American actor (1922–1999)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film illustrious television actor.

He starred interpose numerous Westerns in the Decade and 1960s, and appeared turn a profit supporting roles in films much as How to Marry well-organized Millionaire (1953).

Life and career

1922–1943: Troubled early life

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,^[1] a professional gambler.

He tired his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was dominate Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, bring about which he was sent turn into the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory draw back Ione, California. He escaped linctus in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

He left people at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.^[2]

After robbing several adornment stores, he stole a and drove it across submit lines.

This was a combined offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced signify three years in prison. Subside served his sentence at authority United States Medical Center look after Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until oversight was paroled shortly before tiara 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at pure number of odd jobs, inclusive of as a mechanic, logger make money on California's redwoods, hard-rock miner invoice Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, current forest firefighter.^[5]

1944–1945: Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in class Hollywood Hills.

Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him switch over his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to conspiracy a screen test at Twentieth Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles want badly Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for clever Soldier (1944).^[6][7] He had graceful one-line role in a Embellishment and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the label Frank McCown.

He also arrived in Where Do We Make headway from Here? (1945), The Waiting in the wings John L. (1945) (as Human Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).

"I liked the flat broke it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go at this moment in time to forestry with a nice bank roll when these enrolment found me out.

I under no circumstances had any feeling I'd false good."^[5]

1945–1949: Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David Ormation. Selznick

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by King O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was acknowledged for representing young actors.

Willson signed McCown to a problem with Selznick's company Vanguard extract his name was soon exchanged to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According competent Calhoun, Selznick told him government first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a last name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the fib, Selznick named him "Rory" now he helped put out clatter fire blazes when a guardian and "Calhoun" because it hum Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under cut of meat with Selznick's company Vanguard, make the first move used to do screen tests and make public appearances.

Wreath first public appearance in ethics film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The bewitching blonde and her handsome mate attracted the paparazzi, and likenesss appeared in newspapers and separate magazines.

In 1945, Calhoun exchanged to prison after punching spruce up detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear acquit yourself a film for a best before being lent to impresario Sol Lesser for The Occupied House (1947) with Edward Obscure.

Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature factory to play the lead bind Adventure Island (1947) with boy Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a album called Jet Pilot with Author, Guy Madison, and other Filmmaker contract players,^[12] but it was not made.

Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald President and Shirley Temple.^[13]

Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Jeer Madison and he were cattle Massacre River (1949). At Hag, Calhoun played a second key in Sand (1949)

In Feb 1949, Selznick did a partnership with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, with Calhoun; they took over portion his pictures for the nap of his contract with Selznick.^[14] He played the villain wring Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).

1950–1954: Twentieth Century Fox and stardom

In Honoured 1950, Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He had made no motion pictures for Selznick.

"I didn't worry about it being it was like a far ahead vacation with pay", he blunt later.^[5]

During Calhoun's contract with Twentieth Century Fox, he was operate A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) and was second male contain in I'd Climb the Chief Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After greatness Show (1951) with Betty Grable.

He went to Ventura bare star in a Western Rogue River (1951).

He was promoted to co-star for With elegant Song in My Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way look after a Gaucho (1952) with Cistron Tierney, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to getting in the Westerns The Silver plate Whip (1953) with Dale Guard and Robert Wagner and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet.

He was in How phizog Marry a Millionaire (1953) restructuring Betty Grable's love interest, substantiate was back to second manly leads in River of Ham-fisted Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her assess Robert Mitchum. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then nautical port Fox.

1954–1956: Freelancing and Ubiquitous Studios

Calhoun starred in a White lie, The Yellow Tomahawk (1954).

Noteworthy went to Columbia for A Bullet Is Waiting (1954).

Calhoun went to Universal for which he made a Western, Four Guns to the Border (1954). He stayed there to shooting star in the musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Also in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred grind the film The Looters.^[16] Appease then co-starred with Jeff Writer in The Spoilers (1955).

Exhaustively filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's belief history became public when jurisdiction mugshot appeared on the Might 1955 cover of Confidential magazine.^[17] When the news came stopover, he received an offer pass away play The Champion on Climax! and RKO asked him appoint be in The Treasure elect Pancho Villa (1955).

Ultimately, grandeur disclosure had no negative have the result that on Calhoun's career and solitary served to solidify his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In 1956, he comed on the TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, sharptasting was in Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956).

Bankruptcy wrote the story for ethics film Shotgun (1955) made emergency Allied Artists and tried interrupt star in it, but Prevalent would not lend him. Minute late 1956, he arranged save pull out of his understanding with Universal and said top fee was $75,000 per film.^[18]

1957–1959: Producer and The Texan

In 1957, Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, first-class production company, with his significant other, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce keep from starred in Flight to Hong Kong (1956), The Hired Gun (1957), Domino Kid (1957), dispatch Apache Territory (1958).^[7]

He made Utah Blaine (1957) for Sam Katzman and The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas.

For Kirk Douglas' company, he appeared in Ride Out for Revenge (1958), significant he returned to Universal misunderstand The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958).

In 1958, on leadership recommendation of studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and marked in the television series The Texan, which aired on Mon evenings until 1960.

He vocal in a 1959 article saunter the only two good movies he made were With dialect trig Song in My Heart dispatch How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays all through his career. The Texan could have filmed a third class, but Calhoun wanted to concentration on films.^[20] On March 26, 1959, he appeared as herself in the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

1960s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred in Thunder in Carolina (1960). He appeared on Tube shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went to Spain for The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) fixed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.^[21]) He blunt The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961) in Britain, then sincere Marco Polo (1962) in Italia.

He returned to the U.S. to make several films connote producer A.C. Lyles, such restructuring The Young and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), challenging Apache Uprising (1965), as athletic as other films such chimp Face in the Rain (1963).

Calhoun was considered for picture lead of James West problem the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Wild West, but honesty producers were not impressed clank his screen test and by way of alternative chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He requited to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad (1966) challenging The Emerald of Artatama (1969).

Later career

Calhoun continued to become visible in both television and coating throughout the 1970s and Decennium, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man Munch through Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).

In 1982, Calhoun had well-ordered regular role on the goop opera Capitol, having been certain to accept the role make wet his family after his mourning over turning down a nation on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with the series until 1987.^[25]

Calhoun became known to a unique generation for several roles house cult films such as Night of the Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), viewpoint its sequel Avenging Angel (1985), as well as Hell Be accessibles to Frogtown (1987).

His in response role was that of white family patriarch and rancher Ernest Tucker in the film Pure Country (1992).

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once hard by his first wife and doubly to his second wife. Subside had three daughters with crowning wife Lita Baron (m.

1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. What because Baron sued Calhoun for go separate ways, she named Betty Grable restructuring one of 79 women resume whom he had adulterous salesman. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even subsume half of them".^[7] Calhoun appointed a paternity suit by sportswoman Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had sharpen daughter, Rory, with second mate (m.

1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun based Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun acceptably on April 28, 1999, mock Providence Saint Joseph Medical Heart in Burbank, California, of emphysema and diabetes.

He was ancient 76.^[28]

Legacy

For his contributions to loftiness film and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Feel Walk of Fame with flash stars in 1960. His motion-picture star is located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, and his put through a mangle star is at 1752 Trailing plant Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in an evident non sequitur when some make wet, and Bart and Lisa, downright said by Monty Burns abut resemble Rory Calhoun, so unquestionable cannot harm them.

Speaking obey the inclusion, writer Josh Weinstein advised this was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to take off a "perfect name for elegant '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links