Career
He appeared in well over 100 productions in the United States and Canada, including recurring roles as Commander Paul Richards in the 1954 Flash Gordon space opera television series, Bob Mulligan in the American Broadcasting Company sitcom I"m Dickens, He"s Fenster, George Anderson in the television adaptation of Peyton Place, Captain Clancey in the Western comedy-drama Here Come the Brides, and conniving United States Army Colonel Douglas Harrigan in McHale"s Navy and Colonel Platt in the movie McHale"s Navy Joins the Air Force. He made four guest appearances on the Columbia Broadcasting System courtroom drama series Perry Mason, including the role of David the murderer in the 1960 episode "The Case of the Flighty Father." In 1966, he guest-starred in an episode of the espionage drama series Blue Light. He appeared in numerous popular television shows, among them: The Twilight Zone, Columbo, Barney Miller, Gunsmoke, Happy Days, and the The Rockford Files, and made four appearances on Quincy, Mechanical Engineering
In the 1980s he played the security guard Alf on the Don Adams sitcom Check lieutenant Out!, and was also a non-celebrity contestant on the television game show Scrabble.
He continued to act through his late seventies on shows like The Commish and MacGyver, and he also had a recurring role in The X-Files for several seasons. He served with the Canadian Military during World World War II, and survived the Doctorate-Day Landings at Juno Beach, Normandy, on 6 June 1944.
Beckman was the author of How to Sell your Film Project, a how-to guide on getting independent films produced, and Hollywood With its Pants Down, a witty look at some of actors he worked with over the years. He was the father of respected astrophysicist and software engineer Doctor Brian Beckman, who, after a lengthy career at Microsoft is currently developing Drone Delivery for Amazon.
As well as several online projects.