Biography
Bookish, walrus-mustached, character actor Woodrow Parfrey was usually cast as bureaucrats, bankers, distracted scientists, and frontier storekeepers. Evidently a favorite of
Clint Eastwood, Parfrey was prominently featured in such Eastwood vehicles as
Dirty Harry (1971),
Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and
Broncho Billy (1980). While he seldom needed extensive makeup in his standard characterizations, Parfrey found himself buried under mounds of
John Chambers' latex and spirit gum for his role as Maximus in
Planet of the Apes (1968). Appearing in well over 100 TV roles, Woodrow Parfrey was seen as FDR's adviser Louis Howe in the 1976 miniseries
Backstairs at the White House (1976), and as the otherworldly Ticket Clerk in the 1979 fantasy weekly Time Express. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide