Herb Ellis, Actor and Writer of 'Dragnet', Dies at Age 97

Herb Ellis, a veteran character actor and writer who collaborated with Jack Webb on the legendary cop show 'Dragnet', has died at the age of 97.

His daughter, Karen Ellis, confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter. She told the publication that her father died on December 26 at his home in San Gabriel, California.

Herb portrayed officer Frank Smith opposite Jack for the first eight episodes of the 50's hit series. After his exit from the show, Ben Alexander took over his role and worked on it until the ended of the series in 1959.

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Herb Ellis, who played Officer Frank Smith in 'Dragnet' passes - via @THR https://t.co/qlR7rrQMB7 pic.twitter.com/15XPQMyu52

— Script Magazine (@scriptmag) January 3, 2019

In addition to Dragnet, Herb appeared in various television series including Dangerous Assignment, Escape, The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe and Tales of the Texas Rangers.

As for movie appearances, Herb starred in notable films like Billy Wilder’s The Fortune Cookie and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing.

His other TV credits include The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive and Peter Gunn. He also appeared in multiple westerns including Frontier, Iron Horse, The Sheriff of Cochise, Riverboat and U.S. Marshal.

Funeral services for the late veteran actor will be announced in the coming days. Rest In Peace Herb Ellis!

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