His face was immediately recognizable to all baby boomers, even if his name was not. Allan Melvin, one of the most in-demand TV character actors of the post-war era, has died from cancer at age 84. His first major role was as Henshaw, the right hand (con) man to Phil Silver's Sgt. Bilko before landing parts in seemngly every major sitcom of the period. He was often cast as a loudmouthed bully, characteristics he brought to the role of Sgt. Hacker in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Melvin had so impressed the series' producer, Andy Griffith, that he also appeared in eight different guest parts in The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to play the role of Sam Franklin, the boyfriend of Alice the housekeeper in The Brady Bunch as well as Archie Bunker's best friend Barney in All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place. Melvin also provided the voice of the cartoon characters Magilla the Gorilla and as Bluto on the Popeye cartoons. For more on his background click here