Ben Alexander

American actor best known for playing Officer Frank Smith, Joe Friday's partner, on the original Dragnet television series. Born Nicholas Benton Alexander Jr. in 1911, he began acting as a child in silent films, appearing in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) as one of the young soldiers. His career spanned decades in film and radio before he joined Jack Webb on Dragnet in 1952. His affable, everyman portrayal of Frank Smith provided a warm counterpoint to Webb's terse, deadpan Friday. He remained with the series until its original run ended in 1959.