Paul Wexler (May 23, 1929 – November 21, 1979) was one of the most physically distinctive character actors of his era, standing a towering 6 feet 6 inches with a gaunt, elongated face and a resonant baritone voice. These unique traits made him a natural fit for the “macabre” and “off-beat” roles that defined much of his thirty-year career. Born in Oregon, Wexler moved to Hollywood in the early 1950s and quickly became a high-demand performer for directors who needed a character capable of projecting an unsettling or otherworldly presence.
His film career began with a role in the 1952 Bowery Boys comedy Feudin’ Fools, but he soon transitioned into more serious and atmospheric territory. In the 1954 thriller Suddenly, he played the role of the Slim Adams, a deputy sheriff caught up in the high-stakes assassination plot. Wexler’s imposing stature added to the film’s sense of physical and psychological pressure, making him a memorable part of the ensemble that included Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden. His ability to loom over a scene, both literally and figuratively, ensured he was frequently cast in high-profile Westerns and dramas throughout the decade, including The Kentuckian (1955) and the 1956 remake of The Ten Commandments.
As the 1960s approached, Wexler’s versatility led him into the world of animation and vocal performance. He provided the voice of the menacing henchman Jasper in Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), a role that utilized his deep, gravelly voice to perfectly complement the character’s lanky, bumbling design. His television credits were equally vast, spanning nearly every major series of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. He made memorable appearances on The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Get Smart, and The Addams Family, where his specialized look and sound were often used to create a sense of the surreal or the mysterious.
Wexler remained a dedicated and hardworking performer until his passing in 1979 at the age of 50. While he rarely played leading roles, his presence was an essential ingredient in the texture of mid-century entertainment. He belonged to that elite class of character actors whose names might not always be instantly recognizable to the general public, but whose faces and voices are immortalized in some of the most iconic moments of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Today, he is remembered by fans of classic cinema as a performer who could bring a touch of the extraordinary to even the most grounded of stories.
