William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905 – February 16, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor.

He acted in decades of movies including parts in Follow the Leader, Rain, Night Flight, Three Sons, Isle of Destiny and many others.

Gargan later said that his mother was more straight-laced, a bit of a prude on the surface, but in reality, she ran with dad all her life and his.” Both parents had good senses of humor.

He shot pool and ditched school in the spring to scale the Ebbets Field fences to watch the Dodgers and their stars of the 1910s — Zack Wheat and Ivan Olson.

[4] When he was fourteen and working as an ice brusher at the Prospect Park skating rink, Gargan met a girl named Mary Elizabeth Kenny.

Gargan recalled that “She climbed right back up, her eyes spitting fire and her mouth not doing badly either.

They hung out in Coney Island at Feltman’s, at Lundy’s in Sheepshead Bay, or the Loew’s Metropolitan and the Keith’s Prospect.

He sold Wesson Oil to grocers in Brooklyn, making great commissions, sneaking away to watch vaudeville shows until he was fired after finding himself sitting next to his boss when the lights came on.

[3] While having lunch with Ed one day at the Lamb’s Club a man named Le Roy Clemens mentioned to Bill that a play he’d written was having tryouts.

[3] Later, he played in Misleading Lady and had character roles in many Hollywood productions, including starring in three films as detective Ellery Queen.

He was cast in a number of stereotypical Irish parts in films playing policemen, priests, reporters, and blustering adventurers.

In 1945, he played Joe Gallagher in The Bells of St. Mary's, starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman.

In 1940, Gargan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joe, the foreman, in They Knew What They Wanted.

[6] He also portrayed Ross Dolan in I Deal in Crime,[7]: 159  and Inspector Burke in Murder Will Out,[7]: 214–242  and was host of G. I. Laffs[8] In 1949 Gargan was in New York City when he phoned acquaintance Frank Folsom of RCA.

[4] Folsom phoned Norm Blackburn, VP of TV and Radio at NBC and a good friend of Gargan’s.

Gargan was asked if he’d be interested in playing a pipe-smoking detective, sponsored by the U.S. Tobacco Company.

Shortly after, Gargan signed a deal with Sonny Werblin, then of MCA, to do a new private eye show for NBC.

He was to play a dying ex-president, but a bout with laryngitis forced Gargan to get some tests on his throat done.

[4] Within three years, Gargan mastered esophageal speech to the point that people felt that he had regained virtually all of his speaking ability, and sounded much like he had before his laryngectomy.

[4] In 1965, Mutual of Omaha presented its annual Criss Award to Gargan for "his inspirational self-rehabilitation efforts and his outstanding contributions to established rehabilitation programs.

[4][12] On February 16, 1979, while on a flight between New York City and San Diego following a tour lecturing for the American Cancer Society, Gargan suffered a heart attack.

[4] A reviewer described the book as "a compelling story of the life, faith and courage of a man who as an actor was a notable success.