# Simon Oakland
**Simon Oakland** (born Simon Weiss; August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American character actor who worked as a concert violinist before building a three-decade screen and stage career, playing tough authority figures and villains in films such as *I Want to Live!* (1958), *Psycho* (1960), *West Side Story* (1961), and *Bullitt* (1968), and starring on television as editor Tony Vincenzo in *Kolchak: The Night Stalker*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Simon Weiss, born in Brooklyn to immigrant Jewish parents; stage surname from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) |
| Birth year | August 28, 1915 per Social Security and vital records; he claimed 1922 in interviews, a date repeated in his obituary[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) |
| First career | Concert violinist until the 1940s, before turning to acting after World War II[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) |
| Signature film roles | Dr. Richmond in *Psycho* (1960), Lt. Schrank in *West Side Story* (1961), Captain Bennett in *Bullitt* (1968)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) |
| Television output | More than 550 episodes per his obituary; over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983 by another count[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) |
| Notable series roles | *Toma*, *Kolchak: The Night Stalker* (1974–1975), and *Baa Baa Black Sheep* (1976–1978)[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) |
| Death | August 29, 1983, in Cathedral City, California, the day after his 68th birthday[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/simon-oakland-55012) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
Oakland was born Simon Weiss in Brooklyn, the eldest of three sons of Jacob Weiss, an immigrant from Romania, and Ethel Oaklander, from the [Russian Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/russian-empire); his professional surname came from his mother's maiden name. He was the son of a Flatbush plasterer and builder.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/)
His first profession was music. He studied violin as a youth and worked as a concert violinist until the 1940s.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) His acting break came shortly after World War II with his first play, *Skipper Next to God*, and then with the role that made his stage reputation: replacing [Paul Muni](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-muni) as the lead in *Inherit the Wind*.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html)
The birth date is disputed. [Social Security](https://www.edgepedia.org/social-security) and vital records indicate August 28, 1915, and the Internet Broadway Database records the same date; Oakland himself gave 1922 in interviews, and the *New York Times* obituary repeated that year, calling him 61 at his death.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) • [4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/simon-oakland-55012) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html)
## Stage career
Oakland maintained a Broadway career alongside his screen work, keeping residences in both New York and California so he could work in theater and in Hollywood.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/) His Broadway leading roles included *Inherit the Wind*, *Light Up the Sky*, *The Great Sebastians*, *Caesar and Cleopatra*, *Twigs*, and the [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize)-winning *The Shadow Box*.[6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/) The Broadway Database also credits him in *Angela*, which ran October 30 to November 1, 1969, and in *The Shadow Box*, which opened March 31, 1977.[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/simon-oakland-55012)
## Film career
His film debut came as Ed Montgomery, the journalist who defends [Susan Hayward](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-hayward)'s Barbara Graham in *I Want to Live!* (1958).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/) That performance led to a long run of tough-guy parts as authority figures or villains.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) The American Film Institute credits him as Mavrayek in *The Brothers Karamazov* (1958), Lt. Tobin in *Murder, Inc.* (1960), Dr. Richmond in *Psycho* (1960), Lt. Schrank in *West Side Story* (1961), Stawski in *The Sand Pebbles* (1966), and Captain Bennett in *Bullitt* (1968).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) In *Psycho* he plays the psychiatrist who explains [Norman Bates](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-bates)'s multiple personality disorder.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
His film credits include Dr. Conrad Fuller in *On a Clear Day You Can See Forever* (1970), Matthew Gunn in *The Hunting Party* (1971), and Jubal Hooker in *Chato's Land* (1972).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) Three of his films, *Psycho*, *West Side Story*, and *Bullitt*, have been selected for the [National Film Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-registry) by the Library of Congress.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/)
## Television career
Television was the bulk of his output. The *New York Times* counted more than 550 episodes with leading roles in three series; TMDB counts over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983, a different metric covering the same career.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) UPI's list of credits spans the anthology era and the crime and medical dramas of the 1960s and 1970s: *Studio One*, *Naked City*, *Perry Mason*, *Gunsmoke*, *The F.B.I.*, *Hawaii Five-O*, *Ironside*, and *Marcus Welby, M.D.*.[6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/) On *Perry Mason* he twice appeared as murder victims.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) Genre work included two *Twilight Zone* episodes, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" and "The Thirty-Fathom Grave," and an appearance on *The Outer Limits* as the alien birdman in "Second Chance".[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
**Series roles.** He played Tony Musante's supervisor in *Toma*, then in 1974 and 1975 was a series regular on *Kolchak: The Night Stalker* as Tony Vincenzo, the skeptical newspaper editor to [Darren McGavin](https://www.edgepedia.org/darren-mcgavin)'s reporter, after playing the same character in two made-for-television movies.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) From 1976 to 1978 he was a regular on *Baa Baa Black Sheep* as General Moore, a superior of Marine Corps flying ace "Pappy" Boyington, played by [Robert Conrad](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-conrad).[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/) His last credited appearance was in the *Tucker's Witch* episode "Living and Presumed Dead," aired three months before his death.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
## By the numbers
The shape of the career is easiest to see in its counts. TMDB counts over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) dominated: more than 550 episodes by the obituary's count, and roles in three series in the 1970s.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) The two headline television figures, 550-plus episodes and 130-plus productions, measure different things, episodes versus distinct series and movies.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
## Later years, death, and legacy
Oakland died on August 29, 1983, the day after his 68th birthday by the 1915 birth date. The *New York Times* and the Broadway Database place the death at his home in Cathedral City, California; UPI reported Palm Springs.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html) • [4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/simon-oakland-55012) • [6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/) On the cause, TMDB states colon cancer, while UPI reported an undisclosed illness after several hospitalizations during the previous year.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland) • [6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/)
His career is a compact example of the mid-century American character actor's path: violinist from his youth, postwar Broadway replacement role as a breakthrough, typecast screen authority figures from 1958, and a television-heavy final two decades capped by three series leads. The roles he is remembered for are supporting ones, the psychiatrist in *Psycho*, Lt. Schrank in *West Side Story*, and Tony Vincenzo opposite Darren McGavin, but they sit in three National Film Registry films and in *Kolchak: The Night Stalker*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
## References
1. [Simon Oakland, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/140915-Simon-Oakland?isMiscCredit=False)
2. [Simon Oakland, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14063-simon-oakland)
3. [Simon Oakland, 61, Actor Who Starred in 3 TV Series, Dies, The New York Times (September 1, 1983)](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/obituaries/simon-oakland-61-actor-who-starred-in-3-tv-series-dies.html)
4. [Simon Oakland, IBDB (Internet Broadway Database)](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/simon-oakland-55012)
5. [Simon Oakland – Trivia, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643000/trivia/)
6. [Actor Simon Oakland, who played Norman Bates' psychiatrist in 'Psycho,' dies, UPI (August 31, 1983)](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/31/Actor-Simon-Oakland-who-played-Norman-Bates-psychiatrist-in/1585431150400/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames N to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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