Born on July 15, 1928, in North Kansas City, Missouri, Troupe began his acting career on the stage, appearing in local theater productions before moving to New York City in 1948. There, he studied with stage star Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan and made his Broadway debut in the 1957 production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Beloved Actor of TV’s Golden Era Confirmed Dead at 97 by Family originally appeared on Parade. If you watched TV in the ’60s, ’70s, or ’80s, chances are Tom Troupe made a cameo in your living room. The veteran actor—who guest-starred on Star Trek, Cheers, and Mission: Impossible —died on Sunday, July 20. He was 97.