RICHARD DEACON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Richard Deacon was born on May 14th, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He became most well known for his role portraying Mel Cooley on the television show, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" from 1961-1966. 

His career as an actor began as a stage actor and then moved into films mostly as a character actor and supporting player.  He made quite a name for himself later on in his career as a television actor adding such credits as, "The Man Behind the Badge", "The Life of Riley", "It's a Great Life", "Crossroads", "Lux Video Theatre", "Gunsmoke", "Navy Log", "Tales of Wells Fargo", "How to Marry a Millionaire", "Zorro", "Maverick", "The Gale Storm Show", "Bonanza", "M Squad", "Happy", "My Three Sons", "Perry Mason", "National Velvet", "Follow The Son", "The Donna Reed Show", "Leave it to Beaver", "The Red Skelton Hour", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Make Room for Daddy", "Mister Ed" and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" among many others.

Some of his more well known film roles included, "Lay That Rifle Down" (1955) starring Judy Canova, Robert Lowery and Jil Jarmyn, "The Power and the Prize" (1956) starring Robert Taylor, Elisabeth Mueller and Burl Ives, "My Man Godfrey" (1957) starring David Niven, June Allyson, Martha Hyer, Robert Keith and Eva Gabor, "The Spirit of St. Louis" (1957) starring James Stewart and Murray Hamilton, "The Man Who Understood Women" (1959) starring Henry Fonda, Leslie Caron, Renate Hoy and Cesare Danova, "North to Alaska" (1960) starring John Wayne, Stewart Granger, Fabian Forte, Ernie Kovacs, Karl Swenson, John Qualen and Capucine, Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The Bird's" (1963) starring Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren, Veronica Cartwright, Jessica Tandy, Karl Swenson and Charles McGraw, "Who's Minding the Store?" (1963) starring Jerry Lewis, Jill St. John, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Walston and Kathleen Freeman, "The King's Pirate" (1967) starring Doug McClure, Jill St. John, Guy Stockwell, Woodrow Parfrey, Mary Ann Mobley and Ted de Corsia and "The Man from Clover Grove" (1975) starring Ron Masak, Cheryl Miller, Rose Marie and Paul Winchell.

His final acting role was on the television series, "Growing Pains" (1984), he then passed away suddenly on August 8th, 1984 in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack in his Beverley Hills home at the age of sixty three.  His remains were cremated at Grandview Crematory.

 
Filmography

1984         Growing Pains
1984         The Hoboken Chicken Emergency 
1981-1983     Trapper John, M.D. 
1983         Alice 
1983         Still the Beaver 
1982         The Love Boat 
1982         The Awakening of Cassie
1981         No Man's Valley 
1980         The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood
1980         Murder Can Hurt You!
1980         The Gossip Columnist
1980         Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty 
1979         B.J. and the Bear 
1979         The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo 
1979         What's Happening!! 
1978         ABC Weekend Specials 
1978         Piranha
1978         Getting Married
1978         Rabbit Test
1977         CHiPs 
1976         Maude 
1975         The Lost Saucer 
1972-1975     McMillan & Wife
1975         The Man from Clover Grove
1973         Rod Serling's Night Gallery 
1969-1972     Love, American Style
1972         Honeymoon Suite 
1972         Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law 
1971-1972     Here's Lucy 
1971         Green Acres 
1970         Hans Christian Anderson
1967-1970     The Beverly Hillbillies 
1969         The Good Guys 
1969         Get Smart
1969         The Bob Hope Show
1968-1969     The Mothers-In-Law
1969         Arsenic and Old Lace
1968         Lady in Cement
1968         The Jackie Gleason Show
1968         Persecución hasta Valencia
1968         The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
1968         Blackbeard's Ghost
1967         I Dream of Jeannie
1967         The Danny Thomas Hour
1967         The King's Pirate
1967         The Gnome-Mobile
1966-1967     The Phyllis Diller Show 
1967         Enter Laughing
1967         Rango 
1966         Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.
1961-1966     The Dick Van Dyke Show
1966         Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
1966         The Farmer's Daughter
1966         The Mouse That Roared
1966         The Carol Channing Show 
1965         That Darn Cat!
1965         Billie
1965         The Addams Family
1965         John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
1964         The Disorderly Orderly
1964         Dear Heart
1964         The Munsters 
1964         The Patsy
1961-1964     Mister Ed
1964         Twilight Zone 
1963-1964     My Favorite Martian 
1963         The Raiders
1963         Who's Minding the Store?
1957-1963     The Red Skelton Hour 
1957-1963     Leave It to Beaver 
1963         Critic's Choice
1963         The Birds
1959-1962     The Donna Reed Show
1962         McKeever & the Colonel
1962         That Touch of Mink
1962         The Dick Powell Theatre 
1962         Follow the Sun 
1961-1962     Pete and Gladys 
1962         About Time 
1954-1962     The Jack Benny Program 
1961         Lover Come Back
1961         Hawaiian Eye
1961         Everything's Ducky
1961         National Velvet
1956-1961     Make Room for Daddy 
1961         All in a Night's Work
1961         Guestward Ho! 
1959-1961     The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
1960         Perry Mason
1960         77 Sunset Strip 
1960         North to Alaska
1960         My Three Sons 
1960         Happy 
1960         Inherit the Wind
1960         M Squad 
1960         The Rifleman 
1960         The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis 
1960         Bonanza
1960         Bourbon Street Beat
1960         The Untouchables
1960         Alcoa Theatre 
1959         -30-
1959         A Summer Place
1959         The Gale Storm Show 
1959         Maverick 
1959         The Man Who Understood Women
1959         It Started with a Kiss
1959         Adventure Showcase 
1959         Zorro 
1959         The Young Philadelphians
1959         The Real McCoys 
1959         The Thin Man
1959         The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
1959         Bachelor Father 
1959         Shotgun Slade 
1958         A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed
1958         The Last Hurrah
1958         Tales of Wells Fargo
1955-1958     The People's Choice
1958         The High Cost of Loving
1958         Walt Disney Presents: Annette
1957-1958     Date with the Angels
1958         How to Marry a Millionaire 
1957         Navy Log
1957         Kiss Them for Me
1957         The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour 
1957         Decision at Sundown
1957         My Man Godfrey
1957         Designing Woman
1957         The 20th Century-Fox Hour 
1957         The Spirit of St. Louis
1957         Spring Reunion
1957         Affair in Reno
1955-1957     The Millionaire 
1957         The Bob Cummings Show 
1957         Gunsmoke 
1956         Lux Video Theatre 
1956         The Power and the Prize
1956         The Charles Farrell Show
1956         The Solid Gold Cadillac
1956         Francis in the Haunted House
1954-1956     The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show 
1956         Private Secretary 
1956         Crossroads 
1956         The Proud Ones
1956         December Bride 
1954-1956     It's a Great Life
1956         The Scarlet Hour
1956         The Kettles in the Ozarks
1956         Hot Blood
1956         When Gangland Strikes
1956         Carousel
1956         The Life of Riley 
1956         Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1955         Schlitz Playhouse
1955         Good Morning, Miss Dove
1955         The Great Gildersleeve
1955         The Ford Television Theatre 
1955         Screen Directors Playhouse
1955         My Sister Eileen
1955         Lay That Rifle Down
1955         Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
1955         This Island Earth
1955         Stage 7 
1955         Blackboard Jungle
1955         The Man Behind the Badge 
1955         Prince of Players
1954         Cry Vengeance
1954         Desirée
1954         Rogue Cop
1954         Private Hell 36
1954         Shield for Murde
1954         Them!
1954         The Public Defender
1953         Invaders from Mars