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Dan Blocker: DeKalb, Texas' biggest baby
Hoss is the boss.
Holy toledo that's one husky Hoss right there, partner!
It turns out that one doesn't just stumble into having a cool nickname like "Big Hoss" by accident. One must instead have the stats and measurements to back it up. And Dan Blocker? Well, he could definitely back it up.
He might've been the middle Cartwright, chronologically, but Eric was, size-wise, large and in charge. So big was he, that people assuredly forgot his name was Eric, on account of how frequently he's just called "Hoss."
Dan Blocker, though, was Hoss' opposite in all ways but one. Whereas Hoss Cartwright was a well-meaning fool, Dan Blocker was an academic and had a master's degree in the dramatic arts. Hoss was a homebody and a pacifist. Blocker served in the Korean War.
But here's one thing both character and actor definitely have in common: Hoss and Blocker were definitely big ol' boys.
Dan Blocker was an absolute unit from the day he was born. To this day, he holds the record as DeKalb, Texas' largest baby. Much to his poor mother's consternation, Blocker weighed in at 14 pounds when he was born.
That's a baby weight record in Bowie County, Texas that still stands today!
While he was on Bonanza, Blocker stood at 6 feet 4 inches and weighed about 320 pounds. Mama Mia! That's a hefty Cartwright!
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5 Comments
He added so much to Bonanza. My favorite "Hoss"episode was the Leprechaun story. It was a sad day for Bonanza fans when Dan Blocker passed away. May he R.I.P. 🤠
I wish I could have known him.