Karl Swenson profile
Actor profile

Karl Swenson

23rd July 1908 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA Acting

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.

40 Movies 103 TV Shows 149 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Seconds poster
Seconds 5th October 1966 as Dr. Morris
The Birds poster
The Birds 28th March 1963 as Le prophète de malheur ivre au bar
The Fugitive poster
The Fugitive 17th September 1963 as Axel Nielsen - Service station owner
Klondike poster
Klondike 10th October 1960 as Judge Frank Weinstock
Bonanza poster
Bonanza 12th September 1959 as Carl Harris
Maverick poster
Maverick 22nd September 1957 as Captain Nares
Maverick poster
Maverick 22nd September 1957 as Sheriff Griffin
Maverick poster
Maverick 22nd September 1957 as General Josiah Warren
Sugarfoot poster
Sugarfoot 17th September 1957 as Alexi Sharlokov
Gunsmoke poster
Gunsmoke 10th September 1955 as Ian McGovern
Gunsmoke poster
Gunsmoke 10th September 1955 as Lars Karlgren