Larry Hovis
The clever, resourceful radio operator on 'Hogan's Heroes' who brought a grounded, everyman charm to a surreal POW camp comedy.
1936–2003 (age 67)·American actor·Birthday: February 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Larry Hovis carved out a unique niche in television history as part of an ensemble that turned a prisoner-of-war camp into a sitcom set. As Sergeant Andrew Carter on 'Hogan's Heroes,' he was the earnest, slightly nervous explosives expert and radio operator, providing a crucial counterpoint to Bob Crane's cool-headed Colonel Hogan. His believable, understated performance helped sell the show's improbable premise. Hovis's career began in music; he was a talented singer and songwriter who performed on shows like 'The Groucho Marx Show' and even wrote for 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.' After 'Hogan's Heroes' ended, he largely stepped away from performing, focusing on teaching theater at the university level in Texas. While he never sought the spotlight, his role as Carter remains fondly remembered, a testament to his ability to find the honest human note in a broadly comic scenario.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Larry was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Larry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Larry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2003Died at 67
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Played Sergeant Andrew Carter for all six seasons of the hit CBS sitcom 'Hogan's Heroes' (1965-1971).
- Was a staff writer and occasional performer on the groundbreaking 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.'
- Had a successful early career as a singer, performing regularly on national television variety shows in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- Served as a professor of drama at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) after his acting career.
Did You Know?
He was a regular performer on 'The Groucho Marx Show' (aka 'You Bet Your Life') in its final season.
Despite playing an American soldier, he was actually exempt from military service due to a childhood bout with rheumatic fever.
He wrote the song 'There's Nothing Like a Home Cooked Meal,' which was performed by Pat Paulsen on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.'
“I'm not a nervous man, but I'm a cautious one.”
