Actor House Peters Jr Dies

The television actor - who was known for playing Sheriff Jim Billings in Lassie in the 50s and 60s - died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Los Angeles, said his son, Jon Peters.

Another of the actor's memorable roles was as the original Mr Clean on Proctor & Gamble's commercials for household cleaners. From the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, he helped advertise the household cleaner with the trademark jingle, "Mr Clean, Mr Clean".

Peters Jr played many supporting roles through his lengthy career, including working with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry on their television shows. He also appeared in Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone and Lassie.

He always played the heavy, Jon Peters said, referring to his father's customary roles as a villain or brawny character.

The actor also wrote an autobiography, Another Side Of Hollywood, in which he described growing up the son of an actress and silent film actor in Beverly Hills.

His father, Robert House Peters Sr, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Reported by Most Popular In USA