Frank Cady's most iconic role was that of Sam Drucker, the owner of a general store in the fictional town of Hooterville, in both the popular television shows Green Acres (1965) and Petticoat Junction (1963). However, this was not his only notable role, as he had a long history as a film, stage, and television actor prior to these shows.
Before his time on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, Cady had appeared on numerous radio programs, including the popular western series Gunsmoke. In the 1950s, he played the role of Doc Williams in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952),and had numerous supporting parts in films. He also appeared in television commercials for various products, including Shasta Grape Soda.
Cady was a prolific television actor, and was the only actor to play a recurring character on three TV sitcoms at the same time: The Beverly Hillbillies (1962),Green Acres (1965),and Petticoat Junction (1963). He was often cast as a friendly, small-town businessman, druggist, or store clerk, and was known for his all-around good guy persona.
Despite his Midwestern persona, Cady was actually a native of California, born in Susanville in 1915. He developed an interest in acting after singing in an elementary school play, and after graduating from Stanford University, he traveled to London to train in the theater.
When World War II broke out, Cady was already in Europe, and he enlisted in the Army Air Force. He spent several years stationed in various parts of the continent before being discharged. After the war, he returned to the US and headed for Hollywood, where he began his acting career.
One of his early and more atypical roles was as a seedy underworld character in the noir classic He Walked by Night (1948). He went on to play a variety of characters, including hotel clerks, bureaucrats, and henpecked husbands, for over 40 years.
Cady did most of his television work from the mid-1950s onwards, and resided in Wilsonville, Oregon at the time of his death. He left behind two children, a daughter named Catherine Turk and a son named Steven, as well as three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
