Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television.
Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "one of the most accomplished actors of the [20th] century". he won a Primetime Emmy Award, was the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
"Although those performances renewed his popularity," observed Mel Gussow in The New York Times (referring to the Penguin and Mickey Goldmill roles), "they represented only a small part of a richly varied career in which he played many of the more demanding roles in classical and contemporary theater—in plays by Shakespeare, O'Neill, Beckett and others." His mother came from a long line of Methodist revivalists,
Career
Theatre
thumb|left|In The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1953)
In 1929, he became a member of Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre company in New York City. Although best known to the larger world audience for his film and television work, Meredith was an influential actor and director for the stage. He made his Broadway debut as Peter in Le Gallienne's production of Romeo and Juliet (1930) and became a star in Maxwell Anderson's Winterset (1935), which became his film debut the following year. His early life and theatre work were the subject of a New Yorker profile. In 1935, he starred along with Hugh Williams at the Martin Beck Theatre in John Van Druten's Flowers of the Forest.
Meredith's performance in the 1935 Broadway revival of The Barretts of Wimpole Street starring Katharine Cornell generated enthusiastic positive reviews from a number of critics. Cornell subsequently cast him in several of her later productions. Some of Meredith's other Broadway roles included Van van Dorn in High Tor (1937), Liliom in Liliom (1940), Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World (1946), and Adolphus Cusins in Major Barbara (1956). He created the role of Erie Smith in the English-language premiere of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie at the Theatre Royal in Bath, England in 1963. He played Hamlet in avant garde theatrical and radio productions of the play.
A distinguished theater director, Meredith earned a Tony Award nomination for his 1974 Broadway staging of Ulysses in Nighttown, a theatrical adaptation of the "Nighttown" section of James Joyce's Ulysses. Meredith also shared a Special Tony Award with James Thurber for their collaboration on A Thurber Carnival (1960). In the late 1970s, he directed Fionnula Flanagan's one-woman multi-role play James Joyce's Women, which toured for several years.
Film
thumb|Meredith in Second Chorus
thumb|thumbtime=14:25|Burgess Meredith is [[The Rear Gunner (1943).]]
Burgess Meredith's stage performances attracted the attention of several Hollywood film producers. Unlike most other movie actors, Meredith never signed a long-term contract with a single studio, preferring to work on individual film projects. Also, unlike some other former stage actors, Meredith successfully adjusted his performances to the film medium. Instead of playing to the audience in the balcony, Meredith now played to the camera, with his performances more controlled and intimate. This gave his screen characters great sensitivity, as he demonstrated in three bravura performances for which he is remembered: as Mio Romagna in Winterset (1936); as George Milton in Of Mice and Men (1939); and as Ernie Pyle in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945). He starred only occasionally in pictures, as in San Francisco Docks (1940, as a longshoreman accused of murder) and Street of Chance (1942, as an amnesiac who may have been a killer). Meredith was featured in many 1940s films, including three co-starring his then-wife Paulette Goddard: Second Chorus (1940), Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), and On Our Merry Way (1948).
As a result of the House Committee on Un-American Activities <!-- (HUAC) --> investigation, Meredith was placed on the Hollywood blacklist and was largely absent from film for the next decade, though he remained involved in stage plays and radio during this time.
Meredith was a favorite of director Otto Preminger, who cast him in Advise and Consent (1962), The Cardinal (1963), In Harm's Way (1965), Hurry Sundown (1967), Skidoo (1968), and Such Good Friends (1971). He was acclaimed by critics for his performance as Harry Greener in The Day of the Locust (1975) and received nominations for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award for best supporting actor. Meredith then played Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the first three Rocky films (1976, 1979, and 1982). Though his character died in the third Rocky film, Meredith returned briefly in a flashback in the fifth film, Rocky V (1990). His portrayal in the first film earned him his second consecutive nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Meredith had a role in Foul Play (1978) with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. He played an old Korean War veteran Captain J. G. Williams in The Last Chase (1981) with Lee Majors. He appeared in Ray Harryhausen's last stop-motion feature Clash of the Titans (also 1981) in a supporting role. Meredith appeared in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and was the voice of Golobulus in G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987). In his last years, he played Jack Lemmon's character's sex-crazed 95-year-old father in Grumpy Old Men (1993) and its sequel, Grumpier Old Men (1995). In 1970, he directed, co-wrote, and played a supporting role in) The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go, an espionage caper starring James Mason and Jeff Bridges.
Television
thumb|Meredith as Henry Bemis in [[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last"]]
Meredith appeared in four episodes of the anthology TV series The Twilight Zone, tying him with Jack Klugman for the most appearances on the show in a starring role.
In his first appearance in 1959 in "Time Enough at Last", Meredith portrayed a henpecked bookworm who finds himself the sole survivor of an unspecified apocalypse that leads him to contemplate suicide until he discovers the ruins of the library. In 1961's "Mr. Dingle, the Strong", Meredith played the title character, a timid weakling who receives superhuman strength from an extraterrestrial experiment in human nature. Also that year in "The Obsolete Man", Meredith portrayed a librarian sentenced to death in a dystopic totalitarian society. Lastly, in 1963's "Printer's Devil", Meredith portrayed the Devil himself. Meredith later played two additional roles in Rod Serling's other anthology series, Night Gallery. Meredith was the narrator for Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1983.
Meredith also appeared in various western series, such as Rawhide (four times), The Virginian (twice), Wagon Train, Branded, The Wild Wild West, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Laredo, Bonanza, and Daniel Boone. In 1963, he appeared as Vincent Marion in a five-part episode of the last season of the Warner Bros. ABC detective series 77 Sunset Strip.
In 1992, Meredith narrated The Chaplin Puzzle, a television documentary that provides a rare insight into Charles Chaplin's work circa 1914 at Keystone Studios and Essanay, where Chaplin developed his Tramp character. Coincidentally, Meredith married actress Paulette Goddard in 1944 following her divorce from Chaplin. After transferring to the Office of War Information, he made training and education films for the U.S. armed forces.
In 1943 he performed in the USAAF's recruiting short The Rear Gunner and the U.S. Army training film A Welcome to Britain for troops heading to the UK in preparation for the liberation of Europe.
He was released from duty in 1944 to work on the movie The Story of G.I. Joe, in which he played the war correspondent Ernie Pyle. He was discharged from the USAAF in 1945. As a nod to his longtime association with the original Twilight Zone series, he served as narrator for the 1983 film based on the series.
He supplied the narration for the 1974–75 ABC Saturday morning series Korg: 70,000 B.C. and was the voice of Puff in the series of animated adaptations of the Peter, Paul, and Mary song Puff, the Magic Dragon. In the mid-1950s, he was one of four narrators of the NBC and syndicated public affairs program, The Big Story (1949–58), which focused on courageous journalists. In 1991, he narrated a track on The Chieftains' album of traditional Christmas music and carols, The Bells of Dublin.
He acted in the Kenny G music video of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which was released in 1994. He played the main character, a projectionist at a movie theater. In 1994, he published his autobiography, So Far, So Good.
His last role before his death was the portrayal of both the Hamilton Wofford and Covington Wofford characters in the 1996 video game Ripper by Take-Two Interactive. Meredith was considered to play the Penguin's father in the 1992 Tim Burton film Batman Returns, but illness prevented him from appearing
Personal life and death
Meredith was married four times. His first wife, Helen Derby Berrien Meredith—the daughter of American Cyanamid president Harry L. Derby—died by suicide in 1940, nearly five years after their divorce. His next two wives, Margaret Perry and Paulette Goddard, were actresses; Goddard suffered a miscarriage in 1944. Meredith's last marriage, to Kaja Sundsten, lasted 46 years and produced two children, Jonathan (a musician) and Tala (a painter). He wrote in his 1994 autobiography So Far, So Good that he had violent mood swings caused by cyclothymia, a form of bipolar disorder. He would sponsor popular horse shows, the funds from the first were used as seed money to pay for legal fees to incorporate the area into the village of Pomona. His shows were popular enough that he would entertain guests dressed in his Penguin costume and invite fellow actors and celebrities to join him.
On September 9, 1997, Meredith died at age 89 from complications of Alzheimer's disease and melanoma in his home in Malibu, California, and his remains were cremated.
|-
| 1976
| Rocky
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1975
| British Academy Film Awards
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role
| The Day of the Locust
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1985
| CableACE Awards
| Best Actor in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special
| Answers
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1962
| National Board of Review Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Advise & Consent
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1977
| rowspan="2"| Primetime Emmy Awards
| rowspan="2"| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special
| Tail Gunner Joe
|
| align="center" rowspan="2"|
|-
| 1978
| The Last Hurrah
|
|-
| 1977
| rowspan="3"| Saturn Awards
| rowspan="3"| Best Supporting Actor
| The Sentinel
|
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <br> <br>
|-
| 1978
| Magic
|
|-
| 1981
| Clash of the Titans
|
|-
| 1977
| Sitges Film Festival
| Best Actor
| Burnt Offerings
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1960
| rowspan="2"| Tony Awards
| Special Tony Award
| A Thurber Carnival
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1974
| Best Direction of a Play
| Ulysses in Nighttown
|
| align="center"|
|}
Honors
- For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Meredith has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- For his onstage contributions, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
- A park was named after him in Pomona, New York, and he provided the funding to incorporate the village.
- In 1977, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1935
| data-sort-value="Scoundrel, The" | The Scoundrel
| Flop House Bum
| Uncredited
|-
| 1936
| Winterset
| Mio Romagna
|
|-
| 1937
| There Goes the Groom
| Dick Matthews
|
|-
| 1938
| Spring Madness
| The Lippencott
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1939
| Idiot's Delight
| Quillery
|
|-
| Of Mice and Men
| George Milton
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1940
| Castle on the Hudson
| Steven Rockford
|
|-
| Second Chorus
| Hank Taylor
|
|-
| data-sort-value="San Francisco Docks, The" | The San Francisco Docks
| Johnny Barnes
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1941
| That Uncertain Feeling
| Alexander Sebastian
|
|-
| Tom, Dick and Harry
| Harry
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Forgotten Village, The" | The Forgotten Village
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| 1942
| Street of Chance
| Frank Thompson / Danny Nearing
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1943
| data-sort-value="Welcome to Britain, A" | A Welcome to Britain
| Himself
| Army Service Forces training film, 1943; uncredited
|-
| data-sort-value="Rear Gunner, The" | The Rear Gunner
| Pvt. L.A. Pee Wee Williams
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1944
| Our Country
| Himself
|
|-
| Hymn of the Nations
| Narrator
| Voice, uncredited
|-
| Salute to France
| the American soldier
|
|-
| Tunisian Victory
| American soldier
| Voice
|-
| Attack! Battle of New Britain
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1945
| data-sort-value="Story of G.I. Joe, The" | The Story of G.I. Joe
| Ernie Pyle
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Walk in the Sun, A" | A Walk in the Sun
| Narrator
| Voice, uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1946
| data-sort-value="Diary of a Chambermaid, The" | The Diary of a Chambermaid
| Captain Mauger
|
|-
| Magnificent Doll
| James Madison
|
|-
| 1947
| Mine Own Executioner
| Felix Milne
|
|-
| 1948
| On Our Merry Way
| Oliver M Pease
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1949
| Jigsaw
| Jack / Bartender
| Uncredited
|-
| data-sort-value="Yank Comes Back, A" | A Yank Comes Back
| Unknown role
| Also writer
|-
| Golden Arrow
| Dick
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Man on the Eiffel Tower, The" | The Man on the Eiffel Tower
| Joseph Heurtin
|Also director
|-
| 1950
| Works of Calder
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| 1954
| Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Invisible Man
| Himself
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1957
| Joe Butterfly
| Joe Butterfly
|
|-
| Albert Schweitzer
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1958
| data-sort-value="Kidnappers, The" | The Kidnappers
| Louis Halliburton
|
|-
| Sorcerer's Village
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1959
| America Pauses for Springtime
| Himself
|
|-
| America Pauses for the Merry Month of May
| Himself
|
|-
| 1962
| Advise and Consent
| Herbert Gelman
|
|-
| 1963
| data-sort-value="Cardinal, The" | The Cardinal
| Father Ned Halley
|
|-
| 1965
| In Harm's Way
| Commander Egan Powell
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1966
| Madame X
| Dan Sullivan
|
|-
| Batman
| Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Crazy Quilt, The" | The Crazy Quilt
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| data-sort-value="Big Hand for the Little Lady, A" | A Big Hand for the Little Lady
| Doc Scully
| As Burgess Meridith
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1967
| Torture Garden
| Dr. Diablo
|
|-
| Hurry Sundown
| Judge Purcell
| Framework Story
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1968
| Stay Away, Joe
| Charlie Lightcloud
|
|-
| Skidoo
| The Warden
|
|-
| Dear Mr. Gable
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| Debrief: Apollo 8
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1969
| data-sort-value="Father, The" | The Father
| Captain Ned
|
|-
| Mackenna's Gold
| The Store Keeper
|
|-
| Hard Contract
| Ramsey Williams
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Reivers, The" | The Reivers
| Lucius / Narrator
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1970
| There Was a Crooked Man...
| The Missouri Kid
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go, The" | The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go
| The Dolphin
| Also director
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| Clay Pigeon
| Freedom Lovelace
|
|-
| Such Good Friends
| Kalman
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1972
| data-sort-value="Fan's Notes, A" | A Fan's Notes
| Mr. Blue
|
|-
| Beware! The Blob
| Old Hobo
| Uncredited
|-
| Mineral King
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| data-sort-value="Man, The" | The Man
| Senator Watson
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1974
| Hay que matar a B.
| Hector
|
|-
| Golden Needles
| Winters
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1975
| data-sort-value="Day of the Locust, The" | The Day of the Locust
| Harry Greener
|
|-
| 92 in the Shade
| Goldsboro
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Master Gunfighter, The" | The Master Gunfighter
| Narrator
| Voice
|-
| data-sort-value="Hindenburg, The" | The Hindenburg
| Emilio Pajetta
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1976
| Circasia
| Clown
|
|-
| Burnt Offerings
| Arnold Allardyce
|
|-
| Rocky
| Mickey Goldmill
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977
| data-sort-value="Sentinel, The" | The Sentinel
| Charles Chazen
|
|-
| Golden Rendezvous
| Van Heurden
|
|-
| 1978
| data-sort-value="Manitou, The" | The Manitou
| Dr. Snow
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1978
| Foul Play
| Mr. Hennessey
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Great Bank Hoax, The" | The Great Bank Hoax
| Jack Stutz
|
|-
| Magic
| Ben Greene
|
|-
| 1979
| Rocky II
| Mickey Goldmill
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1980
| When Time Ran Out
| Rene Valdez
|
|-
| Final Assignment
| Zak
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1981
| data-sort-value="Last Chase, The" | The Last Chase
| Captain J.G. Williams
|
|-
| Clash of the Titans
| Ammon
|
|-
| True Confessions
| Msgr. Seamus Fargo
|
|-
| 1982
| Rocky III
| Mickey Goldmill
|
|-
| 1983
| Twilight Zone: The Movie
| Narrator
| Voice, uncredited
|-
| 1984
| Wet Gold
| Sampson
| Made for TV
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Santa Claus: The Movie
| Ancient Elf
|
|-
| Rocky IV
| Mickey Goldmill
| Archival footage, uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| G.I. Joe: The Movie
| Golobulus
| Voice
|-
| King Lear
| Don Learo
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988
| Hot to Trot
| Don's Dad
| Voice, uncredited
|-
| Full Moon in Blue Water
| The General
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1990
| Oddball Hall
| Ingersol
|
|-
| State of Grace
| Finn
|
|-
| Rocky V
| Mickey Goldmill
| Flashback (new footage)
|-
| 1993
| Grumpy Old Men
| Grandpa Gustafson
|
|-
| 1994
| Camp Nowhere
| Fein
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1995
| Tall Tale
| Old Man
| Uncredited
|-
| Across the Moon
| Barney
|
|-
| Grumpier Old Men
| Grandpa Gustafson
| Last role
|-
| 2006
| Rocky Balboa
| Mickey Goldmill
| Archival footage, uncredited
|-
| 2020
| 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic
| Mickey Goldmill
| Archival footage
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1950
| Texaco Star Theatre
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1950
| Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1950
| Your Show of Shows
| Himself
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1950
| Robert Montgomery Presents
| Himself/Frank Hugo
| Episode: "Ride the Pink Horse"
|-
| 1950-1951
| Lights Out
| Various Roles
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1952
| data-sort-value="Name's the Same, The" | The Name's the Same
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1952
| Tales of Tomorrow
| Paul
| Episode: "The Great Silence"
|-
| 1953–1954
| Excursion
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1956
| What's My Line
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1955–1958
| data-sort-value="Big Story, The" | The Big Story
| Narrator (voice)
| 38 episodes
|-
| 1958
| data-sort-value="Ben Hecht Show, The" | The Ben Hecht Show
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1959
| data-sort-value="Jack Paar Tonight Show, The" | The Jack Paar Tonight Show
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1959
| data-sort-value="Arthur Murray Party, The" | The Arthur Murray Party
| Himself
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1959–1963
| data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The" | The Twilight Zone
| Henry Bemis, Luther Dingle, Romney Wordsworth, Mr. Smith
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1961
| data-sort-value="Play of the Week, The" | The Play of the Week
| Vladimir
| Episode: "Waiting for Godot"
|-
| 1961–1964
| Rawhide
| Tom Gwynn, Matthew Higgens, Hannibal H. Plew
| 4 Episodes
|-
| 1962
| Naked City
| Duncan Kleist
| Episode: "Hold for Gloria Christmas"
|-
| 1964
| Wagon Train
| Grover Allen
| Episode: "The Grover Allen Story"
|-
| 1965
| Mr. Novak
| Principal Martin Woodridge
| 15 episodes
|-
| 1965
| Laredo
| Grubby Sully
| Episode: "Lazyfoot, Where Are You?"
|-
| 1965
| data-sort-value="Loner, The" | The Loner
| Siedry
| Episode: "Hunt the Man Down"
|-
| 1965
| data-sort-value="Wild Wild West, The" | The Wild Wild West
| Orkney Cadwallader
| Episode: "The Night of the Human Trigger"
|-
| 1965
| data-sort-value="Trials of O'Brien, The" | The Trials of O'Brien
| Judge Benjamin Vincent
| Episode: "No Justice for the Judge"
|-
| 1966–1968
| Batman
| The Penguin
| 21 episodes
|-
| 1966
| Twelve O'Clock High
| Radar Expert
| Episode: "Back to the Drawing Board"
|-
| 1967
| data-sort-value="Invaders, The" | The Invaders
| Theodore Booth
| Episode: "Wall of Crystal"
|-
| 1968–1971
| Ironside
| Harry Grenadine, Alfred Carney
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1967
| Bonanza
| Owney Duggan
| Episode: "Six Black Horses"
|-
| 1968
| data-sort-value="Monkees, The" | The Monkees
| The Penguin
| Uncredited<br />Episode: "Monkees Blow Their Minds"
|-
| 1968
| data-sort-value="Virginian, The" | The Virginian
| Tim Bradbury
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1969
| Daniel Boone
| Alex Hemming
| Episode: "Three Score and Ten"
|-
| 1970–1972
| Night Gallery
| Charlie Finnegan, Dr. William Fall
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1971
| The Virginian
| Muley
| Episode: "Flight From Memory"
|-
| 1971
| data-sort-value="Bill Cosby Special, The" | The Bill Cosby Special
| Himself
| Television special
|-
| 1971
| data-sort-value="Bold Ones: The Senator, The" | The Bold Ones: The Senator
| George P. Mallon
| Episode: "Power Play"
|-
| 1971
| Room 222
| Morris Henry
| Episode: "KWWH"
|-
| 1971
| Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
| Henry Meade
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1972
| Mannix
| Noah Otway
| Episode: "The Crimson Halo"
|-
| 1972
| McCloud
| Marvin Sloan
| Episode: "A Little Plot at Tranquil Valley"
|-
| 1972–1973
| Search
| V. C. R. Cameron
| 23 episodes
|-
| 1974–1975
| Korg: 70,000 B.C.
| Narrator (voice)
| 19 episodes
|-
| 1975
| data-sort-value="Time Of Apollo, The" | The Time Of Apollo
| Narrator (voice)
| Documentary by NASA
|-
| 1976
| Dinah!
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1976
| data-sort-value="48th Annual Academy Awards, The" | The 48th Annual Academy Awards
| Himself
|
|-
| 1977
| SST: Death Flight
| Willy Basset
| Television film
|-
| 1977
| Tail Gunner Joe
| Joseph N. Welch
| Television film
|-
| 1977
| data-sort-value="49th Annual Academy Awards, The" | The 49th Annual Academy Awards
| Himself
|
|-
| 1978
| data-sort-value="Return of Captain Nemo, The" | The Return of Captain Nemo
| Prof. Waldo Cunningham
| Television film
|-
| 1978
| The Living Sands of Namib
| Narrator (voice)
| National Geographic Special
|-
| 1978–1979, 1982
| Puff the Magic Dragon
| Puff (voice)
| Television special
|-
| 1980–1981
| Those Amazing Animals
| Himself/co-host
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1982–1983
| Gloria
| Dr. Adams, Gloria Bunker Stivic's boss
| 22 episodes
|-
| 1984
| Faerie Tale Theatre
| Mr. Mortimer Mole (voice)
| Episode: "Thumbelina"
|-
| 1987
| Mister Corbett's Ghost
| Mad Tom
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| Night of the Hunter
| Birdy
| Television film
|-
| 1992
| Lincoln
| Winfield Scott (voice)
| Television film
|-
| 1993
| In the Heat of the Night
| Judge Cully
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1994
| data-sort-value="Great Battles of the Civil War, The" | The Great Battles of the Civil War
| Gettysburg Star, Banner Columnist (voice)
| Television series documentary
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1996
| Ripper
| Hamilton Wofford, Covington Wofford
|
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1930
| Romeo and Juliet
| Peter
|
|-
| 1930
| The Green Cockatoo
| Grain
|
|-
| Philip Morris Playhouse || My Favorite Wife || October 31, 1941|| Madeleine Carroll co-starred
|-
| Philip Morris Playhouse || You Only Live Once || November 28, 1941||
|-
| Cavalcade of America || Rain Fakers|| December 30, 1946 ||
|-
| Theatre Guild on the Air || The Sea Wolf||April 27, 1952||
|-
| Theatre Guild on the Air || Black Chiffon|| May 10, 1953||
|}
Book
References
External links
- Burgess Meredith as the Penguin
- Burgess Meredith Park
- Photos of Burgess Meredith in Story of G.I. Joe, 1944 () by Ned Scott
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