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12 wonderful character actors who turn up in every TV Western
This dirty dozen deserves the same recognition as the stars.
They had distinctive faces and distinctive names. Names like Chill, Cactus, Denver and Dabbs. They were grizzled and gravel-voice — men you could believe lived in the Wild West. Sure, stars like Steve McQueen, Dennis Weaver and Clint Eastwood made for cool cowboys, but TV Westerns would be nothing without a cast of character actors.
The 1950s and 1960s were a good time to be an actor with equestrian skills. The television schedule was chockablock with Westerns. In 1959, there were 26 Westerns on the three major networks. That's a lot of saddles to fill. There were dozens and dozens of veteran performers and hopeful newcomers who popped up in these shows. Heck, Gunsmoke alone had to cast 635 episodes.
We could have made a massive list of character actors from that era. Instead, we picked 12 of our favorite. You can spot them in just about any show on MeTV with sheriff.
1. Noah Beery, Jr.
The nephew of Oscar winner Wallace Beery, Noah Jr. scored a couple of regular roles in his career, notable as a clown alongside young Micky Dolenz on Circus Boy and as James Garner's father on The Rockford Files. In between, he was seen in Rawhide, Wagon Train, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Gunsmoke, Bonanza and more, typically a warm-hearted fellow.
2. Harry Carey, Jr.
Not to be confused with the famous Cubs announcer, this Harry Carey logged more than 90 Westerns in his resume. He was a particular favorite of Have Gun - Will Travel, which used him in 12 episodes. He grew up on a ranch as a child, earning the nickname "Dobe" for his adobe-colored hair, and even learned to speak Navajo. No wonder he appeared so comfortable onscreen, playing everything from sheriff to nogoodnik.
3. Royal Dano
Lean and rangy, Royal Dano showed remarkable range as an actor, playing everything on the spectrum between cowardly criminal and Abraham Lincoln. Walt Disney personally selected Dano to voice Honest Abe, and the actor is perhaps now best known for playing the great President. Still, he could be just a mesmerizing in a wicked role, too.
4. Jack Elam
Due to his lazy left eye, which was the result of being stabbed in the face with a pencil as a child, Elam typically found himself typecast as an old coot or crazed criminal. But he was brilliant in those roles, equally adept at comedy and menace.
5. Shug Fisher
A member of the Sons of the Pioneers, a singing group that appeared in numerous Roy Rogers films, Shug worked in everything from Tom and Jerry cartoons (as the voice of Uncle Pecos) to The Dukes of Hazzard. He shows up a handful of times on Gunsmoke as Obie, a well-dressed barkeep at the Oasis Saloon and occasional boxing referee.
6. Paul Fix
Fix is best remembered as Marshal Micah Torrance in 150 episodes of The Rifleman. He also has a small part in Star Trek lore as the first medical man seen aboard the Starship Enterprise, as he portrayed Dr. Mark Piper in the series' second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," before Bones joined the crew. Elsewhere, he was District Attorney Hale on Perry Mason, Thad's dad on Gunsmoke, Commander Kronus on Battlestar Galactica, and a bit player on seemingly every other Western.
7. Dabbs Greer
The first person ever saved by Superman on Adventures of Superman, Greer most often appeared on Gunsmoke, playing shopkeeper Wilbur Jonas, the man who supplied Miss Kitty with her wonderful wardrobe. He frequently played a minister, too. In fact, he had the honor of overseeing the marriages of both Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mike and Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch. Late in his career, Greer playing the old version of Tom Hanks' character in The Green Mile.
8. I. Stanford Jolley
Though his roots were in vaudeville, Jolley found his calling in countless Westerns. With his long face, sunken eyes and pencil-thin mustache, the actor could play both an imposing villain or authority figure.
9. Cactus Mack
Cousin to actors Glenn Strange and Rex Allen, Cactus Mack had his roots in the Arizona musical scene. He can be seen in a whopping 48 episodes of Gunsmoke, though mostly in the background, silently sipping a drink or standing in a crowd. However, in his final appearance on the show, he at last got a meaty part, playing an old man simply named "Pa" in season seven's "Marry Me." His high and raspy voice added even more character to the role. Too bad he couldn't land more speaking roles. Likewise, he went uncredited on many other Westerns. But with a perfect name like Cactus Mack, he deserves a salute.
10. Strother Martin
In Cool Hand Luke, Martin delivered one of cinema's immortal lines, declaring, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." A former swimming and diving champ, he moved to Hollywood to first lend his expertise in the water. However, he soon found himself in front of the camera, in dusty towns like Dodge City. He played a mentally challenged man Cooter in a memorable early Gunsmoke, seen here, and remained a regular presence through the late-1970s.
11. Denver Pyle
Pyle, perhaps the second-most-famous television actor with "Denver" in his name after Bob Denver, should be familiar as both Briscoe Darling, Jr., from The Andy Griffith Show and Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard. But he was on just about every show with a horse, playing characters that exuded mountain wisdom.
12. Chill Wills
Ironically named "Chill" because he was born on a scorching hot day, Wills also honed his skills as a musician, singing in the Avalon Boys. Later, he voiced the beloved Francis the Talking Mule in a series of hit films. His deep twang landed him onscreen, too, in Trackdown, The Virginian, Alias Smith and Jones, and many other shows.
SEE MORE: 10 AWESOMELY NAMED CHARACTER ACTORS FROM CLASSIC TV
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44 Comments
it actually had me pondering about how prolific some character actors can be... bit of serendipity to see a list like this soon after
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Tombstone Territory
Cimarron City
The Californians
U.S. Marshal
Yancy Derringer
Trackdown
Man Without a Gun
The Rough Riders
Have Gun - Will Travel- 3 episodes
Black Saddle
Overland Trail
Law of the Plainsman
Wanted: Dead or Alive
The Rebel
Johnny Ringo
The Man from Blackhawk
The Westerner
Stagecoach West
Outlaws
Zane Grey Theater -4 episodes
Bat Masterson
Lawman
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp - 6 episodes
Cheyenne
Tales of Wells Fargo -3 episodes
Geronimo
Ride the High Country
Laramie-6 episodes
The Rifleman - 11 episodes
The Big Valley
Bonanza-3 episodes
The Virginian - 6 episodes
Gunsmoke -12 episodes
Death Valley days and more
Plus Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents , Voyage to the bottom of the Sea and 100's more not Western
Open eyes Magoo MeTV
Always felt he should have put in an appearance on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD as the father of or a time-travelled older version of Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson. They look so much alike.
( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0633038/mediaviewer/rm1273378816?ft0=name&fv0=nm0831147&ft1=image_type&fv1=still_frame )
However, he did perform the last 2/3 of Mary & Adam's wedding.
I remember when Strother Martin hosted SNL in 1980, late in his life. By the time the show was rerun in summer, he'd died.