About William Conrad
William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television. A radio writer and actor, he moved to Hollywood after serving in World War II as a fighter pilot and played a series of character roles in films, beginning with the film noir The Killers (1946). He originated the role of Marshal Matt Dillon for the radio series Gunsmoke (1952–1961) and narrated the television adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (1959–1964), Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties (1959–1964), The Fugitive (1963–1967), and Hoppity Hooper (1964–1967). Finding fewer onscreen roles in the 1950s, he changed from actor to producer-director with television work, narration, and a series of Warner Bros. films in the 1960s. Conrad found stardom as a detective in the TV series Cannon (1971–1976) and Nero Wolfe (1981) and as district attorney Jason Lochinvar "J. L., Fatman" McCabe in the legal drama Jake and the Fatman (1987–1992). At KMPC, the 22-year-old Conrad produced and acted in The Hermit's Cave (c. 1940–1944), the Los Angeles incarnation of a popular syndicated horror anthology series created at WJR Detroit. Most prominently, Conrad's deep, resonant voice won him the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS Radio's gritty Western series Gunsmoke (1952–1961).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.