
Karl Swenson
Acting • Born 1908-07-23 – Died 1978-10-08
Biography
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) and as the voice of Merlin in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963). On television, he had numerous credits in guest roles on various shows, especially Westerns, including episodes of Bonanza, The Virginian, and Gunsmoke. He had a major recurring role as Walnut Grove founder Lars Hanson on Little House on the Prairie (1974 - 1978). Swenson also had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Seconds (1966), Hour of the Gun (1967), ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972). Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, he originally planned to be a doctor and studied at Marietta College before pursuing acting. Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s. He entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter. Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins. He died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. He was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut.
Filmography
149 credits
The Cincinnati Kid
Movie • 1965
Mr. Rudd

The Birds
Movie • 1963
Le prophète de malheur ivre au bar

Judgment at Nuremberg
Movie • 1961
Heinrich Geuter

The Prize
Movie • 1963
Hilding

Seconds
Movie • 1966
Dr. Morris

North to Alaska
Movie • 1960
Lars Nordqvist

Vanishing Point
Movie • 1971
Clerk

The Sword in the Stone
Movie • 1963
Merlin (voice)

Major Dundee
Movie • 1965
Captain Waller

Ulzana's Raid
Movie • 1972
Rukeyser

Lonely are the Brave
Movie • 1962
Rev. Hoskins

The Hanging Tree
Movie • 1959
Tom Flaunce

Walk on the Wild Side
Movie • 1962
Schmidt

The Sons of Katie Elder
Movie • 1965
Doc Isdell

Hour of the Gun
Movie • 1967
Dr. Charles Goodfellow

Ice Palace
Movie • 1960
Scotty Ballantyne

Flaming Star
Movie • 1960
Dred Pierce

No Name on the Bullet
Movie • 1959
Stricker

Kings Go Forth
Movie • 1958
The Colonel

Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
Movie • 1995
(voice) (archive footage)

The Man from Galveston
Movie • 1963
Sheriff

The New Healers
Movie • 1972
Mr. Fisherman

Alice in Wonderland
Movie • 1955
Humpty Dumpty

A Howling in the Woods
Movie • 1971
Apperson

Strangers All
Movie • 1935
Protester at Communist Meeting

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Movie • 1967
Dr. Keller

The Gallant Hours
Movie • 1960
Bill Bailey

The Gun and the Pulpit
Movie • 1974
Adams

… tick… tick… tick…
Movie • 1970
Frank Braddock Sr.

One Foot in Hell
Movie • 1960
Sheriff Ole Olson

Gateways to the Mind
Movie • 1958
Hal - the Cameraman (uncredited)

Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Movie • 1966
Theodore Roosevelt

How the West Was Won
Movie • 1962
Train Conductor (uncredited)

December 7th
Movie • 1943
Machine-Gunner (uncredited)

The Wild Country
Movie • 1970
Jensen

Disney's Halloween Treat
Movie • 1982
Merlin (voice) (archive footage)

The Spiral Road
Movie • 1962
Insp. Bevers

Four Boys and a Gun
Movie • 1957
Mr. Badek

Disney's Greatest Villains
Movie • 1977
Merlin (voice) (archive footage)

Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
Movie • 1990
Merlin (archive footage) (voice)

The Sunrise Gun
Movie • 1959
Lud Greening

The Andy Griffith Show
TV • 1960
Mr. McBeevee

77 Sunset Strip
TV • 1958

Maverick
TV • 1957

Trackdown
TV • 1957

Little House on the Prairie
TV • 1974
Lars Hanson

The Odd Couple
TV • 1970
Captain Potter

Mr. Lucky
TV • 1959

Hawaii Five-O
TV • 1968
Abel Morgan

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
TV • 1964
Col. Harper

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
TV • 1963
Coley Bishop

Happy Days
TV • 1974

Surfside 6
TV • 1960

The Mod Squad
TV • 1968

The Fugitive
TV • 1963
Axel Nielsen - Service station owner

Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Axel Norstaad

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Hank Luz

Hawaiian Eye
TV • 1959

Lassie
TV • 1954

Cannon
TV • 1971

The Amazing Spider-Man
TV • 1978

Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV • 1951
Humpty Dumpty

Ironside
TV • 1967
Vet

Leave It to Beaver
TV • 1957
George Haskell

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
Ed Holland

Klondike
TV • 1960
Judge Frank Weinstock

Sam Benedict
TV • 1962

The Greatest Show on Earth
TV • 1963

Outlaws
TV • 1960

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
TV • 1958

The Immortal
TV • 1970

Rawhide
TV • 1959

Have Gun, Will Travel
TV • 1957

Cimarron Strip
TV • 1967

The Outcasts
TV • 1968

The Fugitive
TV • 1963
Morgan

The Virginian
TV • 1962
Col. Theodore Roosevelt

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV • 1951
Asmussen

Portia Faces Life
TV • 1954

The Young Rebels
TV • 1970

The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Bert Hadley

Bronco
TV • 1958

Judd for the Defense
TV • 1967

Profiles in Courage
TV • 1964
Chynoweth

The Adventures of Jim Bowie
TV • 1956
Andre Rochambeau

Tarzan
TV • 1966

Black Saddle
TV • 1959
Dr. Wyle

Lock-Up
TV • 1959

The Rebel
TV • 1959
Lew Bussey

The Rifleman
TV • 1958
Chris Manse

The Dakotas
TV • 1963

Sugarfoot
TV • 1957
Andy Burke

Ben Casey
TV • 1961

Bat Masterson
TV • 1958
Jim Pate

The Rat Patrol
TV • 1966
Colonel Seidner

The Guns of Will Sonnett
TV • 1967

Mr. Novak
TV • 1963
Mr. Haskell

Riverboat
TV • 1959
Ansel Torgin

The Texan
TV • 1958

The Bill Dana Show
TV • 1963

CBS Playhouse
TV • 1966

Robert Montgomery Presents
TV • 1950

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV • 1956
Lee Willis

The Lieutenant
TV • 1963

Playwrights '56
TV • 1955

Johnny Ringo
TV • 1959
Kramer

General Electric True
TV • 1962

Tightrope
TV • 1959

Dr. Kildare
TV • 1961
Judge

The Westerner
TV • 1960
Ben Potts

The Court of Last Resort
TV • 1957

The Walter Winchell File
TV • 1957

Doc Elliot
TV • 1973

Ghost Story
TV • 1972
Ed Barnes

Emergency!
TV • 1972
Gus

Maverick
TV • 1957
Captain Nares

Maverick
TV • 1957
Sheriff Griffin

Hong Kong
TV • 1960
John Olwine

Sugarfoot
TV • 1957
Bill Manning

Sugarfoot
TV • 1957
Alexi Sharlokov

The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Aaron Moyers

The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Steve Minter

Sugarfoot
TV • 1957
Dennis O'Hara

The Virginian
TV • 1962
Karl Swenson

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Raff

The Virginian
TV • 1962
Ben Wallace

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Hutch

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Adam

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Tabe

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Ian McGovern

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Lars Karlgren

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
McGruder

Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Mr. Hubert

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV • 1956
Lud Greening

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV • 1956
Will Harmon

Hogan's Heroes
TV • 1965
Dr. Karl Svenson

Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Corley Ketchum

Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Charles Norman

Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Unk Hazekian

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
John

Mission: Impossible
TV • 1966
Colonel Dubov

Mission: Impossible
TV • 1966
Dr. Ziegler

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
TV • 1962
George Sherston

Cimarron Strip
TV • 1967
Dr. Kihlgren

The Wonderful World of Disney
TV • 1954
Laredo Marshal (uncredited)

Sam Benedict
TV • 1962
Barney Rosvalley

Sam Benedict
TV • 1962
Barney Rossvalley

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
TV • 1958
Van Kemp

Bonanza
TV • 1959
Carl Harris