Peter Palmer (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.
DiedSeptember 21, 2021(2021-09-21) (aged 90)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1956–1990s
Spouses
Jackie Palmer
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1964)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1966; died 2011)​
    Children6
    Peter Palmer and Carol Channing in Lorelei on Broadway (1974)

    Life and career

    Palmer was born on September 20, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2] He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[2]

    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).

    Palmer said that he tired of the Li'l Abner role after six months of the show's 22-month run. "It stamped me so definitely as a hillbilly type," he said, "that everything else I was offered afterward was in a similar vein".[5] He tried to alter that image by singing in night clubs and making recordings of his singing in operettas.

    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.

    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. He had 7 children: with his first wife, Jackie, he had 5 (Sherri, Scott, Kathy, Mike, and Steven); with his second wife, Aniko, he had a daughter, Farrell Beth; Palmer had a son, Jack, from a previous relationship. [6]

    Death

    Palmer died in Tampa, Florida on September 21, 2021, the day after his 90th birthday.[4]

    Filmography
    Year Title Role Notes
    1959Li'l AbnerLi'l Abner Yokum
    1988Deep SpacePike
    1988A Time of DestinyPoliceman
    1990Edward ScissorhandsEditor

    References
    1. Obituary, Hollywoodreporter.com. Accessed August 26, 2022.
    2. "Peter Palmer, 90". Classic Images. November 2021. p. 46.
    3. Theatre World Awards Recipients, theatreworldawards.org; accessed January 15, 2017.
    4. Barnes, Mike (September 22, 2021). "Peter Palmer, Star of 'Li'l Abner' on Broadway and the Big Screen, Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter.
    5. Freund, Bob (June 16, 1962). "Peter Palmer's Steps Dogged by California, Long Beach'l Abner". Fort Lauderdale News. p. 10. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
    6. The St. Petersburg Evening Independent, October 20, 1983.
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