Sydney Woodrow Parfrey (October 5, 1922 – July 29, 1984) was an American film and television actor from the 1950s to the early 1980s. He is often remembered as "one of TV's great slimeball villains".
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Early life
Parfrey was born on October 5, 1922, in New York City. He was orphaned as a teenager. He attended The New School, and worked as an automobile mechanic before going into the military.
Military service
Parfrey served in the U.S. Army during World War II, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge where he was wounded and captured by the Germans. When he was released from the Army, testing indicated that he should become an actor, which led to his new profession.
Career
Parfrey acted almost entirely on Broadway or regional stage in the late 1940s and 1950s, turning to television and film substantially in the 1960s. He played the unbalanced informer Herbert Gelman on Broadway in the original production of Advise and Consent (1961), for which he won the Fanny Kemble Award.
