Conrad, William, 1920-1994

John William Cann, Jr. was born Sept. 27, 1920, in Louisville, Kentucky, and later moved to Los Angeles, California with his family. After attending college, he went to work at a local radio station as an announcer, writer, and director. After serving in the Army Air Corps in WWII, Cann, now called William Conrad, returned to radio, notably creating and performing the role of Matt Dillion in the radio version of Gunsmoke for nine years. He also worked in film, both as an actor and producer, and produced and directed multiple episodes of popular television shows throughout his almost fifty-year career. Conrad died in 1994.

Source:

Hayward, Anthony. 2011. “Obituary: William Conrad.” Independent, October 22, 2011. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-william-conrad-1394098.html.