Larry Hovis on AllMovie

Though he would eventually rise to fame as demolitions expert Sgt. Carter on the classic comedy series Hogan's Heroes, singer/actor Larry Hovis originally came into show business as a singer. A Washington native who was raised in Texas, Hovis vocalized with his sister Joan before joining the popular Houston quartet the Mascots in the 1950s. Coming in first in a local talent contest earned the Mascots some television exposure on Arthur Godfrey's popular television show, and soon thereafter Hovis was hosting his own daytime television show. Moving into acting in his early twenties, he appeared in numerous stage productions, as well as continuing songwriting, which eventually led to a recording contract with Capitol and a subsequent solo album entitled My Heart Belongs to Only You. Small-time stage work became big-time with Broadway appearances in The Billy Barnes Revue and From A to Z in the late '50s, and by the time Hovis packed his bags for California at the age of 28, his standup performances and his screenplay for the comedy Out of Sight were gaining him quite a reputation. Shortly after that reputation landed him a gig on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., he embarked on a six-year run in the breakout television comedy hit Hogan's Heroes. Hovis followed his stint on Hogan's Heroes with a high-profile job as a writer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, and though he was indeed a writer on the show's Emmy-winning 1968 season, he missed out on winning because his name was mistakenly omitted from the writing credits. Balancing appearances in film and television with a prominent role on the television game show The Liar's Club in the 1970s, Hovis would later tour with the first national road show of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. In his later years, Hovis returned to Texas to teach acting at Southwest Texas University (now Texas State University) while continuing to appear frequently on-stage. On September 9, 2003, Larry Hovis died in Austin, TX, following an extended battle with cancer. He was 67.