Steve Conte

Steve Conte (January 16, 1920 – April 28, 1997) was an Italian-born American actor who immigrated with his family to the United States in the early 1920s. He often played henchmen, thugs, and criminal types, besides playing ethnicities. His career lasted nearly thirty-seven years in both film and television. He appeared in approximately fifty different television series and more than thirty films. He worked at least a half dozen times with B Grade director Jerry Warren.

Background Conte was born in Gagliato, Italy. He came with his family via boat to New York. His adolescent years were spent in New York as well. During World War II, he was based in Europe as part of the United States Army Air Corps, the forerunner of the United States Air Force. After the war, he married his wife Shirley, by whom he had two children. Their marriage lasted until their divorce in the 1950s. In 1992, he was reunited with his son Steve, who was born in 1960 and placed for adoption. He died of Alzheimer's disease on April 28, 1997, at the age of 77. He was buried at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

As a character actor, he was able to have a good run of work for some time. Many of the roles that he played were of the rugged type.

Career

1950s One of Conte's earliest roles was in 1950 as the road agent in "Shotgun Messenger", the first episode of The Marshal of Gunsight Pass. Also the same year he played Matt Riley in the Western film Gunfire. The following year he played the Apache kid in the "Ten Thousand Reward" episode of The Range Rider. Also that year he played Henchman Mac in Cattle Queen. In 1959, he played Whorf in Teenage Zombies.

In 1952, Conte was cast as a villain, Jerry, in the episode, "Self Made Man," of Death Valley Days.

1960s In 1960, Conte guest starred in the M Squad episode, "The Man Who Lost His Brain". He appeared that same year in the Overland Trail episode "All the O'Mara Horses." He played the role of Doyle Black in The Rifleman S2 E27 "Lariat" in 1960. In 1962, he played Cabot in Terror of the Bloodhunters. In 1966, he appeared in The Wild World of Batwoman (1966).

1970s to 1980s The early 1970s, Conte appeared in such films as The Gatling Gun in the role of Private Mitchell, and in the Sci-Fi The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler as a radio operator. In the late 1970s, he played a prison guard in the Harold Becker-directed The Onion Field.

One of his last appearances is credited as an orderly in the Jeffrey Obrow/Stephen Carpenter-directed horror film, The Kindred, in 1987.

Role types

Thugs and criminals Throughout Conte's career, he played some twenty-three roles as henchman, thug, and criminal types.

He played the part of Henchman Mac in the 1951 film, Cattle Queen of Montana, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan, and Henchman Lait in the television series, Hopalong Cassidy.

In 1954, Conte played a bandit in the Wild Luke's Boy episode of General Electric Theater. In 1955, he played a henchman in the Dick Ross directed film, Wiretapper, and Cyclops, "One-Eyed Henchman" in the Guns Below the Border episode of The Gene Autry Show. He had also played a henchman in two previous episodes of the show. He played henchmen in three episodes of Batman which were, Penguin Is a Girl's Best Friend, Penguin Sets a Trend, and Penguin's Disastrous End.

Filmography (selective) Television + Title Episode # Role Director Aired Year Notes # The Marshal of Gunsight Pass Shotgun Messenger The Road Agent 1950 The Range Rider Ten Thousand Reward Apache Kid David R. Lederman 1951 The Gene Autry Show Trouble at Silver Creek Henchman Buzz George Archainbaud March 9 1952 The Gene Autry Show The Trail of the Witch 'Breed' – Lead Henchman George Archainbaud 1952 Death Valley Days Self-Made Man Barfly Stuart E. McGowan December 12 1952 As Steve Conti Death Valley Days Cynthy's Dream Dress First Robber Stuart E. McGowan March 3 1953 As Steve Conti Ramar of the Jungle Mark of Shaitan Luku – Head Porter Paul Landres June 27 1953 The Gene Autry Show Outlaw Stage Jim, 3rd Robber Wallace Fox July 21 1953 The Gene Autry Show Border Justice Ralph, Cleanshaven Henchman Wallace Fox August 18 1953 Hopalong Cassidy The Jinx Wagon Henchman Lait George Archainbaud November 12 1953 Mayor of the Town Happy Birthday Benson John Rawlins 1954 General Electric Theater Wild Luke's Boy Bandit Alfred E. Green 16 May 1954 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Blushing Brides Tawshonie Don McDougall March 18 1955 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Ghost Town Stannard Robert G. Walker April 29 1955 Damon Runyon Theater Tobias the Terrible Leslie H. Martinson 21 May 1955 Death Valley Days I Am Joaquin Henchman Garcia Stuart E. McGowan June 7 1955 The Gene Autry Show Stage to San Dimas Bert Nixon George Archainbaud October 8 1955 Cheyenne The Argonauts Acuna Richard L. Bare November 1 1955 The Gene Autry Show Guns Below the Border Cyclops – One-Eyed Henchman George Archainbaud November 5 1955 My Friend Flicka Wind from Heaven Robert Gordon Tim Connell February 3 1956 The 20th Century-Fox Hour Crack-Up Announcer Ted Post February 8 1956 Death Valley Days Nevada's Plymouth Rock Plug Bailey Stuart E. McGowan February 13 1956 The Adventures of Champion The Real Unfriendly Ghost Fred Hackett John English 1956 The Adventures of Champion Calhoun Rides Again Rapp John English March 3 1956 Star Stage The Sainted General Herschel Daugherty April 6 1956 Superman Jimmy the Kid Thug No. 2 Philip Ford April 28 1956 Buffalo Bill, Jr. Secret of the Silverado George Archainbaud 21 May 1956 Buffalo Bill, Jr. Angelo Goes West George Archainbaud 29 May 1956 Dragnet The Big Steal January 17 1957 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Dual Control Snake Paul Henreid November 1 1957 Batman (TV Series) Penguin is a Girl's Best Friend/ Penguin Sets a Trend/ Penguin's Disastrous End Second henchman Stanford Sherman January 26, February 1, February 2 1967

Film + Title Year Role Director Notes # Gunfire 1950 Matt Riley William Berke (as Steve Conti) Cattle Queen 1951 Henchman Mac Robert Emmett Tansey Hiawatha 1952 Minor Role Kurt Neumann Uncredited Goldtown Ghost Riders 1953 Blackwell George Archainbaud Appointment in Honduras 1953 Stranger Jacques Tourneur Uncredited Trader Tom of the China Seas 1954 First Rebel on Horseback Franklin Adreon Uncredited Wiretapper 1955 Henchman Dick Ross A Day of Fury 1956 Mugg Harmon Jones Uncredited I Was a Teenage Werewolf 1957 Gene Fowler Jr. Uncredited Gun Battle at Monterey 1957 Posseman Sidney FranklinCarl K. Hittleman Uncredited The Book of Acts Series 1957 Agrippa II Eddie Dew Vertigo 1958 Burglar Alfred Hitchcock Uncredited The Black Orchid 1958 Hood Martin Ritt Uncredited Teenage Zombies 1960 Whorf Jerry Warren Terror of the Bloodhunters 1962 Cabot Jerry Warren Dangerous Charter 1962 Goon Robert Gottschalk Shot in 1958 The Violent and the Damned 1962 Convict Carl ChristensenJerry Warren Face of the Screaming Werewolf 1964 The Hired Thief Gilberto Martínez SolaresRafael López PortilloJerry Warren Attack of the Mayan Mummy 1964 The Hired Thief Rafael PortilloJerry Warren TV movie The Wild World of Batwoman 1966 Bruno Jerry Warren Flareup 1969 Lt. Franklin James Neilson Change of Habit 1969 Man in Scene 166 William Graham Uncredited The Gatling Gun 1971 Pvt. Mitchell Robert Gordon The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler 1971 Radio Opr.#2 Bob Wynn The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 1978 Wrangler Larry Peerce Fast Break 1979 Man on Bus Jack Smight The Onion Field 1979 Prison Guard No. 1 Harold Becker Hamburger: The Motion Picture 1986 Security Guard No. 3 Mike Marvin The Kindred 1987 Orderly Jeffrey ObrowStephen Carpenter (final film role)