Fletcher Markle

Fletcher Markle (March 27, 1921 – May 23, 1991) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter, television producer and director. Markle began a radio career in Canada, then worked in radio, film and television in the United States.

Early years

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Markle was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Markle. in Vancouver and chose not to attend college because "there were too many things to do".

Films and television Markle began his career at age 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia, doing radio dramas. He created the Phoenix Theater, which began with stage productions and then went on radio for a 68-week series of hour-long plays During World War II, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The group moved to Toronto, and Markle had a role as an actor in Journey Together (1946). Markle then moved to New York City, and although not listed in the credits, contributed to the screenplay for Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai (1947).

During his time in New York, he contributed to the CBS radio anthology, Studio One. In late 1952, he was brought in to replace Worthington Miner on the TV version of that program.

He produced, co-wrote, and had a cameo role in the movie Jigsaw (1949). He directed Nancy Davis, Ray Milland, and John Hodiak in Night into Morning (1951).

During the 1950s and early 1960s, he was a director, producer and host for a number of television series such as Front Row Center and Boris Karloff's Thriller, Father of the Bride, and Telescope. He directed the movie The Incredible Journey (1963) for Walt Disney. Markle is also credited for signing Lorne Greene to play Ben Cartwright in Bonanza.

Markle returned to radio in late 1978 as one of the writers for Sears Radio Theater.

Markle received an Academy Award nomination for the documentary film The V-1: Story of the Robot Bomb,

Personal life Markle married Helen Blanche Willis in Toronto in 1944, and they divorced on June 14, 1949. They had a son, actor and writer Stephen Markle. and they divorced in 1962 after 12 years of marriage, during which he adopted her son. Markle's third marriage was to Dorothy Conradt, from 1963 until his death in 1991.

Death On May 23, 1991, Markle died at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California, of heart failure, aged 70.

Filmography

Producer Journey Together (1949) Jigsaw (Uncredited, 1949) Grounds for Marriage (1951) Panic! (1 episode, 1958) Front Row Center (Unknown episodes, 1949) Ford Television Theatre (Unknown episodes, 1952) Life With Father (Unknown episodes, 1953) Studio One (1 episode, 1953) Front Row Center (5 episodes, 1955) Colgate Theatre (1 episode, 1958) Frances Farmer Presents (Unknown episodes) Thriller (8 episodes, 1960) Hong Kong (5 episodes, 1961) Vacation Playhouse (1 episode, 1965) Telescope (8 episodes, 1966-1971)

Director

Studio One (Unknown episodes) Front Row Center (Unknown episodes) Jigsaw (1949) Night into Morning (1951) The Man with a Cloak (1951) The Ford Television Theatre (1 episode, 1952) Footlights Theater (1 episode, 1953) Front Row Center (4 episodes, 1955) Rendezvous (Unknown episodes) The George Sanders Mystery Theater (8 episodes, 1957) Panic! (1 episode, 1958) Colgate Theatre (episode "Tonight in Havana," 1958) Buckskin (1 episode, 1959) Thriller (1 episode, 1960) Hong Kong (1 episode, 1961) Father of the Bride (Unknown episodes) The Incredible Journey (1963) Vacation Playhouse (1 episode, 1965) Telescope (2 episodes, 1964-1966) Julia (2 episodes, 1969) The Wonderful World of Disney (1 episode, 1977)

Writer The Lady from Shanghai (Uncredited, 1947) Jigsaw (1949) The Wednesday Play (1 episode, 1964)