R.I.P John Conte

[Reza]

9/6/06

The Associated Press

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) - Actor John Conte, who worked in television, radio, films and on Broadway for decades before going behind the cameras and founding his own TV station, died of natural causes Monday, said Lee Fowler, spokeswoman for Eisenhower Medical Center. He was 90.

He appeared in numerous TV shows, including episodes of ``The Untouchables,'' ``Perry Mason,'' ``Bonanza,'' ``Your Show of Shows'' and ``Studio One.'' He also appeared in ``The Carpetbaggers'' and the classic Frank Sinatra film ``The Man with the Golden Arm.''

He also appeared in numerous Broadway productions, including ``Windy City,'' ``Carousel'' and ``The Pursuit of Happiness,'' and was host of many live productions for NBC's ``Matinee Theater,'' one of the first daytime shows on network television.

Born in 1915 in Palmer, Mass., Conte was a permanent cast member in the companies of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Edward G. Robinson and ``The Silver Theater.''

In radio, Conte was the singing master of ceremonies on the ``Maxwell House Show.''

He founded the NBC affiliate, KMIR-TV, in the Palm Springs-Rancho Mirage area in 1968. He sold the station in 1999.

Conte, who was named a Desert Sun ``Valley Legend'' in 1999, has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and outside the Desert Museum on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.