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Hank Patterson
Actor

Hank Patterson

9 Oct 1888Born
23 Aug 1975Died
86Age at death
108Credits

Biography

Hank Patterson (born Elmer Calvin Patterson; October 9, 1888 – August 23, 1975) was an American actor and musician. He is known foremost for playing two recurring characters on three television series: the stableman Hank Miller on Gunsmoke and farmer Fred Ziffel on both Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.

Patterson found plenty of movie work, mainly playing cantankerous types as well as blacksmiths, hotel clerks, farmers, shopkeepers and other townsmen, usually bit roles and character parts in Republic Pictures westerns, and then in popular juvenile TV westerns such as The Cisco Kid, The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Lone Ranger, and Annie Oakley.

Patterson played recurring or different ro

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les in adult/family TV westerns, including the role of "Hank Miller" in 33 episodes of Gunsmoke from 1962 through 1972, on Have Gun-Will Travel (eleven episodes), Death Valley Days (nine episodes), Tales of Wells Fargo (seven episodes), Maverick (four episodes), Cheyenne (four episodes), Wagon Train (three episodes), Daniel Boone (three episodes), The Virginian (two episodes), The Rifleman, Bonanza, and in episodes of Lawman, Bat Masterson, The Restless Gun, and many others.

He made additional TV appearances, including three episodes of The Twilight Zone as well as Perry Mason, Burke's Law, The Untouchables, Judd for the Defense, My Three Sons, and in later years The Mod Squad and Love, American Style.Highway Patrol.

In 1963 Patterson first appeared in what would become a recurring role as farmer Fred Ziffel on the popular CBS rural comedy Petticoat Junction. In 1965 CBS debuted another rural comedy, Green Acres. Both series were set in the mythical farming community of Hooterville, with characters from Petticoat Junction often also appearing in Green Acres, including Patterson's Fred Ziffel character. It was on the popular, irreverent Green Acres that Patterson earned his greatest fame. In 1965 and 1966—two of the years in which the two series ran concurrently—Patterson frequently appeared in both shows in the same week on primetime.

The association of Patterson's character with the popular character Arnold, the pet pig whom Fred and his wife Doris treated as a son, ensured Patterson a place in TV history. Arnold attended school, watched TV and was a talented artist, piano player, and actor. He even "talked" (snorted, grunted and squealed) in a language that everyone in Hooterville seemed to understand except Oliver Wendell Douglas (Green Acres co-star Eddie Albert).

According to westernclippings.com "Characters and Heavies" by Boyd Magers, "Ironically, by the time Patterson was doing 'Green Acres' he was in his late 70s and almost completely deaf, but the producers loved his portrayal so much they worked around his hearing impairment by having the dialogue coach lying on the floor out-of-shot tapping Hank's leg with a yardstick as a cue to speak his line."

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 108 credits.

  1. 1969Love, American StyleSeries: Farmer (1 episode)
  2. 1968The Mod SquadSeries (1 episode)
  3. 1967The Guns of Will SonnettSeries (1 episode)
  4. 1967Cimarron StripSeries (1 episode)
  5. 1967CusterSeries (1 episode)
  6. 1965The LonerSeries: The Bartender (1 episode)
  7. 1965LaredoSeries (1 episode)
  8. 1965Green AcresSeries: Fred Ziffel (31 episodes)
  9. 1965The Legend of Jesse JamesSeries: Porter (1 episode)
  10. 1964Daniel BooneSeries: Jed Harper (uncredited), Gray, Fiddler (1 episode)
  11. 1963Petticoat JunctionSeries: Fred Ziffell (11 episodes)
  12. 1963Burke's LawSeries: Lukey Slade (1 episode)
  13. 1962The Beverly HillbilliesSeries (1 episode)
  14. 1962The VirginianSeries: Old Man (1 episode)
  15. 1961StraightawaySeries (1 episode)
  16. 196187th PrecinctSeries (1 episode)
  17. 1961Miami UndercoverSeries (1 episode)
  18. 1961The Absent-Minded ProfessorFilm: Fisherman Spectator (uncredited)
  19. 1961Mister EdSeries (1 episode)
  20. 1960The Andy Griffith ShowSeries: Hobo (1 episode)
  21. 1960The WesternerSeries: Sample (1 episode)
  22. 1960The Tall ManSeries (2 episodes)
  23. 1960Gunfighters of AbileneFilm: Andy Ferris
  24. 1959The AlaskansSeries (1 episode)
  25. 1959The Twilight ZoneSeries: Old Man, Freitag, Mr. Gentry (1 episode)
  26. 1959Johnny RingoSeries: Old Man (1 episode)
  27. 1959Lock-UpSeries (1 episode)
  28. 1959The DuPont Show with June AllysonSeries: Mr. Phillips (1 episode)
  29. 1959RiverboatSeries: Rare, Johnny Mullins (uncredited) (1 episode)
  30. 1959BonanzaSeries: Blacksmith (1 episode)
  31. 1959Lone TexanFilm: Jack Stone (uncredited)
  32. 1959Gunmen from LaredoFilm
  33. 1959No Name on the BulletFilm: Ed - Chess Player (uncredited)
  34. 1959Black SaddleSeries: Harvey Morgan (1 episode)
  35. 1959RawhideSeries: Simpson (1 episode)
  36. 1958Monster on the CampusFilm: Townsend - Night Watchman
  37. 1958The Decks Ran RedFilm: Moody
  38. 1958Bat MastersonSeries: Prospector, Soda Smith, Warren T. 'Soda' Smith (1 episode)
  39. 1958Westinghouse Desilu PlayhouseSeries (1 episode)
  40. 1958The RiflemanSeries (1 episode)
  41. 1958The TexanSeries (1 episode)
  42. 1958BroncoSeries: Railroad Costigan (1 episode)
  43. 1958The Saga of Hemp BrownFilm: Gil Henry
  44. 1958Terror in a Texas TownFilm: Brady
  45. 1958Earth vs. the SpiderFilm: Hugo
  46. 1958Attack of the Puppet PeopleFilm: Night Manager, Theater Janitor
  47. 1958Sea HuntSeries (1 episode)
  48. 1957The New Adventures of Spin and MartySeries: Pete Duggan (1 episode)
  49. 1957The Amazing Colossal ManFilm: Henry
  50. 1957TrackdownSeries (1 episode)
  51. 1957Perry MasonSeries: Jack Gilly (1 episode)
  52. 1957Have Gun, Will TravelSeries (9 episodes)
  53. 1957Gunsight RidgeFilm: George Clark (uncredited)
  54. 1957Beginning of the EndFilm: Dave
  55. 1957The Storm RiderFilm: Milstead
  56. 1956JulieFilm: Ellis
  57. 1956Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreSeries: Slim Baker, Jonas Mulvey (1 episode)
  58. 1956Strange IntruderFilm: Knife Grinder
  59. 1956The First Traveling SalesladyFilm: Courtroom Spectator
  60. 1955TarantulaFilm: Josh
  61. 1955Highway PatrolSeries (1 episode)
  62. 1955Sergeant Preston of the YukonSeries (1 episode)
  63. 1955Navy LogSeries (1 episode)
  64. 1955CheyenneSeries: Sunset (1 episode)
  65. 1955GunsmokeSeries: Jake, Carl, Judge, Crowbait, Carl Miller, Hank Miller, Cowboy, Hank Miller (uncredited), Livery Man (1 episode)
  66. 1955The Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpSeries (2 episodes)
  67. 1955Phantom TrailsFilm: Jess Morgan
  68. 1955Buffalo Bill Jr.Series (3 episodes)
  69. 1954Southwest PassageFilm: Barstow
  70. 1953Jack SladeFilm: Old Tom
  71. 1953City DetectiveSeries (1 episode)
  72. 1953Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic InvadersFilm: Jed Larson
  73. 1953Woman They Almost LynchedFilm: Townsman (uncredited)
  74. 1952The Abbott and Costello ShowSeries: The Tramp (1 episode)
  75. 1952Death Valley DaysSeries: Phi Jones (1 episode)
  76. 1952Hopalong CassidySeries (1 episode)
  77. 1952California ConquestFilm
  78. 1952Gang BustersSeries (1 episode)
  79. 1951Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSeries (1 episode)
  80. 1951The Adventures of Wild Bill HickokSeries (3 episodes)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.