Broadway stage, film shorts and radio Sullivan's first appearance on Broadway was in
I Want a Policeman in 1936. That year he was also in R.C. Sheriff's
St Helena. Sullivan appeared in shorts such as ''Strike! You're Out
(1936), Broker's Follies
(1937), Dime a Dance
(1937) (alongside Imogene Coca, June Allyson and Danny Kaye), Dates and Nuts
(1937), and Hi-Ho Hollywood'' (1937). He returned to Broadway with roles in
All That Glitters (1938) and
Eye on the Sparrow (1938) (with a young
Montgomery Clift). He received attention when he joined the cast of the long running
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939) as Bert Jefferson. He was also in
Mr Big (1941),
Ring Around Elizabeth (1941) and
Johnny 2 X 4 (1942). Sullivan appeared with Bette Davis on stage in 1960 in
The World of Carl Sandburg as a substitute for her husband
Gary Merrill. In 1950, Sullivan replaced
Vincent Price in the role of
Leslie Charteris'
Simon Templar on the
NBC Radio show
The Saint. Sullivan lasted only two episodes before the show was cancelled.
Movies Sullivan had a small role in the Universal serial
The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941). He had a supporting part in
High Explosive (1943) for
Pine-Thomas Productions, who released through Paramount, and he was the second male lead in
The Woman of the Town (1943) with
Claire Trevor. He was signed to a long-term contract by Paramount, who gave him a good support role in an "A" film, the musical
Lady in the Dark (1944) with
Ginger Rogers. He supported
Dorothy Lamour in
Rainbow Island (1944) and
Alan Ladd and
Loretta Young in
And Now Tomorrow (1944), and was one of many Paramount names in ''
Duffy's Tavern'' (1945). He supported
Dennis O'Keefe and
Marie McDonald in the comedy, ''
Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1945). Then he went to
Monogram Pictures for
Suspense (1946), the most expensive film that studio had made to date, produced by the
King Brothers; Sullivan was second billed to
Belita. Monogram were delighted with his work; Sullivan obtained a release from his Paramount contract and signed a three-picture deal with Monogram. Sullivan supported
Brian Aherne and
Constance Bennett in
Smart Woman (1948) for Bennett's company, releasing through Monogram (as Allied Artists). He received top billing for a Western from the King Brothers and Monogram,
Bad Men of Tombstone (1949). MGM signed Sullivan to a contract, and he played supporting roles in
Tension (1950),
The Outriders (1950),
Nancy Goes to Rio (1950),
A Life of Her Own (1950), and
Grounds for Marriage (1951). He was upped to leading man for
Cause for Alarm! (1951) with Young and
Payment on Demand (1951) with
Bette Davis at RKO but was back down the cast list for
Three Guys Named Mike (1951),
Mr. Imperium (1951), and
Inside Straight (1951). He was given top billing in
No Questions Asked (1951), a role originally meant for Gable. '' (1954) Sullivan played the lead in a series of lower budgeted films noir:
Loophole (1954) for Allied Artists,
Playgirl (1954) at Universal, and
The Miami Story (1954) for
Sam Katzman. He went back to MGM for a support role in
Her Twelve Men (1954). In June 1954, he returned to Broadway to replace
Henry Fonda in
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. He went to Paramount to support James Stewart in
Strategic Air Command (1955) and guested on shows like
General Electric Theater,
Studio One in Hollywood,
Climax! and
Ford Star Jubilee (reprising his
Caine Mutiny performance). Sullivan was leading man to
Joan Crawford in
Queen Bee (1955),
Claudette Colbert in
Texas Lady (1955),
Barbara Stanwyck in
The Maverick Queen (1956) and
Doris Day in
Julie (1956). In 1956, he was in
Too Late the Phalarope on Broadway which had a short run. He had the lead in a low budget Western
Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957),
The Way to the Gold (1957), and
Sam Fuller's
Forty Guns (1957) with Stanwyck. He was
Lana Turner's leading man in
Another Time, Another Place (1958) and played star roles in some films for Allied Artists, including
Wolf Larsen (1958), an adaptation of
The Sea Wolf wherein Sullivan played the title role, and
The Purple Gang (1959), a gangster film. His last film was
The Last Straw in 1987.
Television In the 1953-1954 television season, Sullivan appeared with other celebrities as a musical judge on
Jukebox Jury. His first starring television role was a
syndicated adaptation of the radio series
The Man Called X for
Ziv Television in 1956–1957 as secret agent Ken Thurston. He directed some episodes of
Highway Patrol, which was made by Ziv, who did
Harbourmaster. He continued to make guest appearances on shows like
Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
Pursuit,
Playhouse 90,
The DuPont Show with June Allyson,
The United States Steel Hour and
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, and he was in a TV adaptation of
My Three Angels. Sullivan starred in a western TV show,
The Tall Man (1960–1962) and the television series
The Road West, as family patriarch Ben Pride. He guest starred on
Perry Mason,
Mission: Impossible,
Bonanza, ''
Garrison's Gorillas, Mannix, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., That Girl, and It Takes a Thief. Sullivan also appeared in the first season of Barnaby Jones''; episode titled, "A Little Glory, A Little Death" which initially aired April 29, 1973. He has two stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 1500 Vine St. for his work in television, and another at 6160 Hollywood Blvd. for motion pictures. ==Personal life and death==