For information regarding guest appearances, interviews, etc…
Contact Terry Martin at tmartin419@aol.com
Mailing Contact: 2109
S. Wilbur Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362
E-mail: Time Machine Collectibles Fax: 509-525-0393
BIOGRAPHY
Lou Wagner is a very special individual. He has
that unique ability to take very little and turn
it into a fortune. Take for example his size.
At
5' 2", Lou was told his chances for success
in this business were definitely slight.
"Everyone said I'd never make it because of
my size, " admits Lou, "but I quess I
learned to turn that shortage into an
asset!"
Upon arriving in Los Angeles from his native San
Jose, Lou banged his head against every door in
town trying to find an agent, and was always
turned down because he was too short or looked
too young. "Finally, somone kiddingly said I
should get a children's agent, and I thought 'Why
Not?'. After all, even though I was 25 at the
time, I could easily pass for a teenager. So I
strolled into Mary Grady's office (a leading
children's agent), talked my way into an
interview, and was signed that day!".
Such determination meant Lou was not afraid start
at the bottom in search of what he wanted---or
afraid to go to the top. After getting an agent,
Lou immediately went to the best theatre group in
town and asked for a job. "I went to Paul
Levit," explains Lou, "who was running
the prestigious Players Ring, and told him I'd
work seven days a week, twelve hours a day for
nothing, just for the opportunity to be around
the very best! I got the job."
Lou became a jack of all trades, mailing
programs, running lights, painting scenery,
selling tickets, and all the while learning. From
this initial exposure to the theatre, Lou landed
a small part playing leper. "I was
thrilled," recalls Lou. "I went from a
schlepper to a leper!"
His hard work and tenacity throughout this period
began to pay off when Lou began to land a variety
of "smart alecky little kid roles"
including parts on several successful series such
as "Dragnet", "Lost in
Space", and "Mayberry R.F.D.". He
also landed a choice role in the hit movie
"Airport", in which Lou, actually 29 at
the time, played a boy 15. "It was a
natural, " confesses Lou. "After all,
with the countless work rules governing real
teenagers, I discovered that every producer would
rather work with an older, more mature actor if
he could get away with it. I simply showed them
how my short size could help them work around
these types of rules!."
It was, as Lou recalls, "a crazy way to
break into the business", but in the end it
worked, for once in the door with a few credits
and some experience under his belt, Lou began to
land other, more substantial parts, such as
starring roles on successful series' such as
"Macmillan and Wife", "Columbo,
and "Happy Days", and utimately his big
breakthrough as "Lucius", the young
idealistic ape in the widely hailed "Planet
of the Apes" film. "Of all the work
I've done, I'm still proudest of that,
"admits Lou. ""I really believed
in waht they were saying."
During the second stage of his career, Lou
devoted every dime he had towards studying. His
list of teachers and coaches reads like a who's
who of Hollywood including Second City's James
Frawley, a master at comedy and improvisational
techniques, Lou Antonio, now a successful
director, Madeleine Sherwood, and even Lee
Strasberg of the famed Actors Studio. "I
originally was a caretaker for them in return for
room and board and, of course, some
lessons," explains Lou. "And I'm still
associated with them to this day."
This constant studying plus the continuous work
and experience he was receiving, meant that Lou
was ready when his next opportunity came along.
Riding high in the mid 1970's after completing
two more sequels to the "Planet of the
Apes" films (one of which featured Lou as a
co-star), and having found some financial
security through landing a choice commercial role
as "the Professor" in the original
McDonald Land commercials opposite "Ronald
McDonald" (a role he played for over 15
years), Lou landed a small role on a new series
called "CHips". As Lou recalls,
"it was originally just a small possibly
recurring part. They were looking to add other
characters to the show and so they were very
eager to see what I coud do," Impressed with
his work, and the public's response to Wagner's
lovable creation "Harlan Arliss", the
whiz kid mechanic with the chip on his shoulder
because he was too short to become a cop, the
producers of "CHips" expanded Lou's
part, making him a regular on the show for five
years, and eventually building whole stories and
subplots around his character. "It was a
wonderful time for me as an actor," explains
Lou, "Because they were always coming to me
for suggestions and ideas regarding my character,
and allowing me the freedom to experiment with
the role."
Now, having successfully completed five years on
a top 10 show, and several box office successes
such as "Airport" and the "Planet
of the Apes" films, one is tempted to ask
"What's next for Lou Wagner?"
"Well," smiles Lou, "I may have
stopped growing physically some time ago, but I
hope I never stop growing as an actor!"
There are a million roles left I'd like to play,
and for a character actor like myself, I hope a
hundred years left to do them!"
It's a dream he seems destined to fulfill, for if
there is one thing Lou Wagner has never been
short on, it's determination and success! |
FILMS (Link to IMDB)
Filmography
Artificially
Speaking (2000) .... Dr. Lionel Bainbridge
Starry Night (1998)
Sunsplit (1997)
Galgameth (1995) .... Zethar
Sodbusters (1994) (TV) .... Shorty Simms
In This Corner (1994) .... Referee
Mirrors (1978) .... Chet
UFO Incident, The (1975) (TV) .... The Leader
Conquest of
the Planet of the Apes (1972) .... Busboy
Marianne
G.O.R.P
Baltimore Bullet
The Zapper
Believe in Me (1971) .... Lucius
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) .... Lucius
Airport (1970) .... Schuyler Schultz
Pufnstuf (1970)
Planet of the Apes (1968) .... Lucius
Notable TV guest appearances
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993)
playing "Krax" in episode: "Nagus,
The (aka
Friends and Foes)" (episode # 1.11)
3/20/1993
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)
playing "Solok" in episode: "Chain
of Command Part 1" (episode #6.10)
12/12/1992
"Hunter" (1984) in episode: "Blood
Line" (episode # 5.16) 4/1/1989
"CHiPs" (1977) playing
"Harlan" (series regular 5 years)
Matt Helm" (1975) in episode: "Now I
Lay Me Down to Die" 1975
Columbo "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974)
"Ross"
"Nichols" (1971) in episode:
"Man's Best Enemy" (episode # 1.21)
2/29/1972
"Alias Smith and Jones" (1971) in
episode: "Fistful of Diamonds, A"
(episode # 1.8) 3/4/1971
"Virginian, The" (1962) playing
"Aaron Hill" in episode: "Nan
Allen" (episode # 9.14) 1/6/1971
"Lost in Space" (1965) playing
"J-5" in episode: "Haunted
Lighthouse"The" (episode #3.7)
10/18/1967
"Dragnet '67" (1967) playing
"Audience Member" "Public
Affairs"
Quincy
Happy Days
Mayberry R.F.D.
Men From Shiloh
Switch
Salvage 1
Nichols (Man's Best Enemy)
McMillan & Wife
THEATER
Three Penny Opera
Tad Pole
The Dybuck
OR
Night Court
Spies
The Country Girl
Presence of Mine Enemies
Big Bill
Something to Hide
The Detective Story
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Light Up The Sky
|
Autographed Photos - Orders - Gallery - Time Machine - Links
Counter
|