Wilton Graff

Wilton Graff (born Wilton Calvert Ratcliffe; August 13, 1903 – January 13, 1969) was an American actor.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Graff, he was born Wilton Calvert Ratcliffe in St. Louis, Missouri, US.[citation needed ] He graduated from West Hartford High School in 1921.

Before he became an actor, Graff worked for newspapers, including The Hartford Times, The Springfield Republican, and the Paris Herald.

Graff debuted on Broadway in Fantasia (1933). His last Broadway appearance was in Gabrielle (1941). He began working in movies in the 1940s and eventually appeared in dozens, usually as a professional man or an authority figure, such as a military officer. He starred in only one film, Bloodlust!, playing against type as an obvious, deranged villain. Most of his work in the last 10 years of his career was on television.

In 1956, he guest starred on James Arness’s TV Western Series Gunsmoke, as “Troy Carver”, in the episode “20-20” (S1E19) as an aging lawman losing both his eyesight and his faith in his ability to handle his job.

Graff was married twice, firstly to Mary Goodwin, from August 6, 1938, until her death on April 11, 1950. They had one child, Nancy Graff. On June 12, 1952, he married Elizabeth W. Wilson, and they remained together until his death.

Graff died in Pacific Palisades, California on January 14, 1969. He was 65 years old.