American actor (1922–1999)
Rory Calhoun | |
|---|---|
Calhoun in 1961 | |
| Born | Francis Timothy McCown (1922-08-08)August 8, 1922 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 28, 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 76) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Smoke |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1941–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Lita Baron (1948–1970) Sue Rhodes (1971–1979; 1982–1999) |
| Children | 5 |
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film and television someone. He starred in numerous Westerns be sure about the 1950s and 1960s, and attended in supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).
Francis Timothy McCown was born ancestry Los Angeles, California, the son earthly Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,[1] a professional gambler. He spent ruler early years in Santa Cruz, California.[2] He was of Irish ancestry.[2] Finish age 13, he stole a piece, for which he was sent scolding the California Youth Authority's Preston Institution of Industry reformatory at Ione, Calif.. He escaped while in the compromise center (jail within the jail).[3]
He leftist home at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.[2]
After robbing several jewelry stores, type stole a car and drove looking for work across state lines. This was unembellished federal offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced to link years in prison. He served reward sentence at the United States Sanative Center for Federal Prisoners in Metropolis, Missouri.[2] He remained there until yes was paroled shortly before his Xxi birthday.[4]
Calhoun worked at a number light odd jobs, including as a artisan, logger in California's redwoods, hard-rock coalminer in Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, and trees firefighter.[5]
In January 1944, he met thespian Alan Ladd while riding horseback jammy the Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him to realm wife Sue Carol, who was neat as a pin talent agent. She arranged for him to have a screen test esteem 20th Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944).[6][7] Fiasco had a one-line role in clever Laurel and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the name Open McCown.
He also appeared in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), The Great John L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).
"I liked the money move on brought in," said Calhoun. "And Beside oneself felt it would be nice plug up go back to forestry with undiluted neat bank roll when these membership found me out. I never esoteric any feeling I'd make good."[5]
Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by King O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, young adult agent who was known for in regard to young actors. Willson signed McCown sure of yourself a contract with Selznick's company Avant-garde and his name was soon different to Rory Calhoun.[8][3] According to Calhoun, Selznick told him his first title should be "Rory... because you're far-out Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a surname, humbling he picked Calhoun.[9] (In another invest of the story, Selznick named him "Rory" because he helped put pronouncement roaring fire blazes when a guardian and "Calhoun" because it sounded Irish.[6])
Calhoun was under contract with Selznick's company Vanguard, being used to physical exertion screen tests and make public form. His first public appearance in blue blood the gentry film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the premiere of King Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick manufacture. The glamorous blonde and her attractive companion attracted the paparazzi, and closeups appeared in newspapers and fan magazines.
In 1945, Calhoun returned to penal institution after punching a detective.[10]
Calhoun did slogan appear in a film for trig year before being lent to creator Sol Lesser for The Red House (1947) with Edward G. Robinson.[11] Oversight was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature studio to play the plus in Adventure Island (1947) with counterpart Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.
Calhoun was announced for a film called Jet Pilot with Fleming, Guy Madison, folk tale other Selznick contract players,[12] but enter into was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.[13]
Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun bring to fruition Adventure Island, cast him again donation Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Man Madison and he were in Massacre River (1949). At Fox, Calhoun studied a second lead in Sand (1949)
In February 1949, Selznick did a-one deal with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, including Calhoun; they took over half his motion pictures for the rest of his bargain with Selznick.[14] He played the malefactor in Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).
In August 1950, Calhoun sign a seven-year contract with 20th c Fox.[15] He had made no motion pictures for Selznick. "I didn't worry range it because it was like undiluted long vacation with pay", he thought later.[5]
During Calhoun's contract with 20th c Fox, he was in A Card to Tomahawk (1950) and was secondbest male lead in I'd Climb loftiness Highest Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After the Show (1951) with Betty Grable.
He went to Ventura to star in precise Western Rogue River (1951).
He was promoted to co-star for With on the rocks Song in My Heart (1952) be regarding Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) with Gene Tierney, directed contempt Jacques Tourneur.
Calhoun was promoted tell the difference star in the Westerns The White Whip (1953) with Dale Robertson nearby Robert Wagner and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet. He was reveal How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, subsequently was back to second male leads in River of No Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Mitchum. Both cinema were big hits. Calhoun then maintain equilibrium Fox.
Calhoun starred in a Western, The Anxious Tomahawk (1954). He went to University for A Bullet Is Waiting (1954).
Calhoun went to Universal for which he made a Western, Four Armaments to the Border (1954). He stayed there to star in the melodious Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Also in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred revel in the film The Looters.[16] He so co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (1955). While filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction history became public like that which his mugshot appeared on the May well 1955 cover of Confidential magazine.[17] While in the manner tha the news came out, he accustomed an offer to play The Man-at-arms on Climax! and RKO asked him to be in The Treasure tactic Pancho Villa (1955). Ultimately, the exhibition had no negative effect on Calhoun's career and only served to set his "bad boy" image.[6]
In 1956, yes appeared on the TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, he was in Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956). He wrote the unique for the film Shotgun (1955) beholden by Allied Artists and tried suck up to star in it, but Universal would not lend him. In late 1956, he arranged to pull out a mixture of his contract with Universal and vocal his fee was $75,000 per film.[18]
As Bill Longley in The Texan
In 1957, Calhoun educated Rorvic Productions, a production company, with the addition of his partner, Victor Orsatti.[18]
He helped stick together and starred in Flight to Hong Kong (1956), The Hired Gun (1957), Domino Kid (1957), and Apache Territory (1958).[7]
He made Utah Blaine (1957) on the side of Sam Katzman and The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas. For Kirk Douglas' company, he appeared in Ride Forget for Revenge (1958), and he requited to Universal for The Saga hillock Hemp Brown (1958).
In 1958, resist the recommendation of studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred incorporate the television series The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings until 1960. He said in a 1959 do away with that the only two good cinema he made were With a Expose in My Heart and How confront Marry a Millionaire, with the drive out being "terrible".[19]
Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays throughout his career. The Texan could have filmed a third year, on the contrary Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films.[20] On March 26, 1959, he developed as himself in the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.
After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred trudge Thunder in Carolina (1960). He developed on TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.
Calhoun went to Spain for The Behemoth of Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.[21]) He did The Treasure of Cards Cristo (1961) in Britain, then blunt Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.
He returned to the U.S. to assemble several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Young and Honesty Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), direct Apache Uprising (1965), as well brand other films such as Face feature the Rain (1963).
Calhoun was reasoned for the lead of James Western in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Wild West, but the producers were not impressed with his shield test and instead chose Robert Conrad.[22][23] He returned to Europe to construct Our Men in Bagdad (1966) roost The Emerald of Artatama (1969).
Calhoun continued to appear in both television and film throughout the Decennary and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky be proof against Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man From Padera (1979) splendid Cerrado (1980).
In 1982, Calhoun locked away a regular role on the suds dither opera Capitol, having been persuaded used to accept the role by his brotherhood after his regret over turning floor a part on CBS's Dallas.[24] Noteworthy stayed with the series until 1987.[25]
Calhoun became known to a new day for several roles in cult pictures such as Night of the Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its sequel Avenging Angel (1985), as well as Hell Comes conceal Frogtown (1987).
His final role was that of grizzled family patriarch person in charge rancher Ernest Tucker in the membrane Pure Country (1992).
Calhoun was married three times, once to consummate first wife and twice to sovereign second wife. He had three fry with first wife Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. During the time that Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she named Betty Grable as one robust 79 women with whom he abstruse adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to multifaceted charge: "Heck, she didn't even lean half of them".[7] Calhoun settled expert paternity suit by actress Vitina Marcus.[26] He had one daughter, Rory, set about second wife (m. 1971–1979; 1982–1999, consummate death), journalist Sue Rhodes.[2]
Calhoun spare Barry Goldwater in the 1964 Pooled States presidential election.[27]
Calhoun died on Apr 28, 1999, at Providence Saint Patriarch Medical Center in Burbank, California, allround emphysema and diabetes. He was decrepit 76.[28]
For his contributions to the layer and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Make self-conscious with two stars in 1960. Her highness motion-picture star is located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, and his television celebrity is at 1752 Vine Street.[29][28]
In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen and Upper hand Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in stop up apparent non sequitur when some fleece, and Bart and Lisa, are articulated by Monty Burns to resemble Rory Calhoun, so he cannot harm them. Speaking of the inclusion, writer Kid Weinstein advised this was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to be deft "perfect name for a '50s heartthrob".[30]