Paul Picerni

Paul Picerni (born December 1, 1922) is an American actor, born in New York City, New York.

Biography

He was and Eagle Scout and a first lieutenant and bombardier during World War II assigned to the Asian theatre. He flew 25 combat missions and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also the bombardier on the plane that bombed and destroyed the real bridge made famous in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). After peace was declared he became special services officer in India. Following the war he enrolled at Loyola Marymount University at Los Angeles.

As a young actor returning from the war, he appeared in military pictures: in Twelve O'Clock High (1949) as a bombardier and as Private Edward P. Rojeck in Breakthrough. This led to a Warner Brothers contract for Picerni and a succession of roles at that studio including a starring turn as the hero in the 1953 horror classic House of Wax. After his departure from Warners, he appeared with Audie Murphy in Universal's To Hell and Back.

In 1954, he appeared as Rube Burrows in the syndicated western television series Stories of the Century, hosted and narrated by Jim Davis. That same year, he appeared in the pilot episode for the 1957-1958 NBC detective series, Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy. Picerni appeared in two episodes, "Gun Hand" and "Badge to Kill" of the 1957-1959 syndicated western series 26 Men, true stories of the Arizona Rangers, starring Tristram Coffin. In 1957, he played a deserter in an episode of the syndicated Boots and Saddles. In 1959, he appeared in an episode of NBC's Northwest Passage adventure series about Major Robert Rogers's exploits during the French and Indian War. That same year, he appeared as a police detective in the episode "The Quemoy Story" of Bruce Gordon's short-lived NBC docudrama about the Cold War, Behind Closed Doors.^[1]

When Italian organizations began to complain about the use of Italian gangsters on TV's The Untouchables starring Robert Stack as G-man Eliot Ness, Picerni joined the cast of the show as Ness's number one aide, Lee Hobson, from 1960-63.

In 1964, he portrayed Pierre Lafitte in The Great Adventure. For some thirty years, Picerni was the half-time master of ceremonies for the Los Angeles Rams home games. He since moved to Anaheim, California.

Picerni, an Italian American, married former ballet dancer Marie Mason in 1947; they have eight children and ten grandchildren. Many of their children and family are employed as Hollywood stunt people including son Paul V. Picerni, Jr., grandson Rick Picerni, and sister Paula Picerni.

His autobiography "Steps to Stardom: My Story," written with the help of Tom Weaver, was published by BearManor Media in 2007.

References

External links

• Paul Picerni at the Internet Movie Database

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