Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998), was an American actor who starred in such movies as Creature from the Black Lagoon(1954) and An Affair to Remember (1957), and on radio with Lucille Ball as her husband, George Cooper, in My Favorite Husband (1948–1951), the forerunner of television's I Love Lucy, for which Denning was replaced by Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz.

Biography

Denning was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger, Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. He became an actor, best known for his recurring role as the fictitious governor of Hawaii, Paul Jameson, in the CBS crime drama, Hawaii Five-O(1968–1980), starring Jack Lord. He also starred as the title character in the detective series Michael Shayne (1960–1961) and shared title billing with Barbara Britton in the detective series Mr. and Mrs. North (1952–1954). He was later cast as Dr. Greg Graham in the 1959 series, The Flying Doctor.

He appeared three times on the ABC religion anthology series Crossroads, as Dr. Ira Langston in "Chinese Checkers" (1955) and as the Reverend George Bolton in "The Bowery Bishop" and as the Reverend Lloyd E. Williams in "The Pure White Orchid" (both 1956).

According to Denning, after military service during World War II disrupted his career, he still waited eighteen months thereafter before Paramount Pictures put him back to work. During that time period, Denning and his family lived in a mobile home that he alternately parked at Malibu and Palm Springs. His period of unemployment ended when he was hired to star on the radio opposite Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband.

Denning was already retired and living on the island of Maui with his wife, when producer Leonard Freeman telephoned him with an offer to appear as the governor in Hawaii Five-O. Freeman guaranteed Denning five-hour days and a four-day work week in order to snag him.

Personal life

Denning was married to 1940s horror movie queen Evelyn Ankers (co-star of The Wolf Man), who retired from films at the age of thirty-two after they were married. After Ankers' death from cancerin 1985, Denning married Patricia Leffingwell.

Source: Wikipedia