Garrett "Barry" Atwater (May 16, 1918 – May 24, 1978) was an American character actor who appeared frequently on television from the 1950s into the 1970s. He was sometimes credited as G.B. Atwater.
Life and career
The son of the landscape painter of the same name, Garrett Atwater was born in Denver, Colorado. He served as head of the UCLA Sound Department before he began his acting career.[1]
By 1960, he had achieved enough stature to be named by host Rod Serling in the on-screen promo as one of the stars of the well-known CBSTwilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". Atwater made six guest appearances on Perry Mason including as Robert Benson in the 1959 episode "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager" and as murder victim Dr. Stuart Logan in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Cheating Chancellor". A Variety review of the latter stated that Atwater played the part with "correct nastiness".[11]
Those Perry Mason episodes were preceded by a 1956 appearance on Gunsmoke, in the episode “Robin Hood”, where he shared the screen with future Mason great William Hopper.
Atwater in the mid-1960s spent three years on the ABCsoap operaGeneral Hospital while he also made prime-time appearances, billing himself as G.B. Atwater from 1963 to 1965, a period in which he was cast in supporting parts. About his nine-month stint on General Hospital, Atwater said, "It was a good experience and good income, but it got tiresome. Shows like that are written for women, and the men are all emasculated".[14][15] In 1971 he guest-starred in a 2-part episode of Hawaii Five-0, "The Grandstand Play". By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Atwater was again scoring primary guest-star roles, particularly on fantasy and science fiction series, including The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Invaders,The Wild Wild West, The Outer Limits ("Corpus Earthling"), Night Gallery and Kung Fu, where his altered facial appearance suited his grim and sinister countenance due to its menacing intensity.[16]
On the stage
Atwater performed regularly on stage throughout his career. In January 1958, it was announced that Atwater would be in a benefit performance in Passing of the Third Floor Back with the Episcopal Theatre Guild.[17] He received positive notice in the Los Angeles Times for his appearance in Volpone.[18] Atwater also appeared on stage in 1965 in The Disenchanted at the Actors Theatre.[19] In 1966, he was in the Edward Albee play Tiny Alice at the Ivar Theatre.[20] In 1968, he directed and performed in the play A Slight Ache at the Hollywood-Vine Methodist Center.[21]
Sci-fi legacy
Atwater was one of the few actors to play a character from Spock's planet on Star Trek: The Original Series, portraying Surak, father of Vulcan philosophy, in the episode "The Savage Curtain". Atwater could not achieve the Vulcan salute naturally, so when he bids farewell in a medium shot, he has to first lower his arm so his hand is out of camera view as he pushes his fingers against his body to configure them properly.[22]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised Atwater's performance in The Night Stalker, writing, "that gifted character actor Barry Atwater is terrific as the vampire".[23] Keith Ashwell of the Edmonton Journal wrote that Atwater was "a prince among vampires".[24]
He also guest starred in a 1963 episode of The Outer Limits, "Corpus Earthling", with Robert Culp as scientist Dr. Temple in 1963.
Personal life
Atwater embraced and attributed his career success to the practice of Zen.[25]
In 1956, Atwater's West Los Angeles home was burgled after thieves removed a cat door to gain entry. Atwater was robbed of several hundred dollars' worth of clothes, jewelry, and other property.[26]
Atwater died on May 24, 1978 after suffering a stroke, only eight days after his 60th birthday.[27]
