Bruce Gordon

Bruce Gordon (February 1, 1916January 20, 2011) was an American actor best known for playing gangster Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables. His acting career ranged over a half century and included stage, movies, and a varied number of roles on the small screen. Early life Gordon was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. His first appearance on Broadway was in 1937 in the musical drama The Fireman's Flame. From 1941 to 1945, he played the role of Officer Klein alongside Boris Karloff in the original cast of Arsenic and Old Lace on Broadway. He had an "Introducing" credit in the 1949 Marx Brothers film Love Happy. Television On television, he appeared in numerous episodes of such early programs as The Goldbergs, The Nash Airflyte Theater, Studio One, Justice, Kraft Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Californians, Whirlybirds, and the premiere episode of Decoy. In 1958, Gordon appeared in a memorable bit role as one of Jean Lafitte's pirates in Anthony Quinn's movie spectacle The Buccaneer, alongside a cast including Yul Brynner, Charlton Heston and Claire Bloom. He had a similar role in 1960 as the character Garnett in the episode "Forbidden Island" of the NBC western television series, Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin as the captain of the vessel, the Enterprise. The episode focuses on Cajun outlaws who inhabit a remote island in the Mississippi River. Gordon appeared in the syndicated western series, Man Without a Gun, starring Rex Reason. In 1958, he guest starred on the NBC western Jefferson Drum and on the same network's adventure series Northwest Passage, with co-stars Keith Larsen and Buddy Ebsen. Gordon's role was that of a sadistic prison official. The program was based on Kenneth Roberts' 1937 novel about Major Robert Rogers and his efforts to help the British during the French and Indian War. That same year, Gordon was cast as Myers, the trigger man in the episode "The Stool Pigeon" of the syndicated series, U.S. Marshal, starring John Bromfield. Also, in 1958, he guest starred in Gunsmoke season three, episode 19 "Kitty Caught" and Robert Culp's western series, Trackdown, episode "The Mistake" as the character, Steve Marriner.