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William Schallert had a small role as Brady in “Columns.” The classic “How I Met Your Mother” episode blessed us with one of the show’s silliest and shocking gags: a nude painting of Marshall that Lily composed in college. A cameo on the sitcom was hardly Schallert’s only TV credit, though. According to The New York Times, he was nearly everywhere throughout his 60 years in entertainment, including “Leave It to Beaver,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Melrose Place,” and “Desperate Housewives.” His biggest role, however, was the father of Patty Lane and Cathy Lane on “The Patty Duke Show.”
When the Television Academy asked him why he believed his “Patty Duke Show” character “resonated” with viewers, he replied, “I was a nice father, a nice dad, and I was working with Patty Duke … she was somebody to be reckoned with.” He added, “And, you know, my personality was okay.”
Although Schallert’s career never quite ascended to the echelons, he was happy to make his living as an actor, telling The Times, “I’ve never been single-minded in my pursuit of acting as a career. Whatever it was that got me hired and kept me working probably was just me.” On May 8, 2016, he died at 93 years old, however a cause of death was not revealed, per the outlet.
Source: Nicki Swift
