William "Biff" McGuire (October 25, 1926 – March 9, 2021) was an American actor, best known as Inspector Kramer in Nero Wolfe (1979).

Early years

McGuire attended Hamden High School and the University of Massachusetts, where he studied agricultural engineering. He left the university to join the U.S. Army. While stationed in England, he studied at Shrivenham University; while there he painted sets for and acted in a local theater's production. That experience led to a role in a play in London.

Career

In a career that spanned 50 years, McGuire collected a number of theatrical credits. He debuted on Broadway in Bright Boy (1944). On October 9, 1955, McGuire starred in the episode "Number Seven, Hangman's Row" of the CBS anthology series, Appointment with Adventure. He also starred in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes "The Gentleman From America" (1956), "The Hidden Thing" (1956), "Crackpot" (1957), and "Don't Interrupt" (1958, as Larry Templeton). He appeared in such television series as The Secret Storm and All My Children. He was a regular on Herb Shriner Time (1951–1952) on ABC and portrayed Dr. Michael Malloy in the NBC drama Gibbsville (1976).

Personal life and death

McGuire was married to the English actress Jeannie Carson, who had starred in the CBS situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956–1957). Carson co-starred with McGuire in Finian's Rainbow. Biff McGuire died on March 9, 2021, at the age of 94.

Recognition

McGuire was nominated for two Tony Awards:

Filmography

Theatre