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Gordon Oas-Heim
biography
Gordon Oas-Heim plays Manford, the stodgy, mysterious butler in the NEW
MONKEES, Coca-Cola Telecommunications' new half-hour, first-run syndicated
series, premiering this fall.
In his heyday, Manford must
have been the greatest butler in the world. Now, somewhat older, he is a
permanent fixture in NEW MONKEES' mansion. Manford seems to have been
there a few decades too long. He is the only person who understands the
mysteries of the house and talks to it as though it were an old friend. He
frequently appears, unexpectedly, to no one requested. it were an old
serve food that no one requested.
Gordon Oas-Heim has never
actually been a butler but you'd never know it by looking at him. With his
stately demeanor and a certain impish charm and warmth that can only come
with age and experience, Oas-Heim is a natural for the part.
Oas-Heim was born and
raised by Norwegian immigrant parents in Caribou, a small township in the
middle of the swamp and peat wilderness of Northern Minnesota "'Caribou'
is in the middle of nowhere!" Gordon says. "The nearest town, Lancaster,
is 25.miles away and could only be reached by a dirt road through the
woods. Even today you can't get by car to the old place where I was born.
There's still no road!"
As soon as he was old
enough to leave home, he did, and he's been traveling ever since. Oas-Heim's
first experience in the entertainment business was in radio in 1947.
During that same period, he performed in a dance band as a vocalist and
served as a news reporter for the
Atlanta Constitution. None of these jobs stuck, however, until he
discovered theater.
Since 1947, Gordon has appeared in
numerous television shows and movies as well as in 118 plays throughout
the United States. Among his many stage credits are: "Becket," "Last of
the Red Hot Lovers," "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Plough and the Stars."
Always ready for a new experience, Oas-Heim
began his television career in the early days when television was a brand
new medium and shows were broadcast live. He appeared in many early
productions such as "You are There," "U.S. Steel Hour," "They Stand
Accused," and "The Web." He also appeared in the last live production of
"Playhouse 90" in New York. His more recent television credits include
"Quincy," "Dallas," and "The Young and the Restless," along with many film
credits.
Recently, Oas-Heim has found yet another
talent. He has written a book entitled "Does Your Wife Suffer Black Widow
Syndrome?," and a play entitled "The First Day of School." "Both," he
says, "are just one re-write away from fruition."
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