Walter George Alton

Walter George Alton (born 3 December 1941) is an American lawyer and former actor. He appeared in four movies and is most famously known for his role in The Pumaman (1980).

Early life and education

Walter George Alton was born on December 3, 1941, in New York City, New York. He studied law, graduating in 1963 with a B.A. degree from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. He then attended Columbia University, New York, and earned an LL.B. degree in 1966.

Career

A lawyer by profession, Alton turned to the show business in the late 1970s. He made his acting debut in 1978, appearing in the role of “Peter” in director Joseph Hardy's TV movie The Users (starring Jaclyn Smith and Tony Curtis). In the following year, he was seen portraying the character of "Larry" in the romance-comedy feature film 10.

1980 saw him in the lead role in Italian director Alberto De Martino's fantasy/superhero film The Pumaman. The film flopped but became a cult favorite owing to the lackluster performance by its cast, including Alton's in the role of Professor Tony Farms/the Puma man. According to a 2011 Stracult interview, Alton was chosen as the protagonist of the film because he was, at the time, unknown and therefore, for financial reasons included in the cast of the film. Director Alberto De Martino recalls that the young actor was unable to act, in part because he had little to no experience behind him, and also because he was expressionless. For this reason, today, the film is remembered as one of the worst in history, as well as poorly acted. Martino declared the film as "the only pic I did wrong in my whole career" and that "When I saw it was a flop, I started asking myself questions. I had made a film I shouldn't have. However it did well abroad and managed to get the guaranteed minimum back, otherwise I'd have had to sell my house. It did not even gross half a billion lire in Italy." One of Alton's co-stars, Donald Pleasence, who played the villain in the film, said it to be the worst film he'd ever been in. His other co-stars in the film were Miguel Ángel Fuentes, Sydne Rome, and Silvano Tranquilli.

After the failure of the movie, Alton did one more movie in 1984; director Lawrence Dane's romance/drama Heavenly Bodies. He played the character of Jack Pearson, alongside Cynthia Dale (as Samantha Blair) and Richard Rebiere (as Steve.)

After Heavenly Bodies, Alton decided to retire from the film industry and go back to his lawyer roots. He became a medical malpractice attorney and currently serves as the managing partner of Walter G. Alton Jr. & Associates law firm in New York City.

In 1977, shortly before joining the show business, Alton authored Malpractice: A Trial Lawyer's Advice for Physicians (published by Little, Brown and Company).