
Person
Sam Buffington
Acting · 1931–1960 · Swansea, Massachusetts, USA
Biography
Sam Buffington (October 12, 1931 – May 15, 1960) was an American actor whose short career included performances on stage, radio, film, and television. He was the star of the CBS radio series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone during 1958 and was one of three regular cast members on the Whispering Smith television series. While Buffington's wife Pat was in Palm Springs, California, he wrote a note to her, locked himself in the bathroom, sealed air passages under the door and window, and turned on a gas jet. When she returned home on Sunday evening, May 15, 1960, she had to break-in the bathroom door. Buffington was dead; his note apologized to her for not being able to support her, and requested cremation. Buffington's friends expressed surprise at the note, since he had made over $20,000 the year before and had good career prospects
Known for

Maverick
Ponca Brown

Wanted: Dead or Alive
Fred the Bartender

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Waldren

The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Vic Trenton

Black Saddle
Noah Bailey

Bourbon Street Beat
Junius Rattner

Behind Closed Doors
Horne

Whispering Smith
John Richards

King Creole
Dr. Martin Cabot (uncredited)

The Brothers Karamazov
Tipsy Merchant
Filmography
- 1961Whispering SmithJohn Richards
- 1960The Barbara Stanwyck ShowVic Trenton
- 1959Bourbon Street BeatJunius Rattner
- 1959Blue DenimAbortionist
- 1959They Came to Cordura
- 1959Black SaddleNoah Bailey
- 1958Unwed MotherJohn Pauley
- 1958Behind Closed DoorsHorne
- 1958Wanted: Dead or AliveFred the Bartender
- 1958The Light in the ForestGeorge Owens
- 1958King CreoleDr. Martin Cabot (uncredited)
- 1958Damn CitizenDeButts
- 1958The Brothers KaramazovTipsy Merchant
- 1958The Rawhide TrailJames Willard
- 1957MaverickPonca Brown
- 1957Invasion of the Saucer MenCol. Ambrose, USAF
- 1955Alfred Hitchcock PresentsWaldren
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