William Henry Rorke was an American actor best known for playing Col. Dr. Alfred E. Bellows on the hit 1960s American sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Born William Henry Rorke in Brooklyn, New York in 1910, he was the son of screen and stage actress Margaret Rorke , and he took his stage forename from her maiden name. He attended Brooklyn Prep School, where he was president of the Dramatics Society and the Student Government and a member of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. He continued his education at the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts and began his stage career in the 1930s with the... Hampden Theatrical Company. During World War II, he enlisted in the army, where he made his film debut in the musical This is the Army starring Ronald W. Reagan, for which he was uncredited as the stage manager and as a soldier in the background. Following the war, he left the army and worked in small parts on Broadway, finally returning to Hollywood for the 1949 film Lust for Gold, again uncredited.
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| Birthdate: | October 23, 1910 |
| Birthplace: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Date of death: | August 19, 1987 |
| Also known as: | William Henry Rorke |