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Richard Boone was just as tough as his onscreen characters
Paladin couldn't compete with the man who played him.
An entire era of stars was defined by its macho matinee idols. Onscreen, you'd see them on horseback or at war, performing some foregone swashbuckling idea of manliness. Offscreen, nobody embodied this ideal as fully as Richard Boone, star of TV's Have Gun — Will Travel.
Boone's adventurous lifestyle might only be rivaled, truly, by the likes of Ernest Hemingway. Even before he shot his way to fame and fortune, Boone's years were defined by a careful balance of art and action. While Have Gun — Will Travel has stood the test of time as one of television's great Westerns, they could've just as easily made an exciting show out of Boone's early life.
The man who would be Paladin studied acting at Stanford University. While he wasn't in class, Boone was busy earning the school's light-heavyweight boxing championship. During his summer vacations, he held down a job as a sailor aboard merchant ships, earning extra cash to continue his education and pursue his dreams.
Upon graduation, Boone again found a double life, splitting his time between the artistic and the rough-and-tumble. During the day, he worked as an unskilled laborer in the California oil fields. During the evenings, he'd polish up and head for Los Angeles, where he attended night classes at art school and dreamed of a life as a painter. Not even World War II deterred the resilient young man from his dual roles.
As the United States joined the War, Boone put down his paint brushes and enlisted in the Navy, where he served his country for four years, from 1941 to 1945. While he was often hesitant to share his experience during wartime, many details of Boone's squadron have since been made public record. They saw a ton of action in the Pacific, where the team was torpedoed, bombed, and kamikazed.
During brief interludes in which he wasn't under enemy fire, Boone was intent on not letting his skills atrophy. He continued boxing, often against fellow sailors, many of whom were boxing pros back home. He kept himself and other servicemen amused by writing short stories and plays, sharpening skills that would help him later in his career.
It's no surprise that this same man found success in Hollywood following his time in the Navy. Boone's determination and versatility brought him to Medic, and then to Have Gun — Will Travel, perhaps the role that defined his career.
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