Biography

Born in Liberty, Missouri, as Gail Shikles Jr., tall, suave Craig Stevens will forever be remembered for his role as the cool, laid-back private eye Peter Gunn (1958), a ground-breaking show that ushered in the era of tough but smooth private eyes who were handy with their fists and with the ladies, and which also pioneered the use of jazz as not only background music but its main theme song. Stevens was attending Kansas University and planning a career in dentistry when he began performing in student plays at the university. Bitten by the acting bug, he moved to California, and in 1941 was signed by Warner Bros., where he met his future wife, Alexis Smith. Although never a front-rank star, Stevens played many second-leads through the 1940s and 1950s. Sci-fi fans will know him best as the lead in the somewhat cult-classic The Deadly Mantis (1957). With his film career in a rut, he moved over to television, and it was there he made his mark in the landmark "Peter Gunn" series. He made many guest-starring appearances in TV series over the years, had recurring roles in such series as Dallas (1978) and starred in ITC's Man of the World (1962). He retired after a role in his old friend Blake Edwards' 1981 film S.O.B. (1981).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com

When he was at school he was so shy that he couldn't say a word when he stood up in class so his father persuaded him to take a course in public speaking to boost his confidence. He found this helped and started to take part in plays at Kansas University. After 13 plays he was so wrapped up in acting that he decided to make the stage his career. Until that time he'd been studying to be a dentist.. He played the part of Michael Strait in the tv series The Man of the World, before which he didn't known anything about cameras but having got the part he set about to learn as much as he could about photography.He did so well that alot of the photographs used in the series are his own work

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5