Alexander dismissed the charges of lewd vagrancy against Talman and the others for lack of proof. "I don't approve of their conduct," the judge ruled, "but it is not for you and me to approve but to enforce the statutes." Despite this Talman was fired by CBS, which refused to give a reason. Talman was later rehired after the series's executive producer, Gail Patrick Jackson, staunchly supported by Talman's friend Raymond Burr, made a request to CBS after a massive campaign of letters from viewers. Personal life Talman was married three times. His first marriage, to actress Lynne Carter, lasted from just before he left for active service in 1942 to September 1952 and produced one daughter, Lynda. His second wife was actress Barbara Read; she had two sons, Damon and Quentin, from her second marriage. Read and Talman were married in 1953 and had one daughter, Barbie, and one son, William Whitney Talman III. The couple divorced on August 23, 1960. Talman's third wife was Margaret Louise Larkin Flannigan, whom he married in 1963; she had a son, Steve, and daughter, Debbie, from a previous marriage. The couple had two children: a son, Timothy, and a daughter, Susan. Margaret Talman outlived William Talman by almost 34 years and died, of lung cancer related to smoking, in January 2002, at age 73. Antismoking advocacy and death Talman is also known for being the first actor in Hollywood to film an antismoking public service announcement for the American Cancer Society. A lifelong heavy smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and knew he was dying when he filmed the commercial. The short film began with the words: "Before I die, I want to do what I can to leave a world free of cancer for my six children [...]" Talman requested that the commercial not be aired until after his death. He had made another such public service announcement, which opened with his voice-over and a picture of his home, followed by filmed shots of his wife and kids, then a still of himself "with a friend of mine you might recognize," Raymond Burr, from the Perry Mason TV series. He then said, "You know, I didn't really mind losing those courtroom battles, but I'm in a battle now I don't want to lose at all. Because if I lose it, it means losing my wife and those kids you just