Actor, producer and voice actor Jim Begg died Friday, Feb. 15. He was 69. MSTies will remember him as baseball-obsessed henchman Larry in episode 204- CATALINA CAPER and as helpful townie Fatso in episode 523- VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS.
Born William James Begg in Battle Creek, Mich., he began his career as an actor in New York before moving to Los Angeles, where he worked steadily throughout the 1960s and ’70s. In addition to the two roles above, he appeard in movies including “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “The Cool Ones,” “It’s a Bikini World,” “The Love God?” “Inside O.U.T.” and “An Enemy of the People.”
He also appeared on the small screen many times, including guest-starring roles in “Gunsmoke,” “Bewitched,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Petticoat Junction,” “Love, American Style,” “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Happy Days.” Begg also did animation voice work: he was the voice of Scoots in the 1969 Hanna-Barbera series “Cattanooga Cats” and the voice of Wheelie in several 1973 episodes of “Bailey’s Comets.”
He gave up acting in the early 1980s to become a producer, mostly of TV-movies such as “The Kid with the 200 I.Q.,” “The Kid with the Broken Halo, “The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins,” “Her Life as a Man,” “Thompson’s Last Run” and “Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI”.
He is survived by wife Judith and son Andrew James.
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RIP.
It’s ludicrously tragic.
. . .
“MSTies will remember him as…”
All I remember about him is his colorful shirt in Catalina Caper.
Sad. He wasn’t all that old either. By coincidence I was just watching Catalina Caper.
I’ll always remember Jim Begg as the goofy guy who held his hands up and said, “You got me” in Catalina Caper. While it sounds like he had a more accomplished career, people like Jim Begg leave their marks in more auspicious ways. Whether he liked it or not, Jim Begg was the comic relief of a movie or TV show, the clown with the silly hat and loud Hawaiian shirt. Would we want to remember him any other way?
Rest in Peace, Mr. Jim Begg; may second-banana Heaven welcome you, and whatever you do, learn from TV’s Frank and stay on Pat Butram’s good side!
THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN RULES!!!
Atta boy, Luther!
“You know, my mother liked good food. She used to always say, “I’d rather have good food than bad food any day of the week.””
Calver! Calver! What are you doin’ here?, you’re dead!!
Lest we forget, Mr. Begg was also Steak n Shake’s spokesperson in the 1970s:
http://tinyurl.com/2btrdd