Career
A native of South Carolina, Mitchell appeared and sang baritone on Broadway during the 1930s. He made his television debut at the age of 40 on January 1, 1951, in the syndicated western series, The Range Rider. On that series through January 1, 1953, he made ten other appearances, mostly as a law-enforcement officer, the genre in which he specialized.
He was also cast in 1951 as a waiter in the episode "Bad Manitoba of Brisco" of another syndicated western series, The Adventures of Kit Carson.
He appeared in that same series twice in 1952, both times as a marshal, in the episodes "Trouble in Tuscarora" and "Golden Trap". He was cast in April 1952 in the episode "The Case of the Cold Neck" of the Columbia Broadcasting System crime drama Racket Squad, starring Reed Hadley.
In 1953, he appeared as Mr. Collins in the episode "Defense Plant Security" of the syndicated Cold War drama, I Led Three Lives.
He also had roles in several films, mostly uncredited, before and after those particular television appearances.
He appeared four times on The Roy Rogers Show and on the syndicated The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, with Guy Madison and Andy Devine, and Buffalo Bill, Junior., starring Dick Jones. On May 20, 1955, he played Adam Greer in the first-season episode "Farewell to Fort Apache" of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. In 1956, he was cast in an episode of the Columbia Broadcasting System fantasy drama, The Millionaire, in the episode "The Jane Carr Story", with Angie Dickinson in the lead guest-starring role.
He appeared twice in 1956 as Preacher Homer Wilkins in the Columbia Broadcasting System western series, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, starring Scott Forbes in the title role.
In 1956, he played a Confederate colonel in the episode "Enemies" of Ronald West. Reagan"s Columbia Broadcasting System anthology series, General Electric Theater. His other appearances, mostly on westerns, include Sugarfoot, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Lone Ranger, Annie Oakley, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
He played a sheriff in the Joel McCrea 1954 western film, Black Horse Canyon. In 1958, he was cast as Fred Gerlock in "The Red Flannel Shirt" of the syndicated anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews.
That same year, he made two appearances on John Payne"s National Broadcasting Company western, The Restless Gun, as Dawson in "Gratitude" and as Sheriff Frank Kemper in "Bonner"s Squaw".
lieutenant was Sky King, a contemporary western which originated on radio, with which Mitchell was most identified. He played the sheriff of fictional Grover County, Arizona. The series starred Kirby Grant as rancher Sky King who spent more time in his plane, the Songbird, than riding his horse.
The episodes on which Mitchell appeared began with "Manhunt" and "The Neckerchief" and included "Geiger Detective", "Land o"Cotton", "Rodeo Round-up", "Bad Actor", "A Dog Named Barney", "Sky Robbers", "Bounty Hunters", and "Dead Giveaway", his last appearance having been on March 1, 1959.
The series filmed 72 total episodes. Mitchell was one of the Silver Riders, expert equestrians who appeared in parades throughout the American Southwest.
In his later years, Mitchell managed several ranches he owned in Southern California. He died in 1988 at the age of 77 of a stroke caused by a fall from a ladder in Louisiana Jolla in San Diego County, where he had resided.
