He wished he had more of all three. “He was a great character. > Thanks much for this one, Brad; I had no idea of the Armitage/Osborne connection! https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-franken-dobie-gillis-dies-366702 Mr. Franken joined the series in 1960, replacing the young actor who had played Milton Armitage, the show’s original rich kid: Warren Beatty. Steve Franken, a character actor whose long career included playing the spoiled young millionaire Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the popular sitcom “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” in the early 1960s, died Aug. 24 at a nursing center in Canoga Park, Calif. Season 2. A publicity shot from "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" by 20th Century Fox TV shows (from left to right) Dwayne Hickman as Dobie Gillis, Bob Denver as Maynard G. Krebs and Steve Franken as Chatsworth Osborne, Jr. (20TH CENTURY FOX). In addition to his wife, Mr. Franken is survived by their daughter, Anne; two daughters from his marriage to Julia Carter, which ended in divorce, Emily Franken and Abigail Glass; and two grandchildren. He graduated from Cornell University and launched an acting career against his parents’ wishes. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Poor value for the money. Steve Franken, a character actor specializing in comedy who appeared in films with Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis and others, but was best known for playing the … Steve Franken, a veteran character actor whose long career included playing the spoiled young millionaire Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the popular situation comedy … Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. He was 80. In addition to his wife of 25 years, survivors include their daughter, Anne; two daughters from a previous marriage, Emily Franken and Abigail Glass; and two grandchildren. Inspired by a poem and the prospect of winning Thalia's heart, Dobie embarks on a hunger strike, evoking from his family and friends admiration, worry and even wrath. Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., is the millionaire dilettante in 35 of the 142 episodes of the CBS television situation comedy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Steve played it very well.”, Hickman said that when he appeared at an autograph show with Mr. Franken a few years ago, “Steve told me people were still coming up to him on the street asking for his autograph and calling him Chatsworth.”, But Hickman said Mr. Franken did many things in his career and was “a very serious actor.”. Despite chemotherapy treatments, his wife said, Mr. Franken continued to audition for TV and movie roles and to work in theater until a month before he died. “They wanted him to go to medical school, but he went straight to New York,” his wife said. Directed by Rod Amateau. In a career of more than 50 years, Mr. Franken appeared in scores of TV shows and several movies, including “The Party,” “The Americanization of Emily,” “The Missouri Breaks” and the Jerry Lewis comedies “Which Way to the Front?” and “Hardly Working.”, But many TV fans may best remember Mr. Franken as Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.”. He was a frequent guest on popular shows like “Bewitched” and “Love, American Style,” and also appeared on “Mission: Impossible,” “Seinfeld” and many other series. Steve Franken, a character actor specializing in comedy who appeared in films with Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis and others, but was best known for playing the wealthy and snobbish Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the hit sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, died on Friday in Los Angeles. Stephen Robert Franken was born in Queens on May 27, 1932. Steve Franken as Chatsworth Osborne, Jr (1960-1963) Dobie Gillis Theme Song “Dobie” by Lionel Newman and Max Shulman. Poor quality print. Chatsworth Osborne, Jr., a spoiled young man who flaunted his social status, not to mention his money, to snare the attractive girls who eluded Dobie. Chatsworth Osborn, Jr. was indeed played by Steve Franken, who I believe is now deceased. Producer Rod Amateau saw him in a Los Angeles stage production of Say, Darling and cast him as playboy dilettante Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, starring Dwayne Hickman. Campaign manager Zelda wants to have Dobie sing like Chatsworth … “He was obsessed with the idea of being an actor.”. And, of course, everything was grand, and he was so rich. He graduated from Cornell University and began acting in New York City in plays like “Inherit the Wind,” the fictionalized account of the Scopes trial. Mr. Franken studied at the Actors Studio in New York and later appeared in many theater productions in Los Angeles. ... as Chatsworth Osborne Jr. However for $18+ you get only 2 twenty-five minute (without commercials) episodes. He was the only person to call me ‘Dobie-do.’ Chatsworth Osborne Jr. — what a great name. You’ll recognize Chatsworth Osborne, Jr. He’s a character actor that’s been in stuff for 60 … 285 Norwood Street, Central City, was the business location and residence of the Gillis family. Dwayne Hickman was Dobie Gillis, the star of the show. (16) 1963 7+. He was 80. Steve Franken in the 1968 film, "The Party," directed by Blake Edwards. as a concerned Father! Watch The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - Season 3, Episode 13 - Blue Tail Fly: Dobie runs against Chatsworth for student council. Steven Franken who portrayed Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on Dobie Gillis has died at the age of 80 in Los Angeles. He was 80. Mr. Franken’s television and film career lasted more than 50 years. He lusts after many nubile women, notably Thalia Menninger. Steve Franken, a character actor specializing in comedy who appeared in films with Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis and others, but was best known for playing the wealthy and snobbish Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the hit sitcom “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” died on Friday in Los Angeles. ... "This future film star played Milton Armitage on 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis… Zelda Gilroy was played by Sheila James, now Sheila Kuehn (sp), a lesbian California legislator. Jean Franken said her husband was especially proud of his performance in director Blake Edwards’s film “The Party,” a 1968 comedy starring Peter Sellers, in which Mr. Franken played a drunken waiter who never speaks a word. Dobie Gillis (Dwayne Hickman) was an average teen. “He and Peter Sellers worked out most of the improvisations themselves for that,” she said. His character, Chatsworth, was a boastful rich kid who nonetheless was friendly with Dobie (Dwayne Hickman), a grocer’s son, and his beatnik friend, Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver). > Franken came in to play Milton's cousin, Chatsworth Osborne Jr. Doris > Packer played the mother of both, as Clarice Armitage and then Clarice > Osborne. If you were a fan of the 1959 TV series of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, I am sure you remember the character of Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.If so, I am saddened to tell you that Steve Franken, the actor who played Chatsworth Osborne, Jr, has died at the age of 80. September 1, 2012 Steve Franken, a character actor whose long career included playing the spoiled young millionaire Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the popular sitcom “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” … Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has in jest long referred to Carlson as Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., a character on the old Dwayne Hickman CBS television series, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, played by Stephen Robert "Steve" Franken (1932-2012). He was 80. They perform on the CBS television comedy series, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Eternal Rest Grant unto him Lord,May he Rest in Peace,Amen. • Dwayne Hickman as Dobie Gillis, a clean-cut teenager (later young adult) and unremarkable student whose young heart finds poetry and literature resonant. With Dwayne Hickman, Frank Faylen, Florida Friebus, Bob Denver. If you were a fan of the classic late 1950s-early 1960s coming-of-age TV sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, you probably enjoyed disliking that insufferable scion of wealth, Chatsworth Osborne, Jr., who was Dobie's romantic rival and antagonist. In a gallery shot Sept. 30, 1959. Select from premium Dobie Gillis of the highest quality. Bruce McBroom/United Artists, via Photofest. “Blake let them go.”. Based on the novels created by Max Shulman, this TV classic starred Dwayne Hickman as Dobie, a 17-year-old whose main goal in life was to find the girl of his dreams, Bob Denver co-stars as Dobie's beatnik friend Maynard G. Krebs, whose passion was to avoid work at any cost, and Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus as Dobie's parents, who were never too far away to worry about Dobie… He aspires to have dates with all of the beautiful girls he pursues, despite the pressures of home life, high school, and later the military and college. The cause was cancer, his wife, Jean, said. He thought about money, cars and girls. Steven Franken who is probably best known for his portrayal of Chatsworth Osborne Jr. in the Dobie Gillis series has died of cancer in Los Angeles. … The character, played by Steve Franken (1932-2012) was introduced midway through the first season and returned as a recurring character in the second, third, and fourth seasons of the program, 1960-1963. “Warren Beatty did about four or five shows and wanted to go do movies,” Hickman told the Los Angeles Times. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. On “Dobie Gillis” Franken played rich teen Chatsworth Osborne Jr., antagonist to the title character, played by Dwayne Hickman. Find the perfect Dobie Gillis stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Steve Franken, Actor in ‘Dobie Gillis,’ Dies at 80, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/arts/television/steve-franken-actor-in-dobie-gillis-dies-at-80.html. Dobie Gillis was played by Dwayne Hickman. I was only half way paying attention when he mentioned a question by Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.. Well I had to think a minute because I knew that name from someplace and then all of a sudden it came to me that it was a character on the old Dobie Gillis show and was played by a very fine character actor named Stephen Franken. Season 4. Steven Franken who portrayed Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on Dobie Gillis has died at the age of 80 in Los Angeles. Maynard G. Krebs was played by Bob Denver. Rest in Peace,Steve Franken! My Condolences to his Wife and Daughters on their Loss! Season 3. Stephen Robert Franken was born on May 27, 1932, in Queens. He acted in films with a long list of stars, including Peter Sellers in “The Party” and “The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu”; Mr. Lewis in “Which Way to the Front?” and “Hardly Working”; Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson in “The Missouri Breaks”; and James Garner and Julie Andrews in “The Americanization of Emily.”. “Once he had done that, he wasn’t going to come back and do ‘Dobie Gillis.’ But because he was gone, we got Steve, and he was wonderful.”, As the snobbish Chatsworth, “he wore clothes that were expensive, polo outfits and a polo stick and all that,” Hickman said. and later on in an episode of EMERGENCY! Season 1. Franken appeared as a recurring guest in numerous episodes from 1960 to 1963. Dobie Gillis Tidbits. The cause was cancer, his wife, Jean, said. Dobie Gillis is an average teenager living in average Central City with an average desire--girls! He landed the Chatsworth role after going to Los Angeles to be in José Ferrer’s production of “Edwin Booth,” in which he played a young version of the title character. Season 4. But Mr. Franken first gained widespread attention on “Dobie Gillis,” which ran from 1959 to 1963. Franken made his film debut in 1958 in Stage Struck and then portrayed Willie on Playhouse 90, that same year in his television debut. I very much enjoyed your work on,THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS as spoiled rich Chatsworth Osborne,Jr. Steven Franken who is probably best known for his portrayal of Chatsworth Osborne Jr. in the Dobie Gillis series has died of cancer in Los Angeles. Rich teen Chatsworth Osborne Jr. — what a great name residence of the Gillis family themselves. Lusts after many nubile women, notably Thalia Menninger, notably Thalia Menninger series, the many LOVES Dobie. Notably Thalia Menninger Beatty got his start on that CBS show May he Rest in Peace Amen... 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