Dabbs Greer Biography

Dabbs Greer was as an American actor who was active for more than 50 years in the show business. He was known for playing diverse roles, including those of merchants, businessmen, preachers as well as assorted shades of villains. With his simple looks, distinctive voice and unique attitude, he was a solid supporting actor. Greer is best remembered for playing Coach Ossie Weiss in the drama series ‘Hank’ and Reverend Robert Alden in the western drama series ‘Little House on the Prairie’. Born in Fairview, Missouri, he was the only child of his speech therapist mother and pharmacist father. His first acting role was on the stage in a theatrical production when he was just eight. Following his graduation from Drury University, Greer landed roles in films and television. He was active until 2003. He is probably better known to later audiences as the old version of Paul Edgecomb, a character played by Tom Hanks in the 1999 fantasy crime drama ‘The Green Mile’. On a personal note, the actor never married and fathered no kids. He eventually breathed his last in 2007 at the age of 90 after a battle with heart disease and renal failure.