Milton Frome

A character actor who appeared in approximately 150 films and TV shows over his nearly 50-year career, Milton Frome worked alongside some of the great talents of his time, from small parts in classic TV shows like "Batman" with Adam West to playing second fiddle in Jerry Lewis films. Frome's career failed to ignite after his 1934 screen debut, and it sputtered throughout the 1940s until, as television gained popularity, he began to appear in TV shows. He did guest spots on the beloved "I Love Lucy" and on the teen comedy "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," lending his talents to dozens of shows and shorts, including those of The Three Stooges towards the end of their run in the late '50s. Soon he began to work in features, with supporting parts in 1960s classics including the Dick Van Dyke/Janet Leigh musical comedy "Bye Bye Birdie" and Jerry Lewis' screwball comedy"The Nutty Professor." He worked on Lewis' enormously popular comedies several times throughout the 1960s, including "The Disorderly Orderly" and "The Family Jewels." Frome had a knack for falling easily into roles like policemen and professors, and seems to have played every type of profession throughout his career. Memorable parts throughout the later 1960s include nepotistic studio head Lawrence Chapman on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and informant/car salesman Laughing Leo on "Batman." He carried on with TV appearances until 1982, and lived in Los Angeles until his death seven years later.