Born: October 5, 1935
Died: March 21, 2016 (at age 80)
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Pierre Lind de Lappe, known as Peter Brown (October 5, 1935 - March 21, 2016), was an American actor best known for his four-year role as young Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop in the 1958 to 1962 ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Lawman and as Texas Ranger Chad Cooper on NBC's Laredo from 1965 to 1967.
Brown was born in New York City. His mother, Mina Reaume, was a stage and radio actress, playing the "Dragon Lady" on the Terry and the Pirates radio serial. He had an older brother, Phillip, and two younger half brothers, Paul and Michael. Peter took the name Brown from his stepfather, Albert Brown.
During his United States Army service in Alaska with the 2nd Infantry Division (United States), Brown became involved in writing, directing and acting in plays to entertain the other troops. Upon his discharge, Brown studied Drama at the University of California, Los Angeles and soon was appearing in plays and on NBC Matinee Theatre. Brown also supported himself by working in a gasoline station on the Sunset Strip. One night a man paid for his purchase with a credit card reading "Jack L. Warner". Brown asked the customer whether he was one of the Warner Brothers, the man replied "I'm the last one left". The next day Brown was offered a screen test at the studio.
As a contract player for Warner Brothers, Brown appeared in the films Red Nightmare and Darby's Rangers. Though his role in Onionhead was cut from the completed film, the producer Julius Schermer hired him for Deputy Johnny McKay in Lawman, an important part that lasted from 1958 to 1962. Brown was the last surviving member of the series. Brown also appeared in the 1962 film, Merrill's Marauders.
Brown appeared in dozens of other television shows and did several crossovers with other western series as Johnny McKay, including Maverick, in the 1961 episode "Hadley's Hunters," featuring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, along with a host of characters from other Warner Brothers. westerns, including Cheyenne (Clint Walker), Bronco (Ty Hardin), and Sugarfoot (Will Hutchins). In the Cheyenne episode "Renegades" (1958), Brown at twenty-two was cast as 17-year-old Jed Wayne, who enlists in the United States Army after his father is killed in an attack by Comanche renegades. Olive Sturgess played Kathy Donovan, who takes an interest in young Wayne and is the daughter of the fort commander, Colonel Ralph Donovan (Bartlett Robinson), who distrusts the Indians. The episode also focuses on the spirit and endurance of Wayne's mortally lame horse and the wisdom of the Comanche chief, Little Elk (Steve Darrell).
Brown twice guest-starred in another ABC/WB western, Colt .45, with Wayde Preston. He appeared as Dave with Andrew Duggan and Bob Steele, who were cast as Jim Rexford and Sergeant Granger respectively in "The Peacemaker" or "Judgment Day", the series premiere in 1957. Thereafter that same season, he was cast as Jimmy Benedict opposite Charles Bronson as the outlaw Danny Arnold in the episode "Young Gun". In the story line, Benedict, who wants to make a name for himself, challenges Arnold to a gunfight.
After his contract with Warner Brothers lapsed, Brown made two films for Walt Disney Studios, including Summer Magic with Hayley Mills and Burl Ives. He appeared in other television series too, such as Redigo, starring Richard Egan as a New Mexico rancher. He contracted to Universal Pictures for the 1965 NBC western television series Laredo, set on the Mexican border in and about Laredo, Texas.
Brown appeared in the pilot for Police Woman, starring Angie Dickinson.
Brown began the 1970s in exploitation films such as Foxy Brown, Chrome and Hot Leather, and Rape Squad and many soap operas. On Days of Our Lives, he played Dr. Greg Peters from 1972-1979 who was involved in a romance with Amanda Howard (Mary Frann). He was Laurie Brooks' attorney, Robert Laurence, on The Young and the Restless (1981-1982) when she was on trial for the murder of her former mother-in-law, Vanessa Prentiss. After the storyline ended, he romanced Laurie's sister, Leslie Brooks, but that ended when his wife Claire came out of a long comatose state. He would return briefly to "Y&R" in between soap stints in the late 1980s. Peter replaced John Shearin as Roger Forbes on Loving during its early days, but was written out after only a couple of months. From 1986-1987, he played Charles Sanders, former ambassador to Mendora on One Life to Live whose family briefly dominated the front-burner of the soap. His character memorably had a heart attack and died on the evening of his wedding to Lee Halpern. Later on, he played Blake Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful, the ex-husband of Dr. Taylor Forrester. He continued to perform in various American television guest-star roles.
Brown was married five times. His wives were:
Brown had a son, Joshua (born 1977), by Amber Karlson, with whom he lived from 1974 until 1979.
Brown had a daughter, Christi (born in 1961), by Merle Pertile.
Brown's brother, Phil, worked as an NBC Television West Coast operations coordinator in Burbank, California.
Brown died on March 21, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona, from complications of Parkinson's disease, aged 80.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | The Story of Esther Costello | Swimmer | Uncredited |
1957 | Sayonara | 2nd MP | Uncredited voice |
1958 | Darby's Rangers | Pvt. / Cpl. Rollo Burns | |
1958 | Too Much, Too Soon | Young Nightclub Patron | Uncredited |
1958 | Marjorie Morningstar | Alec | Uncredited |
1958 | Violent Road | Marine Corporal | Uncredited |
1958 | No Time for Sergeants | Radio Disc Jockey | Uncredited voice |
1958 | Onionhead | Clark | Scenes deleted |
1959 | Westbound | Army Sentry Outside Tent | Uncredited voice |
1962 | Merrill's Marauders | Bullseye | |
1962 | Red Nightmare | Bill Martin | Short film |
1963 | Summer Magic | Tom Hamilton | |
1964 | Tiger Walks, AA Tiger Walks | Vern Goodman | |
1964 | Ride the Wild Surf | Chase Colton | |
1964 | Kitten with a Whip | Ron | |
1970 | Attack at Dawn | Abie | |
1971 | Teenage Tease | ||
1971 | Chrome and Hot Leather | Al | |
1972 | Piranha, Piranha | Jim Pendrake | |
1973 | Gentle Savage | - | Executive producer |
1974 | Foxy Brown | Steve Elias | |
1974 | Memory of Us | Winston | |
1974 | Act of Vengeance | Jack | |
1975 | Sunburst | The Professor | |
1976 | Sparkle | - | Executive producer |
1982 | Concrete Jungle, TheThe Concrete Jungle | Danny | |
1986 | Aurora Encounter, TheThe Aurora Encounter | Sheriff | |
1986 | Messenger, TheThe Messenger | Harris | |
1990 | Deathstone | Admiral | |
1995 | Fists of Iron | Max | |
1997 | Asylum | Dr. Frank Meyers | |
1999 | Wasteland Justice | Wilkerson | |
2001 | Wedding Planner, TheThe Wedding Planner | Justice | |
2004 | Hollywood, It's a Dog's Life | Hank O'Hara | |
2004 | Y.M.I. | Glenn | |
2004 | Land of the Free? | Sen. Jacobs | |
2005 | Three Bad Men | Tom Noland | |
2005 | Hell to Pay | Johnny Behan |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | Colt .45 | Jimmy Benedict in “Young Gun”, Dave in “The Peacemaker” | |
1957-1960 | Maverick | Chris Semple in “Point Blank” (1957), Rip Fallon in “Stage West” (1957), Deputy Johnny McKay in “Hadley's Hunters” (1960) | |
1957-1962 | Cheyenne | Clay Conover in “Top Hand” (1957), Jed Wayne in “Renegades” (1958), Billy Younger in “Ghost of the Cimarron” (1958), Ross Andrews in “Pocketful of Stars” (1962) | |
1958-1959 | Sugarfoot | Davey Reeder in “Hideout” (1958), Deputy Johnny McKay in “Trial of the Canary Kid” (1959) | |
1958-1962 | Lawman | Deputy Johnny McKay | 156 episodes |
1962 | Hawaiian Eye | Teo | Episode: “Lalama Lady” |
1962 | 77 Sunset Strip | Timmy Ellison in “The Gang's All Here”, Trace Morgan in “Wolf! Cried the Blonde” (1962) | |
1963 | Gallant Men, TheThe Gallant Men | Lt. Hodges | Episode: “The Bridge“ |
1963 | Alfred Hitchcock Hour, TheThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Ed in “Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog“, Det. Philip Reardon in “Death of a Cop“ | |
1963 | Redigo | Johnny Porter in “The Blooded Bull“ | |
1963-1964 | Wagon Train | Benedict O’Brien in “The Adam MacKenzie Story” (1963), Aaron Balfour in “The Geneva Balfour Story” (1964), Ben Campbell in “Those Who Stay Behind” (1964) | |
1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Lieutenant Ben Hollister in “The Action of the Tiger”, Chris Forrester in “One Tiger to a Hill” | |
1964-1967 | Virginian, TheThe Virginian | Craig Ryan in “Return a Stranger” (1964), Chad Cooper in “We've Lost a Train” (1965), Tom Conlan in “A Small Taste of Justice” (1967) | |
1965-1967 | Laredo | Chad Cooper | 56 episodes, three of which are a credit only. Credited as Chad Cooper/Prince Lazlo in “A Prince of a Ranger” (1966) |
1967 | Danny Thomas Hour, TheThe Danny Thomas Hour | Eddie Kimble | Episode: “The Enemy“ |
1969 | Best Years, TheThe Best Years | Dempster | Made-for-television movie |
1969 | Mod Squad | Lou Franklin | Episode: “The Debt” |
1970 | Hunters Are for Killing | Raymond Pera | Made-for-television movie |
1970 | Most Deadly Game, TheThe Most Deadly Game | Scott Norton | Episode: “War Games” |
1971 | My Three Sons | Mike Turley | Episode: “The Love God” |
1971 | Dan August | Fred Bowers | Episode: “The Manufactured Man” |
1971 | Mission: Impossible | Johnny Brown | Episode: “Blind” |
1971 | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury | S.A. Bart Herron | Episode: “Operation: Spread” |
1972 | Medical Center | Dr. Musante | Episode: “Deadlock” |
1972 | Bob Newhart Show, TheThe Bob Newhart Show | Stan Conners | Episode: “Tennis, Emily?” |
1972-1978 | Days of Our Lives | Dr. Greg Peters | 10 episodes (four in 1972, two 1973, one in 1976, three in 1978) |
1973 | Magician, TheThe Magician | Ray Weaver | Episode: “The Vanishing Lady” |
1974 | Police Story | Lloyd in “The Gamble”, Chuck in “Love, Mabel” | |
1975 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Mike Ross | Episode: “The Covenant” |
1975 | Matt Helm | Episode: “Dead Men Talk”, Episode: “Murder on Ice” | |
1975 | Police Woman | Paul Monarch | Episode: “Above and Beyond” |
1977 | Streets of San Francisco, TheThe Streets of San Francisco | Officer Brady | Episode: “One Last Trick” |
1977 | Quincy M.E. | Bondine - College Football Coast | Episode: “Main Man” |
1978 | Wonder Woman | Inspector Tim Bolt | Episode: “Hot Wheels” |
1978 | Charlie’s Angels | Mark Correll | Episode: “Angels Ahoy” |
1978 | Vega$ | Richie | Episode: “The Pageant” |
1978 | Eddie Capra Mysteries, TheThe Eddie Capra Mysteries | Episode: “Breakout to Murder” | |
1978 | Flying High | Richard | Episode: “Brides and Grooms” |
1979 | Salvage 1 | Bill Kelly | Episode: “Salvage” (pilot) |
1979 | Project U.F.O. | Steve Rollins | Episode: “Sighting 4026: The Atlantic Queen Incident” |
1979 | California Fever | Woods | Episode: “Beach Wars” |
1980 | Dukes of Hazzard, TheThe Dukes of Hazzard | Floyd Baker | Episode: “Officer Daisy Duke” |
1980 | Top of the Hill | McCain | Made-for-television movie |
1980 | Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything, TheThe Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | Bodyguard | Made-for-television movie |
1981 | Fantasy Island | Patrick O'Herlihy | Episode: “Elizabeth's Baby/The Artist and the Lady” |
1981 | Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, TheThe Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Hijacker Thompson | Episode: “Airsick - 1981” |
1982 | Dallas | Tom Flintoff | Episode: ”Denial” |
1982 | Magnum, P.I. | Robert Brighton | Episode: “Heal Thyself” |
1983 | Hart to Hart | Ray Martin / Dr. Scott | Episode: “As the Hart Turns” |
1983 | Loving | Roger Forbes | |
1983 | T.J. Hooker | Lt. Drummer | 2 episodes: “Carnal Express” and “Chinatown” |
1983 | Manimal | Carl McGhan | Episode: “High Stakes” |
1984 | Whiz Kids | Androv | Episode: “Father's Day” |
1984 | Cover Up | Mark Reynolds | Pilot episode |
1984 | Fall Guy, TheThe Fall Guy | Episode: “San Francisco Caper” | |
1984 | Riptide | Fred Cushing | Episode: “Peter Pan Is Alive and Well” |
1984-1986 | Simon & Simon | FBI Agent Frank Kenniman in “The Dillinger Print” (1984), Manny Crobett in “Mobile Home of the Brave” (1986) | |
1985 | Crazy Like a Fox | Episode: “Till Death Do Us Part” | |
1985 | Knight Rider | Episode: “Knight Behind Bars” | |
1986 | Airwolf | Herb Waldron | Episode: “Little Wolf” |
1986 | The A-Team | Episode: “The Theory of Revolution” | |
1986-1987 | One Life to Live | Charles Sanders, III | Featured Role |
1988 | Ohara | Austin Snyder | Episode: “Last Year's Model” |
1988 | Aaron's Way | Coach Grady | Episode: “New Patterns” |
1988 | 1st & Ten: The Championship | Mal Hutchins | Episode: “Caught in the Draft” |
1989 | Hunter | Fuller | Episode: “Partners” |
1989 | Generations | Doctor | 4 episodes |
1989-1991 | The Young and the Restless | Robert Laurence | 6 episodes |
1990 | Baywatch | Bucky | Episode: “Shark Derby” |
1991-1992 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Blake Hayes | 6 episodes |
1992 | Wings | Dr. Lasker | Episode: “Noses Off” |
1994 | One West Waikiki | Mr. Dineheart | Episode: “Along Came a Spider” |
1997 | Babylon 5 | Minister | Episode: “Intersections in Real Time” |
2000 | JAG | Bill Layton | Episode: “Real Deal SEAL“ |
2001 | Disney's California Adventure TV Special | Made-for-television movie |