Bill Alton(1924-1998)
- Actor
- Composer
Bill Alton was one of the founding members of Chicago's Second City,
along with Edward Asner,
Alan Arkin,
Joan Rivers and others. Both his wife,
Dolores Alton, and his ex-wife,
Zohra Lampert, were also members of the
troupe. He got involved with the "Second City" while attending the
University of Chicago after fighting in World War II. He also appeared
with "The Compass". His live theatrical debut was in "Three Blind
Mice", with Melvin Douglas and he also
appeared on
That Was the Week That Was (1962)
and
General Electric Theater (1953).
He went on to appear in numerous television commercials such as the
Thom McCann "Man in the Shoe" until the early 1970s, when he switched
to directing. A winner of numerous awards for his direction of such
commercials as "You're the Cream in my Coffee" and "Take the Nestea
Plunge", Bill retired from directing in the 1980's to begin teaching
acting in New York City and at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville,
New York. Late in life, Bill appeared on Broadway in "Our Town", which
was taped for broadcast on PBS and "UbU" with
Oliver Platt. Bill passed away at the
Actor's Fund Retirement Home in Englewood, New Jersey in 1998.
