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Tag: United States Army

  • Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Actor, Dies at 95

    Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Actor, Dies at 95

    Actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., best known for his roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I., passed away at his ranch in Southern California on Friday. He was 95.

    In a statement, the actor’s daughter Stephanie Zimbalist and son Efrem Zimbalist III said, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing into peace of our beloved father, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., today at his Solvang ranch. He actively enjoyed his life to the last day, showering love on his extended family, playing golf and visiting with close friends.”

    Zimbalist Jr. was born on November 30, 1918 in New York City to Russian-born violinist Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. and Romanian-born operatic soprano Alma Gluck. The actor attended Yale University in the late 1930’s and then served five years in the United States Army during World War II. He received a Purple Heart for a leg wound sustained during the battle of Hürtgen Forest. A year later, Zimbalist returned to New York and made his Broadway acting debut in The Rugged Path, starring Spencer Tracy.

    Zimbalist’s stint on Broadway segued into a career in Hollywood, and the actor signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1956. His first lead role came in 1958 as detective Stuart “Stu” Bailey in the popular police procedural 77 Sunset Strip, which ran until 1964. In 1959, Zimbalist garnered the Golden Globe for “Most Promising Newcomer – Male”.

    Here is a clip of the opening credits of 77 Sunset Strip:

    Zimbalist was likely best known for his starring role as Inspector Lewis Erskine on The F.B.I., which ran from 1965 to 1974.

    Zimbalist maintained a strong personal relationship with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover while the show was in production. Hoover demanded technical accuracy for the series, and that FBI agents be portrayed in the best possible light. Actors who portrayed agents also had to pass a background check, and Zimbalist himself spent a week at the FBI academy at Quantico, Virginia before production of the series began. Hoover later designated Zimbalist as the image for actual FBI agents to model their personal appearances after.

    Fellow actors took to Twitter to offer their condolences:

    In addition to son Efrem and daughter Stephanie, Zimbalist is survived by four grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Capt. William Swenson to be Awarded Medal of Honor

    On October 15, President Barack Obama will award Captain William Swenson with the highest military honor in the Nation.

    Swenson joined the United States Army in 2002, and is being acknowledged for his bravery during combat in Afghan National Security Forces in Kunar Province in northeastern Afghanistan on Sept. 8, 2009.

    According to the official narrative, “It would be determined after the engagement that Swenson’s actions directly contributed to the preservation of more than a dozen Afghan lives. Swenson was the core of the initial defense and two subsequent rescue efforts. In seven hours of continuous fighting, Swenson braved intense enemy fire, and willfully put his life in danger against the enemy’s main effort, multiple times in service of his fallen and wounded comrades, his unit, his country, and his endangered Afghan partners.”

    On February 1, 2011, Swenson retired from the military. Along with the Medal of Honor, his other awards and decorations include, the U.S. Army Parachutist Badge, the Ranger tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, The Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (Numeral 2 device) and the NATO Medal.

    Swenson invited several family members of those who did not make it out of the battle alive, to attend his ceremony.

    The invitation read:

    We have never met. We have never spoken. But I would like to believe that I know something about each of you through the actions of your loved ones on that day. They were a part of a Team. And you are now a part of that Team. I would be honored for you to attend a ceremony that will acknowledge what that team represented.

    The ceremony will be October 15th and 16th, respectively at the White House and Pentagon. If you wish to attend, please contact me and I will provide whatever information I can. I sincerely look forward to meeting you.

    Will Swenson

    Image via Wikimedia Commons