
- #Barbara oakland daughter of simon oakland trial#
- #Barbara oakland daughter of simon oakland series#
#Barbara oakland daughter of simon oakland series#
Simon Oakland's notable performance in I Want to Live! led to his playing a long series of tough-guy types, usually in positions of authority, most notably in Psycho, in which he plays the psychiatrist who explains Norman Bates's multiple personality disorder. Oakland's portrayal of the journalist as a "tough, but compassionate" personality resulted in the actor often being typecast in his subsequent roles in both films and on television.
#Barbara oakland daughter of simon oakland trial#
He next appeared in two films released in 1958: as the character Mavrayek in The Brothers Karamazov and then in the role of Edward Montgomery in I Want to Live! The character Montgomery was a real-life journalist, who had reported on the California murder trial and 1955 execution of Barbara Graham, played by Susan Hayward in the film. In 1955 Oakland made his film debut, though uncredited, as a Indiana state trooper in The Desperate Hours. He was a concert violinist until the 1940s. He enjoyed a series of Broadway hits, including Light Up the Sky, The Shrike and Inherit the Wind, and theater was one of his lasting passions. Oakland began his acting career in the late 1940s. He began his performing arts career as a musician (he was a violinist, an avocation he would pursue during his entire career as an actor). While he later claimed in media interviews to have been born in 1922 (a date repeated in his New York Times obituary), Social Security and death indexes indicate he was born Simon Weiss in 1915 his stage name was likely derived from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander. Oakland was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the son of a plasterer and builder Jacob Weiss and his wife Ethel Oaklander. Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) Police Detective Lieutenant Gene Gordon (1 episode, 1964) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)įrank Scott /. Inspector Spooner (1973-74) (unknown episodes)Įlton Ferris /. Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy (1977) (TV) He died in 1983 at the age of 66.Ĭhief Mechanic Chick Thomas /. Apart from his acting career, Oakland was also an accomplished musician and played the piano, the clarinet and the guitar.

Oakland was also active in the world of theater and played in plays by William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill. He notably played in films such as "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock, "Fail-Safe" by Sidney Lumet and "The Sand Pebbles" by Robert Wise. Simon Oakland was an American actor known for his roles in films and television series from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Much respected by his co-workers as a total professional, he died, after a long battle with cancer, one day after his 68th birthday.Īctor known in the USA, seen in "Psychosis" and in "West Side Story" among others. He was also a frequently seen face on TV, at one point serving as a regular or semi-regular on four different series at once. He would go on to play a long series of tough guy types, albeit usually on the right side of the law, in such films as The Sand Pebbles (1966), Tony Rome (1967), Psycho (1960), and, most notably, nasty Lieutenant Schrank in West Side Story (1961). After a long string of roles in Broadway hits, including "Light Up the Sky", "The Shrike" and "Inherit the Wind", Oakland made his film debut as the tough but compassionate journalist who speaks up for Susan Hayward's Barbara Grahame in I Want to Live! (1958).

One of the movies' most memorable tough guys, Simon Oakland actually began his career as a concert violinist, turning to acting in the late 1940's.
