Burt Lancaster in Hospital; Falls Ill in Los Alamitos : Actor: The 77-year-old star suffered a possible stroke. A doctor said his condition was stable.

Actor Burt Lancaster, star of more than 60 movies and winner of an Oscar for his portrayal of an evangelist in “Elmer Gantry,” was hospitalized here Friday after he became ill while visiting a friend.

Lancaster, 77, was taken to Los Alamitos Medical Center by Orange County paramedics Friday afternoon. The call to paramedics indicated that Lancaster had suffered a heart attack, but the initial assessment by paramedics at the scene was that he had suffered a stroke. Hospital officials would not release any details of Lancaster’s condition, but said he was resting comfortably.

“He’s stable,” Lancaster’s personal physician, Gary Sugarman, said as he left the hospital about 6:45 p.m. The doctor declined to elaborate.

The actor’s agent, Ben Benjamin, said Lancaster was admitted to the hospital’s emergency room and that doctors there “will submit him to a series of tests.”

“We don’t know any more, we really don’t,” said Benjamin, who has worked for Lancaster for 25 years.

At a 10:15 p.m. press conference, hospital officials said they were not releasing details on Lancaster’s illness at the request of his family. They also declined to comment on reports that the actor has suffered a stroke.

Mary Ann Kopernick, director of nursing, said Lancaster was admitted at 12:13 p.m. “after visiting friends in the area.”

“He was taken to emergency and is undergoing continuing medical evaluation. The medical center is respecting the wishes of the Lancaster family and will update his condition when we receive permission from the family to do so.”

Kopernick said Lancaster was resting comfortably and some family members were with him. She said she did not know how long Lancaster would be in the hospital.

Paramedics were called to the John Douglas French Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, about one block from the hospital, at 11:48 a.m., where Lancaster reportedly was visiting a friend. Dr. Stephen Reed, medical director of the Alzheimer’s disease center, while not confirming that Lancaster had been there, said he had conferred with the actor’s family, who asked that he not release any information.

News media personnel were ordered out of the hospital, and three Los Alamitos Police Department officers were called in to escort journalists into the parking lot.

Lancaster, who celebrated his birthday Nov. 2, won his Academy Award in 1960 for “Elmer Gantry” and five years earlier shared an Oscar as co-producer of “Marty,” which won Best Picture honors.

Lancaster is also well known for starring roles in “Birdman of Alcatraz,” “Judgment at Nuremberg,” “Atlantic City,” “From Here to Eternity” and “Come Back Little Sheba.”

Lancaster, a onetime circus acrobat, began his acting career with roles that showcased his athletic prowess, such as the swashbuckler “The Flame and the Arrow” and “Trapeze.”

More recently, his films have included “Field of Dreams,” “Local Hero” and “Rocket Gibraltar.” He reportedly was released from the film “The Old Gringo” in 1988 because of his frail health.

In September, Lancaster married television production coordinator Susan Scherer, 48. It is his third marriage. He has five grown children.

Times staff writer Carla Rivera contributed to this story.