Albert Salmi

Albert Salmi in
Twilight Zone episode
"A Quality of Mercy"

Albert Salmi, guest star on the classic Combat! episode "Cat and Mouse," served in the U.S. Army for three years. He was inducted in May of 1946, received his basic infantry training in Annisten, Alabama, then was assigned to the 7706th AFN Company, APO 75. The soldiers were then sent to Germany. At first, the Army took advantage of Albert's large, powerful physique by making him a military policeman. Physically, that would have been the perfect job for him. It's not what he wanted to do, though. He was given the assignment of guarding visiting stars Tyrone Power and Linda Christian while they were there on tour. Watching them gave him an idea and he followed up on it - he auditioned, and was given the job of their announcer and engineer. This, he liked. It was much more in agreement with his principles than police work.

Then Albert was given a twelve-day leave, during which he would be allowed to visit the western zones of Germany, France, and England. He chose, instead, to visit his parents' homeland of Finland. It was there in Tampere that he met the aunts, uncles, and cousins he had heard about all his life; and he had a wonderful time. It was worth whatever penalty resulted, but he was apparently never caught for having gone to that forbidden country.

During his military career, Albert achieved the grade-four level of Sergeant and received the World War II Victory Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal and Lapel Button. On May 18, 1949, he was given an honorable discharge at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey; and he hoped never to have to use a gun again.

by Sandra Grabman

Albert Salmi was born on March 11, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, to Finnish parents. After serving in the Army during WWII, he used the GI Bill to study at the Dramatic Workshop of the American Theater Wing and the prestigious Actors Studio. He became a stage actor, eventually making it to Broadway, where his role as Bo Decker in "Bus Stop" was his biggest stage success. A compromise between the stage and screen was live TV drama, in which he was cast regularly. His portrayal of Bruce Pearson in the U.S. Steel Hour's live 1956 broadcast of "Bang the Drum Slowly" was heart-tuggingly poignant.

Salmi's first film appearance was a choice role in "The Brothers Karamazov," for which he turned down an Oscar nomination. The National Board of Review succeeded in presenting him with their award for the same picture, however. Salmi came to enjoy film work and actively sought parts in westerns. He became a familiar presence, especially on the TV screen, where he guest starred in westerns and other series of the sixties and seventies.

In 1967, he was presented with the Western Heritage (Wrangler) Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for his role in the Gunsmoke episode entitled "Death Watch." This bronze cowboy on horseback became his most cherished award. Salmi demonstrated his versatility, however, as years went on. Tall, brawny, and sometimes quite intimidating, he was often cast as the bad guy or the authority figure. He was equally convincing as a wronged or misunderstood good guy or a good-natured sidekick. A method actor, Salmi had the ability to make you love or hate his character.

Albert Salmi was, in real life, quite different from most of the characters he played. A quiet-natured family man, he was an oddity by glitzy Hollywood standards. Many of his friends and co-stars have commented on his sense of humor and his lack of pretense. In semi-retirement, he shared his knowledge of theatre by teaching drama classes in Spokane.

Born: 11 March 1928, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died: 22 April 1990, Spokane, Washington, USA.
Albert Salmi films on DVD
Albert Salmi films on VHS tapes