Ben Alexander

American radio and screen actor best remembered for his role as Officer Frank Smith in the Dragnet franchise (1952-1959). He appeared in the newly created role of Smith first in the radio series, then reprised the role in film and on television. He made his screen debut at age five in Every Pearl a Tear (1916). He went on to portray Lillian Gish's young brother in D. W. Griffith's Hearts of the World (1918). After a number of silent films, he retired from screen work, but came back for the World War I classic, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), in which Alexander received good notices as an adult actor as "Kemmerick", the tragic amputation victim. Alexander played leads and second leads in many low-budget films throughout the 1930s. He found a new career as a successful radio announcer in the late 1940s, including a stint on the Martin and Lewis program. Alexander also acted on radio, playing Philip West in the 1939-1940 soap opera Brenthouse on the Blue Network. On 5 July 1969, Alexander was found dead in his home of natural causes, aged 58, when his wife and children returned home from a camping trip. Ben Alexander has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television, radio, and movies. Link to Wikipedia biography