John Conte

John Conte (September 15, 1915 – September 4, 2006) was an American stage, film and TV actor, and television station owner.

Early years Conte was born in Palmer, Massachusetts. He later got jobs as a radio actor and singer.

Radio Conte entered broadcasting with a job at KFAC in Los Angeles. Two years later, he had become a network announcer. One of his first regular roles was on The Grape Nuts Program (1937–1938) with George Burns and Gracie Allen. Conte was host for Screen Test and master of ceremonies for the Maxwell House program that featured Fanny Brice and Frank Morgan. It Happened in Hollywood, and The Screen Guild Show.

Stage In 1947, he appeared in Rodgers and Hammerstein's short-lived Broadway musical Allegro, although his singing voice doesn't appear on the original Broadway cast recording, his understudy, Robert Reeves, made the recording. He returned to Broadway in 1950 to appear in the musical Arms and the Girl (1950) and Carousel (1954).

Film His major film role was Drunky in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). He also was seen in The Carpetbaggers and Lost in a Harem. He had a featured guest appearance with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows about a year later. In 1953, Conte was host of Personality Puzzle, a game show on ABC.

Conte made five guest appearances on Perry Mason: In three different episodes, he played the role of the murder victim. In another episode, he was the defendant, and, in still another, the murderer.

In 1955, Conte played major roles in at least two of the Max Liebman Presents television productions. Conte appeared in Naughty Marietta as French Governor Le Grange of New Orleans (actually the French pirate Bras Piqué) - while in The Desert Song, he appeared as Captain Paul Fontaine.

From October 31, 1955, to July 27, 1959, Conte was the host of Matinee Theater, a one-hour color anthology program on the fledgling NBC Television Network. The program aired at 12 noon New York Time live to the entire network from its new color studios in Burbank, California. Color television was new at that time and the network needed a program that would allow technicians to see if their new home television set installations were working properly. Conte served as host of the program throughout its run.

In 1968, he and his long-term third wife, Sirpuhe Philibosian Conte, launched KMIR-TV, In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Death On September 4, 2006, Conte died at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 90. He was survived by his wife, a son, two stepdaughters, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. 1960 Perry Mason Charles Television show - Episode: "The Case of the Madcap Modiste"

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1952 Musical Comedy Theater Yolanda and the Thief