Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Paul Birch, born Paul Lowery Smith in Atmore, Alabama, was a stocky and barrel-chested actor, gifted with a resonant baritone speaking voice. Birch was a veteran of 39 movies, 50 stage dramas and an untold number of television shows, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951). He entered motion pictures via small roles in several westerns in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In the middle 1950s he became part of the repertory company of Roger Corman, where he achieved star billing, but which he left following a physical confrontation with Corman during the filming of one of Birch's best-remembered films, Not of This Earth (1957), which had to be completed with the use of a double.

In the late 1950s, Birch starred, along with William Campbell, in the syndicated series Cannonball (1958), a half-hour drama/adventure show about long-haul truckers. He was the original "Marlboro Man" in TV commercials and played both Union Gen. U.S. Grant and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in several historical playlets. He started out as the first of the original members of the Pasadena Playhouse and his stage work included "The Caine Mutiny". He was often called upon to play Grant due to the striking resemblance (when bearded) he bore to the former General and President. He enjoyed playing the roles of Lee and Grant and once remarked, "There were times when I was switching those two roles so fast I could have surrendered to myself."

Birch died on May 24, 1969 in St. George, Grenada, West Indies.

Grandfather of <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0902623/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Ned Luke</a>, who along with brother Steve
Luke own The Varsity Room Restaurant in Danville, Illinois where a
third brother, &quot;B J&quot;, is the Danville High School athletic director.

Grandson Matthew Luke is Head of Media Management for Al Jazeera America.

Trivia

Paul Birch

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