Arthur Franz

Best known as a 1950's B-movie actor, Arthur Franz first showed an interest in acting while in high school. Like many in the movie making industry, Franz served in the military during World War II. He was a B-24 Liberator navigator in the United States Army Air Force. Shot down over Romania, he was thrown into an enemy POW camp, from which he managed to escape. Upon returning to the states he pursued an acting career with relish, and broke into film in 1948 as Lieutenant 'Mace' Willard in "Jungle Patrol." The following year, Franz appeared in six films, most of them B-movies.

By the '50s he had built a reputation as a solid actor for genre films, and was cast steadily. In 1952, his title character in "The Sniper" terrorized the city of San Francisco, brutally shooting down women after being rebuffed by the object of his affection. In a career that spanned three decades, Franz landed numerous notable roles, yet his most acclaimed is undoubtedly Lt. JG H. Paynter Jr. in the maritime drama "The Caine Mutiny." After making over 140 appearances in television and film, Franz retired in 1982. He died 24 years later at the age of 86.