Frank C. Baxter

Professor Frank C. Baxter Litt.D.
Baxter in Our Mr. Sun
Born	Francis Condie Baxter (1896-05-04)May 4, 1896 Newbold, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	January 18, 1982(1982-01-18) (aged 85) Pasadena, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania (B.S., M.S.) Cambridge University (Litt.D.)
Occupation(s)	Educator, Actor
Employer	University of Southern California
Known for	Educational television
Notable work	The Bell System Science Series
Television	Our Mr. Sun, Hemo the Magnificent, An Age of Kings, Telephone Time, Shakespeare on TV, The Bell Telephone Hour, Renaissance on TV, Now and Then, The Written Word, The Four Winds to Adventure, Our Heritage
Title	Professor
Spouse	Lydia Foulke Spencer Morris
Children	Lydia Morris Baxter (b. 1929); Francis Condie Baxter, Jr. (b. 1930)

Francis Condie Baxter (May 4, 1896 – January 18, 1982) was an American scholar and television personality.^[1] An authority on Shakespeare with a doctorate in literature from Cambridge University, he was a highly popular professor of English Literature at the University of Southern California who brought literature, science, and the arts to millions in the United States via television and film.

Baxter hosted the Emmy Award-winning CBS series Shakespeare on TV beginning in 1954, as well as the ABC drama series Telephone Time in 1957 and 1958, the US broadcast of the BBC's 15-part presentation of Shakespeare's history plays, An Age of Kings, in 1961, and NBC's The Bell Telephone Hour throughout the 1960s. Additional Baxter television series for CBS included Renaissance on TV (1956–57), devoted to classical philosophy, literature, and art, and Now and Then (1954–55), which enlightened viewers on subjects ranging from Altimira cave drawings to Elizabethan naval battles. Baxter's Emmy Award-winning Harvest on NBC in the mid-1950s highlighted great achievements in art, literature, public affairs, and science.^[2] In 1966, Baxter hosted a popular TV series called The Four Winds to Adventure, featuring filmmakers exploring little-known areas of the world, crossing continents and oceans to explore the histories and customs of local people or the animals unique to a particular region.^[3] The Written Word, a 15-part series on the history of books and printing featuring Baxter as presenter, aired nationwide in 1958 on both educational and commercial networks including ABC.^[4] Baxter was a frequent guest star on TV shows in the 1950s and 60s, often portraying himself since he was so well known throughout America. His TV acting credits included The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Playhouse 90, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, Mr. Novak, and more than a dozen others.

Baxter is best known for his role as "Dr. Research" in The Bell System Science Series. The programs were first broadcast on national television and subsequently distributed, free of charge, to schools across the United States. The films were later released on home video and DVD. Over the more than 30 years they were in popular use, Baxter biographer Eric Niderost estimates, the films were seen by some 200 million students.^[5][6]