including the John Wayne film The Alamo (1960).[3]

Death

Lau died of heart failure[4] on August 30, 1984, aged 63, and is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery, Los Angeles.[5]

Acting roles

Television series

Season 4 Episode 11: "And the Desert Shall Blossom" (1958) as Deputy Tex
Season 4 Episode 12: "Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Fenimore" (1958) as Police Detective
Season 5 Episode 4: "Coyote Moon" (1959) as Harry
"The Dart" (1958)
"Destination Normandy" (1958)
"Typhoon Chasers" (1958)
"He Came for the Money" (1958), Clay
"Day of Glory" (1958), Commander Von Schoss
"Kill from Nowhere" (1959), Joe Scully
"The Death Frame" (1960), Eddie Carson
"Sons of Aaron Murdock" (1959), Lew Murdock
"Saturday Night" (1960), Stub
"Miguel's Daughter" (1959), Ab
"Young Love" (1959), Rod Allison
"The Blacksmith" (1960), Willy
"Client: Tagger" (1959), Jesse Britt
"Burden of Guilt" (1960), Trip Harris
"The Haunted U-Boat" (1959), Lt. Schneider
"The Mask" (1960), Lt. Harold Wilenski
"Leading Citizen" (1960), Morgan Bates
"The English Woman" (1960), Hank
"The Maud Frazer Story" (1961), cavalry soldier
"The Fugitive" (1962), Man
"Twenty Two" (1961), Airline Agent
  • Perry Mason (1961–1965), Lt. Andy Anderson (69 episodes); S5Ep2 Amory Fallon (1 episode)
  • Combat!, "Soldier of Fortune" (1965), Lt. Meyer
  • The Big Valley, "Earthquake!" (1965), Ralph Snyder
"Desert Justice" (1960), Dave Walker
"Her Brother's Keeper" (1966), Carl Armory
"End of the World" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs
"Revenge of the Gods" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs
"One Way to the Moon" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs
"Rendezvous with Yesterday" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs
"Chase Through Time" (1967), M/Sgt. Jiggs
"The Calico Kid" (1966) Jacobus Carson
"The Seventh Day" (1967) Reverend Egan Thomas
"Nobody Said Hello" (1966), Matt McLain
"The Gentle Tamers" (1968), Hoyt
"Vengeance Trail" (1967), Sheriff Ben Morris
"Willie Poor Boy" (1969), Dr. Albee
"The Poisoned Mind" (1971), Dr. Maggio
  • Longstreet, "One in the Reality Column" (1971), Defense Attorney
"Doomsday" (1969), Dr. Thorgen
"My Friend, My Enemy" (1970), Karl Maur
"The Field" (1971) (writer)
"Double Dead" (1972), Jim Thompson
"Hear No Evil" (1972), Ray Norman
"Valley of the Damned" (1973), Lt. Harry Wharton
"Ovation for Murder" (1973), Captain Gottschalk
"The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part 2" (1974), Captain Gottschalk
"Shattered Image" (1974), Captain Gottschalk

Feature-length films

References

  1. ↑ Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana (1987). "Wesley Lau – Lt. Andy Anderson". The Perry Mason TV Show Book. D. M. Brockman. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  2. ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  3. ↑ "The Alamo". Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Wesley Lau profile". tcm.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  5. ↑ Obituary, sheboyganpress.com. May 13, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Lepke". Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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