Craig Stevens American actor Date of Birth: 08.07.1918 Country: USA

Biography of Craig Stevens

Craig Stevens, born Gail Shikles, Jr., was an American actor who achieved fame under his stage name. He was born in 1918 in Liberty, Missouri, USA, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Stevens' father, who was a school principal, noticed his son's shyness and made efforts to help him overcome it. Despite his shyness, Stevens excelled in basketball, often outperforming older boys. However, he struggled with public speaking, which led him to question his career choice of becoming a dentist.

During his time at the University of Kansas, Stevens became interested in acting through his participation in student plays. Eventually, he enrolled in drama courses at Paramount Studios. Changing his name to Craig Stevens, the young actor began his ascent to fame. He started his career on the theatrical stage and made his film debut in 1939 with a small role as a sailor in the movie "Coast Guard." In 1941, Stevens played the lead role in the short film "At the Stroke of Twelve."

In 1944, Stevens married Canadian actress Alexis Smith, with whom he spent nearly 50 years until her death in 1993. They did not have any children. Although Stevens appeared frequently in films, his roles were mostly minor and forgettable. It wasn't until the late 1950s that luck smiled upon him with the launch of the television series "Peter Gunn" in 1958, in which he played the titular character. This role earned him an Emmy nomination, and the series aired from 1958 to 1961.

In many projects released after 1960, including "Dallas," "The Incredible Hulk," "Starsky and Hutch," "Hotel," and "Murder, She Wrote," Stevens can be seen under the pseudonym Michael Gale, which caused some difficulties in identifying the actor. Despite his success in film and television, Stevens continued to appear on theater stages, including Broadway.

In 1967, a film titled "Gunn" was made based on the popular television series, with Stevens reprising his role. Among Stevens' most popular projects are the series "Dallas," "The Incredible Hulk," "Starsky and Hutch," "Hotel," "Murder, She Wrote," and many others. The total number of roles played by Craig Stevens varies in different sources, ranging from a few films to 130 roles. This discrepancy is due to the different pseudonyms used by the actor.

Stevens' last film role was in Blake Edwards' comedy "S.O.B." in 1981. He made a few appearances in television series during the 1980s before retiring from his career. Craig Stevens passed away on May 10, 2000, at the age of 81, due to cancer in Los Angeles.