fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Peter Webster Palmer (September 20, 1931 – September 21, 2021)[1] was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Li'l Abner, alongside Edie Adams, both on Broadway and on film.

Peter Palmer
Palmer as Li'l Abner and Edie Adams as Daisy Mae, 1956.
Born	Peter Webster Palmer (1931-09-20)September 20, 1931 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	September 21, 2021(2021-09-21) (aged 90) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–1990s
Spouse(s)	Jackie Palmer ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1964)​ Mary Lou Farrell ​ ​ (m. 1966; died 2011)​
Children	6

Life and career

Palmer was born on September 20, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2] He was offered scholarships to a number of universities;^{[citation needed]} he chose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign[2] to study voice under Bruce Foote. He was the first music major to letter in football at the university. While at Illinois his team won the Big Ten championships in 1951 and 1953 and the Rose Bowl in 1952. Palmer sang the national anthem at every home game in 1953 before taking the field.^{[citation needed]}

In 1956, Palmer was cast in the title role of the musical Li'l Abner, for which he won a Theatre World Award.[3] Having won a singing contest while in the U.S. Army, he was rewarded with an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where he sang "Granada". The producers of the musical, Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, happened to spot him on the Sullivan show and sought out to hire him immediately.[4] In 1959, he was cast in the same role in the movie version. His Li'l Abner role brought him a guest appearance on The Ford Show (starring Tennessee Ernie Ford).

In 1967, Palmer had a recurring role as Sergeant James Bustard, a former Confederate States of America soldier in the short-lived series Custer. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Palmer appeared on numerous television episodes, including small parts on Dallas, M*A*S*H, and Emergency! He appeared on Broadway with Carol Channing in Lorelei in 1974. In 1977, he had a regular role as part of the cast on the short-lived sitcom The Kallikaks, playing Oscar Heinz.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

In 1954, Palmer married his first wife, Jackalee Ann "Jackie" Gleason; they divorced in 1964. In 1966, he married Mary Lou "Aniko" Farrell; Palmer had six children, five with first wife, Jackie (Jack, Scott, Sherri, Mike, Kathy, and Steven). With his second wife, Aniko, he had a daughter, Farrell Beth Palmer.[5]

Death

Palmer died in Tampa, Florida on September 21, 2021, the day after his 90th birthday.[6]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Li'l Abner	Li'l Abner Yokum
1988	Deep Space	Pike
1988	A Time of Destiny	Policeman
1990	Edward Scissorhands	Editor

References

External links

• Peter Palmer at IMDb
• Peter Palmer at the Internet Broadway Database
• Peter Palmer: If I Had My Druthers... — interview at BroadwayWorld.com
• Peter Palmer discography at Discogs

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