The Biography

David Gainey Clarke (30 August 1908 – 18 April 2004) was an American Broadway and motion picture actor. A native of Chicago and graduate of Butler University, Clarke started his career as a stage actor during the 1930s. He made his first film Knockout (1941). The actor remains perhaps best known for his film noir roles as a character actor during the 1940s and 1950s. He also played at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles and was featured on Broadway in the original productions of A View from the Bridge, Orpheus Descending, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Inquest, and The Visit. On television, Clarke appeared as Abel Bingley on The Waltons and as Tiso Novotny in the soap opera Ryan's Hope. David Clarke lived in Belmont, Ohio for several years until he sold his house and moved to Arlington, Virginia to be with his daughters. He later died in Virginia from pneumonia in 2004, aged 95 years. He was married to Nora Dunfee, with whom he had two daughters.