# Famous actors who started out on old westerns.



## the other mike (Feb 1, 2020)

Not necessarily the movies, but the television shows from the 50s  60s and 70s like Rawhide Gunsmoke,  Bonanza, The Rifleman , The Virginian and all those.

I've been watching some of the old reruns and come across a few that I didn't realize like John Goodman and Richard Dreyfuss on Gunsmoke.


----------



## the other mike (Feb 1, 2020)




----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)




----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

In addition to appearing in Winchester '73, Tony Curtis had small roles in Sierra with Audie Murphy, and one of the Daltons brothers in Kansas, again with Audie Murphy.


----------



## Dalia (Feb 1, 2020)

Dick York start in a western film this is also where he did hurt his back.


----------



## Pogo (Feb 1, 2020)

Robert Culp.  Played a Texas Ranger in a late-1950s TV western called "Trackdown"

​


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Russell Johnson, (the professor), and Peter Brock costarred in the series Black Saddle


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Chuck Connors was Superman on the tv series Superman
(Sylvester J Superman)


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Deforest Kelly appeared in many westerns, including an early episode of The Lone Ranger


----------



## bluzman61 (Feb 1, 2020)

I believe Burt Reynolds had an early career acting gig on a western.  I don't recall the name of it.


----------



## Gdjjr (Feb 1, 2020)

bluzman61 said:


> I believe Burt Reynolds had an early career acting gig on a western.  I don't recall the name of it.


Gunsmoke- he played a Blacksmith.


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

bluzman61 said:


> I believe Burt Reynolds had an early career acting gig on a western.  I don't recall the name of it.



Gunsmoke

He was the half breed Blacksmith


----------



## Gdjjr (Feb 1, 2020)

Steve McQueen was Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive way before Bullit.

John Wayne was in Westerns when he was a very young man- 1930's?

One of the Colonels in MASH, Harry Morgan, (IMS), played in westerns.
Walter Brennan (grand pa on the real McCoys) was in westerns a long time before he hit the big time.
Yes many got their start playing in westerns.


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Gdjjr said:


> Steve McQueen was Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive way before Bullit.
> 
> John Wayne was in Westerns when he was a very young man- 1930's?
> 
> ...





Gdjjr said:


> John Wayne was in Westerns when he was a very young man- 1930's



Started as a stuntman in slilents


----------



## Gdjjr (Feb 1, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> Started as a stuntman in slilents


I read years ago that he (and someone I don't recall just now) were the first to choreograph fist fights-


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Gdjjr said:


> bluzman61 said:
> 
> 
> > I believe Burt Reynolds had an early career acting gig on a western.  I don't recall the name of it.
> ...




He was also on Riverboat, with Darrin McGavin


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Gdjjr said:


> WillHaftawaite said:
> 
> 
> > Started as a stuntman in slilents
> ...


Yakima Canutt

(He got an honorary Oscar for choreographing the chariot race in Ben Hur)


----------



## percysunshine (Feb 1, 2020)

Angelo said:


>



Clint is an icon. They should carve his likeness into rock next to the Hollywood sign.


----------



## Hugo Furst (Feb 1, 2020)

Mary Tyler Moore did spots on Wanted: Dead or Alive, (saloon girl), Riverboat, (French girl in carriage), and Overland Trail, (horse wrangler)


----------



## the other mike (Feb 1, 2020)

percysunshine said:


> Angelo said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...


 Hollywood's Mount Rushmore. Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Eddie Murphy and Marilyn Monroe......maybe
* I replaced Paul Newman with Eddie Murphy.


----------



## Harry Dresden (Feb 1, 2020)

Charles Bronson did a few bad guy roles....


----------



## 22lcidw (Feb 1, 2020)

Don't forget James Garner as Maverick!


----------



## Harry Dresden (Feb 1, 2020)

jack palance was another early bad guy...


----------



## Harry Dresden (Feb 1, 2020)

lets not forget bruce dern....another bad guy...


----------



## 22lcidw (Feb 1, 2020)

There are a lot of character actors from old TV westerns who played in feature films and there are women actors also.


----------



## rightwinger (Feb 5, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> Chuck Connors was Superman on the tv series Superman
> (Sylvester J Superman)


One of the corniest episodes ever with Chuck Conners and a mule


----------



## rightwinger (Feb 5, 2020)

Dennis Hopper and Michael Landon on The Rifleman


----------



## Dick Foster (Feb 5, 2020)

percysunshine said:


> Angelo said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...



There is no rock in the Hollywood hills. Why else do you think they have so much trouble with mud slides? However, cast in concrete is a real possibility. They have folks at Disneyland that are really good at that sort of thing.


----------



## Admiral Rockwell Tory (Feb 5, 2020)

bluzman61 said:


> I believe Burt Reynolds had an early career acting gig on a western.  I don't recall the name of it.



Gunsmoke 50 episodes 1962-1965


----------



## Likkmee (Feb 5, 2020)

Sam Elliott


----------



## Admiral Rockwell Tory (Feb 5, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> Deforest Kelly appeared in many westerns, including an early episode of The Lone Ranger



Deforest Kelly was in lots of Westerns, on TV and in movies.


----------



## the other mike (Feb 27, 2020)




----------



## the other mike (Mar 6, 2020)

Spock on Wagon Train.


----------



## Hugo Furst (Mar 18, 2020)

Episode of the Lone Ranger, "Texas Draw"



The young lady is Marion Ross, better known as Mrs Cunningham on Happy Days.


----------



## Hugo Furst (Mar 18, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> Episode of the Lone Ranger, "Texas Draw"
> 
> 
> 
> The young lady is Marion Ross, better known as Mrs Cunningham on Happy Days.



actually, she didn't start there...

I remember her as a manicurist on the Burns and Allen Show


----------



## the other mike (Mar 18, 2020)

Sammy Davis Jr on the Rifleman


----------



## the other mike (Mar 18, 2020)

Here's one with Buddy Hackett and Denver Pyle.


----------



## the other mike (Sep 4, 2020)

"Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a pool man !"
(Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective)


----------



## Ridgerunner (Sep 4, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> I remember her as a manicurist on the Burns and Allen Show



MY Gawd Man!!!!   How old are you?


----------



## Hugo Furst (Sep 4, 2020)

Ridgerunner said:


> WillHaftawaite said:
> 
> 
> > I remember her as a manicurist on the Burns and Allen Show
> ...



going on 71


----------



## LA RAM FAN (Sep 5, 2020)

Angelo said:


> Not necessarily the movies, but the television shows from the 50s  60s and 70s like Rawhide Gunsmoke,  Bonanza, The Rifleman , The Virginian and all those.
> 
> I've been watching some of the old reruns and come across a few that I didn't realize like John Goodman and Richard Dreyfuss on Gunsmoke.


Harrison Ford and Leonard Nimoy also made an appearance on gun smoke.


----------



## LA RAM FAN (Sep 5, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> Ridgerunner said:
> 
> 
> > WillHaftawaite said:
> ...


Damn I had no idea you were such an old fart.lol hee hee.


----------



## Ridgerunner (Sep 5, 2020)

LA RAM FAN said:


> Damn I had no idea you were such an old fart.lol hee hee.



Please remember and never forget, "with age comes wisdom"...


----------



## Hugo Furst (Sep 5, 2020)

LA RAM FAN said:


> Angelo said:
> 
> 
> > Not necessarily the movies, but the television shows from the 50s  60s and 70s like Rawhide Gunsmoke,  Bonanza, The Rifleman , The Virginian and all those.
> ...




Leonard Nimoy and Wayne Rogers : Death Valley Days


----------



## Likkmee (Sep 5, 2020)

Ridgerunner said:


> WillHaftawaite said:
> 
> 
> > I remember her as a manicurist on the Burns and Allen Show
> ...


I'd guess my age.....67 5/8


----------



## Hugo Furst (Sep 5, 2020)

Likkmee said:


> Ridgerunner said:
> 
> 
> > WillHaftawaite said:
> ...





Likkmee said:


> I'd guess my age.....67 5/8




(I thought that was your hat size)


----------



## the other mike (Sep 5, 2020)

WillHaftawaite said:


> going on 71



¡Gracias señor por hacerme sentir como un joven a los 58 años! 

I'm catching up fast - 59 in a week.


----------



## the other mike (Oct 30, 2020)

Fast gunslinger Sammy Davis Jr.


----------



## sealybobo (Jul 27, 2022)

the other mike said:


> Not necessarily the movies, but the television shows from the 50s  60s and 70s like Rawhide Gunsmoke,  Bonanza, The Rifleman , The Virginian and all those.
> 
> I've been watching some of the old reruns and come across a few that I didn't realize like John Goodman and Richard Dreyfuss on Gunsmoke.


I watch a lot of old westerns.  It's crazy to see actors who I remember as older guys in their younger years.  Remember the guy who hunted Josey Wales down?  The guy who turned on his Southern brothers and ratted them all out to the North?  The other day I saw him in an old western.  I couldn't recognize him.  I only knew it was him because of the voice.

I just finished watching an old western with Ronald Reagan.  His brother was the Professor on Gilligan's Island.  The skipper was in a lot of westerns too.


----------



## rightwinger (Jul 27, 2022)

In the 40s,50s and early 60s  just about every actor appeared in a Western at one time or another


----------



## Hugo Furst (Jul 27, 2022)

sealybobo said:


> I watch a lot of old westerns.  It's crazy to see actors who I remember as older guys in their younger years.  Remember the guy who hunted Josey Wales down?  The guy who turned on his Southern brothers and ratted them all out to the North?  The other day I saw him in an old western.  I couldn't recognize him.  I only knew it was him because of the voice.
> 
> I just finished watching an old western with Ronald Reagan.  His brother was the Professor on Gilligan's Island.  The skipper was in a lot of westerns too.
> 
> View attachment 675165


Russell was in a lot of westerns. He was in a series as the sherriff, with Peter Breck called Black Saddle.

Bones McCoy was in a couple of Lone Ranger episodes, and played gunfighters in several movies.


----------



## sealybobo (Jul 27, 2022)

Hugo Furst said:


> Russell was in a lot of westerns. He was in a series as the sherriff, with Peter Breck called Black Saddle.
> 
> Bones McCoy was in a couple of Lone Ranger episodes, and played gunfighters in several movies.


Remember Sammy Davis Jr. was on the Rifleman?

The other day I saw Burt Lancaster playing Geronimo.  He did a good job.


----------



## rightwinger (Jul 27, 2022)

sealybobo said:


> Remember Sammy Davis Jr. was on the Rifleman?
> 
> The other day I saw Burt Lancaster playing Geronimo.  He did a good job.


Sammy was on it twice
Remember Buddy Hackett on the Rifleman?


----------

