'Dragnet' actor Herb Ellis dies at age 97

Actor Herb Ellis, known for his role in 'Dragnet' died at age 97. (Peter Gun: Spartan Productions)

Actor Herb Ellis, known for collaborating with Jack Webb to create the iconic TV series “Dragnet” died on Dec. 26 at age 97.

Deadline reports that Ellis passed away in San Gabriel, California just before the New Year. Born Herbert Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio, the popular radio actor and director went on to write a pilot with Webb titled “Joe Friday, Room Five.” The outlet reports that this would eventually serve as the foundation to what would eventually become the police procedural “Dragnet.”

Diehard fans may remember Ellis from the first eight episodes of the series. Ellis started out as Officer Frank Smith during the 1952 premiere but was later replaced by Ben Alexander until the series’ end in 1959. However, it’s worth noting that he voiced the character on the radio when “Dragnet” began in 1949.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Ellis also played bistro owner Wilbur on the NBC and ABC crime drama “Peter Gunn.” He went on to play big-screen roles in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” and Billy Wilder’s “The Fortune Cookie.”

Other credits include “Bewitched,” “The Fugitive,” “My Favorite Martian,” “Perry Mason,” “Sanford and Son” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”