Stars & Players · Biography

Don Haggerty

1914–1988 · Actor

Biography

Don Haggerty (b. July 3, 1914, Poughkeepsie, New York – d. August 19, 1988, Cocoa Beach, Florida) was an American film actor appearing in films in the 1940s and 1950s. 

Before entering films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the US military. Usually cast as tough policemen or cowboys, he appeared in a number of memorable films including Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1951), Angels in the Outfield (1951) and The Narrow Margin. The B-movie actor continued to appear in films until the early 1980s. In the 1955-1956 season, he appeared as the outlaw Sam Bass in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated Stories of the Century.

In 1956-1957, Haggerty appeared as Sheriff Elder in Rod Cameron's syndicated western-themed crime drama, State Trooper. He appeared at this time in three episodes of the syndicated western 26 Men about the Arizona Rangers. In 1959, he guest starred in Bruce Gordon's docudrama about the Cold War, Behind Closed Doors. In 1960, Haggerty guest starred on the NBC crime drama Dan Raven starring Skip Homeier. He also appeared as Joe Wine in the 1961 episode "Alien Entry" of the syndicated series The Blue Angels. About this time, he also appeared in the episode "The Green Gamblers" of the crime drama The Brothers Brannagan.

Notable Noir Roles

The Gentleman from Nowhere

1948Dir. William Castle · Bill Cook

Security guard, wounded in a robbery of furs, arouses the suspicions of an insurance investigator.

Pitfall

1948Dir. André de Toth · District Attorney's Man

An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.

Armored Car Robbery

1950Dir. Richard Fleischer · Detective Driving Final Pursuit Car

While executing an armored car heist in Los Angeles, icy crook Dave Purvis shoots policeman Lt. Phillips before he and his cronies make off with the loot. Thinking he got away scot-free, Purvis collec…

Cause for Alarm!

1951Dir. Tay Garnett · Mr. Russell

A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.

Full Noir Filmography

7 films · 1948–1956