About Jerry Paris
William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and for directing the majority of the episodes of the sitcom Happy Days. == Early life == Paris was born on July 25, 1925, in San Francisco, California to a Jewish family. His parents were Samuel Aaron Paris and Esther Mohl. His mother subsequently married Milton Grossman when Paris was a small child, but Paris never legally adopted his stepfather's surname. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he attended New York University and the Actors Studio in New York City. After graduating, Paris moved to Los Angeles, where he attended UCLA and studied acting at the Actors Lab in Hollywood. == Career == Paris had roles in films such as The Caine Mutiny, The Wild One and Marty. He also played Martin "Marty" Flaherty, one of Eliot Ness's men, in a recurring role in the first season of ABC-TV's The Untouchables, as well as making guest appearances on other television series. From 1961 to 1966, Paris played the recurring character of dentist Jerry Helper, next-door neighbor and friend of Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, appearing in 39 of 158 episodes. In 1963, Carl Reiner, the show's creator and producer, gave Paris his first chance to direct one of the episodes.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.