
Sam Buffington (October 12, 1931 – May 15, 1960) was an American actor whose short career included performances on stage, radio, film, and television. He was the star of the CBS radio series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone during 1958 and was one of three regular cast members on the Whispering Smith television series. While Buffington's wife Pat was in Palm Springs, California, he wrote a note to her, locked himself in the bathroom, sealed air passages under the door and window, and turned on a gas jet. When she returned home on Sunday evening, May 15, 1960, she had to break-in the bathroom door. Buffington was dead; his note apologized to her for not being able to support her, and requested cremation. Buffington's friends expressed surprise at the note, since he had made over $20,000 the year before and had good career prospects
tvWhispering Smith
1961 · John Richards
tvThe Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960 · Vic Trenton
tvBourbon Street Beat
1959 · Junius Rattner
movieBlue Denim
1959 · Abortionist
movieThey Came to Cordura
1959
tvBlack Saddle
1959 · Noah Bailey
movieUnwed Mother
1958 · John Pauley
tvBehind Closed Doors
1958 · Horne
tvWanted: Dead or Alive
1958 · Fred the Bartender, Hap Haefer
movieThe Light in the Forest
1958 · George Owens
movieKing Creole
1958 · Dr. Martin Cabot (uncredited)
movieDamn Citizen
1958 · DeButts
movieThe Brothers Karamazov
1958 · Tipsy Merchant
movieThe Rawhide Trail
1958 · James Willard
tvMaverick
1957 · Ponca Brown, Logan, Bigelow
movieInvasion of the Saucer Men
1957 · Col. Ambrose, USAF
tvAlfred Hitchcock Presents
1955 · Waldren, Smalley