| Interment Location | Visited | |
|---|---|---|
| New Hartford, CT | May 14, 2015 |
Actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is interred in his family’s plot toward the entrance of Town Hill Cemetery in New Hartford, Connecticut. Zimbalist passed away on May 2, 2014, just over a year before my visit.
Zimbalist first rose to fame as the star of the television program 77 Sunset Strip , which was produced from 1958 to 1964. He followed that as the headliner of another show aired by ABC, The F.B.I. Personally, I will always remember him as the voice of Bruce Wayne’s butler and confidant, Alfred Pennyworth, in Batman: The Animated Series. Zimbalist voiced Alfred in fifty-five episodes of B:TAS, as well as episodes of related spin-off programs, films, and video games. I regard his performance as the definitive portrayal of the character.
I was joined on my daylong trip to Connecticut by four companions, including my friend Kelvis, who is also a passionate Batman fan. We both wore Batman t-shirts and shoes in tribute to Zimbalist and his voiceover work.
The tombstones in the Zimbalist enclosure match in size and shape, but have differing epitaphs. The former TV star’s inscription includes the Bible verse Acts 16:31 beneath the carving of a bird: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
Fast Facts
Born: November 30, 1918 in New York, New York
Spouses: Emily Munroe McNair Zimbalist (m. 1941-1950); Loranda Stephanie Spalding Zimbalist (m. 1956-2007)
Military Rank: Second Lieutenant — U.S. Army
Died: May 2, 2014 in Solvang, California
Cause of Death: Natural Causes
Age: 95
Interment: Town Hill Cemetery, New Hartford, Connecticut
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Frieden, Terry. “‘FBI’s’ Zimbalist honored by agency.” CNN, June 9, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/09/ent.fbi.actor/index.html?iref=24hours.
McLellan, Dennis. “Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Dies at 95; Starred in ’77 Sunset Strip.'” Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2014. http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-efrem-zimbalist-20140503-story.html#page=1.
Mueller, Robert S., III. “Honoring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.” Speech, Los Angeles, CA, June 8, 2009. Federal Bureau of Investigation, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/speeches/honoring-efrem-zimbalist-jr.
Rogers, John. “Efrem Zimbalist Jr. dies at 95; star of ’77 Sunset Strip’ and ‘The F.B.I.'” Washington Post, May 3, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/efrem-zimbalist-jr-dies-at-95-star-of-77-sunset- strip-and-the-fbi/2014/05/03/5986f3e6-d2dd-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html.
Stewart, Susan. “Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Star of ’77 Sunset Strip’ and ‘The F.B.I.’, Dies at 95.” New York Times, May 3, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/arts/television/efrem-zimbalist-jr-star-of-77-sunset-strip-and- the-fbi-is-dead-at-95.html.
