Frank Cady, who was best known for his work on the ’60s television show “Green Acres” as general store owner Sam Drucker, has died at his Oregon home at the age of 96.
Cady had a remarkable acting career, beginning in 1936 and ending in 1990. Aside from playing several roles on popular television shows such as “Ozzie And Harriet” and “The Andy Griffith Show”, he was the first and only actor to play a recurring character on three separate shows which ran simultaneously: “Green Acres”, “Petticoat Junction”, and “The Beverly Hillbillies”. He also had a small role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. For the most part, Cady was cast in the same sort of roles over and over again, but he once said that didn’t bother him.
“You get typecast. I’m remembered for those shows and not for some pretty good acting jobs I did other times,” he said. “I suppose I ought to be grateful for that. Because otherwise I wouldn’t be remembered at all. I’ve got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world.”
Cady also served in WWII and was married for 58 years to the love of his life, Shirley, who died in 2008. They are survived by a son and daughter, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
