Larry Gates (born September 24, 1915 in St. Paul, Minnesota; died December 12, 1996 in Sharon, Connecticut) was an American actor probably best known for his role as H.B. Lewis on daytime's Guiding Light . He played the role from 1983 to 1996 and received the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor at the 1985 awards. Gates had a long career in film, television, and theater. He appeared in the Broadway theater Broadway productions of The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953) Bell, Book and Candle (1956) and A Case of Libel (1964). His film roles included supporting parts in Invasion of the Body Snatchers , Death of a Gunfighter , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , The Sand Pebbles , and In the Heat of the Night . On television, Gates had numerous roles on such anthology drama series as Philco Television Playhouse , Goodyear Television Playhouse , Kraft Television Theatre , Studio One , and Playhouse 90 . He continued to make dozens of guest appearances in a wide variety of primetime series, including Bonanza , Route 66 , The Defenders , Rawhide , and Twelve O'Clock High . He also played the role of President Herbert Hoover in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House . Gates died of leukemia at the age of 81.
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