Actor Orson Bean (1928-2020)

[Zoneboy]

https://tinyurl.com/yx5t22lz


VENICE, Calif. (KABC) -- Veteran actor Orson Bean was struck and killed by a car in Venice Friday night, a friend has told Eyewitness News. He was 91 years old.

Los Angeles police say a pedestrian was walking in the area of Venice Boulevard and Shell Avenue when he was clipped by one vehicle and fell.

Other bystanders tried to warn a second driver, but he also struck the pedestrian. Police say the second collision was fatal. Both drivers stayed at the scene.

"The car coming westbound did not see him and clipped him and he went down," said Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Brian Wendling. "A second vehicle was coming up, was distracted by people trying to slow him down and then looked up and then a second traffic collision occurred and that one was fatal."

Police did not identify the pedestrian, but a friend of the veteran actor who witnessed the collision confirmed to Eyewitness News that Bean had been struck and killed.

Investigators say the initial indication is this was just a tragic accident. It appears Bean had come from between two vehicles when he was crossing the street and was not seen by the drivers.

Bean made more than 100 appearances in television and film in an acting career that spanned back to the 1950s.


His credits include films such as "Being John Malkovich" and "Miracle on 34th Street" and TV shows like "Modern Family" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." He had a recurring role in "Desperate Housewives" from 2009 to 2012.

Bean had been married for 27 years to actress Alley Mills, best known as the mother in "The Wonder Years." Witnesses say she was at the scene.

The collision happened in front of the Pacific Resident Theatre, where both Bean and Mills were company members. Bean was crossing busy Venice Boulevard to the theater, where his wife was working, friends say.


Bean continued to perform into his 90s, appearing in the show "Superstore" and the film "The Equalizer 2" in 2018.

Most recently, Bean and Mills had been performing in a play called "Bad Habits" at the Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica, which just ended its scheduled run last week.

[Hawkee]

Was Orson Bean in the 1994 movie Black Beauty? That's one of my favorite horse movies and I didn't know he appeared in it until I saw it
Bestie

[80sTrivia]

So sad to hear the news. Sad that he lived to the age of 91 only to be hit by a car!

[MA]

Very tragic news to hear about.

[stevea]

He had a lot of appearances on game shows, mostly the original To Tell The Truth. I'd like to see GSN dig some out but that won't happen.

RIP Mr. Bean.

[MA]

Originally Posted by LaBestia

Was Orson Bean in the 1994 movie Black Beauty? That's one of my favorite horse movies and I didn't know he appeared in it until I saw it
Bestie

He was not in it.

[cfr1970]

So sad. I really liked him, but why on earth was he trying to cross a busy boulevard at night on his own at that age?! Boldness, ignorance or both? You just don't play real life Frogger at 91.

Poor guy. RIP

[Schmo]

[QUOTE=cfr1970;5677870]So sad. I really liked him, but why on earth was he trying to cross a busy boulevard at night on his own at that age?! Boldness, ignorance or both? You just don't play real life Frogger at 91.

Poor guy. RIP [/QUOTE

Younger people do the same.

[cfr1970]

[QUOTE=Schmo;5677992]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

So sad. I really liked him, but why on earth was he trying to cross a busy boulevard at night on his own at that age?! Boldness, ignorance or both? You just don't play real life Frogger at 91.

Poor guy. RIP [/QUOTE

Younger people do the same.

Yeah, even I used to myself but even at 50 I know not to chance that anymore as my legs aren't as quick as they used to be. I'll stay firmly planted till cars are stopped and I got the WALK sign.

Bean's death seems more tragic because it was totally preventable and he was one of the ones I was rooting for to reach 100. At his age, someone should have been with him or Bean himself should've taken more caution when he crossed. Can anyone just imagine Betty White doing this?!

He seemed to still be spry and in great health, so perhaps his mindset was still young and he figured he could just sprint across that street. I just wish he'd had taken 2 seconds to survey the traffic before crossing.

As mentioned upthread, to make it to 91 only to be done in crossing the street is terrible.

[Duster76]

Very sad news indeed, he was the last living member of the panels that populated the Goodson/Todman shows that appeared on CBS in the sixties. The way I recall it:

What's My Line

Host John Charles Daly

Regular Panelists

Arlene Francis
Dorothy Kilgallen
Bennett Cerf

I've Got A Secret

Host Garry Moore

Regular Panelists

Bill Cullen
Betsy Palmer
Henry Morgan
Bess Myerson

To Tell The Truth:

Host Budd Collyer

Regular Panelists

Tom Poston
Peggy Cass
Kitty Carlisle
and of course Orson Bean

[MA]

He had a movie in post-production apparently.

[TSMIV]

Loren from Dr. Quinn! I had no idea he was married to Kevin Arnold's mom (Alley Mills)!

[Samme]

Sorry for this to have happened to Orson. Watched him on TV for many years.

[MA]

Celebrities paying tribute to him:

https://www.newsweek.com/orson-bean-...member-1486383

[Dude111]

Very very sad.....................