u/OlinHollis

There have been quite a few Western actors who were also actual cowboys. Prime examples are Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson and Sheb Wooley. But in Leo Gordon we have a Western character actor who had been an outlaw of sorts. Prior to his acting career, Gordon and a couple of other fellows attempted to heist a bank. Gordon took a slug in the gizzard for his troubles and did a five-year stretch in San Q. So, later in life when cast as a badman or a prisoner, he had come by it honestly--so to speak.

According to famed director Don Siegel, Gordon was the scariest man he had ever met. That may not have been a compliment, but who knows? At any rate, Gordon was a very good Western heavy who appeared fully capable of doing the worst things. But he wasn't a dumb brute. Gordon read every single book in the San Q library, and once ensconced in Hollywood, wrote his fair share of screenplays and even a few novels! An interesting man, Leo Gordon.

Gordon's first Western role was in City of Bad Men (1953) and his last was in Maverick (1994). Other noteworthy Westerns in which Gordon acted were Hondo (1953), Ride a Crooked Trail (1958), McClintock! (1963), and My Name Is Nobody (1973). His Western career was long and reasonably distinguished.

Hail! Hail! All hail Leo Gordon!

With a name like Sheb Wooley, you almost have to be a man of the West, and so he was. Born in Erick, Oklahoma just east of the Texas Panhandle, Wooley was a working cowboy and a rodeo performer in addition to being an acclaimed country musician. One of his mentors was fellow Erick native Roger Miller who taught him how to strum chords and play the fiddle. Wooley later married a cousin of Miller's.

Speaking of Miller, Wooley played badman Ben Miller in High Noon (1952) among his myriad Western appearances. Indeed from 1950 thru 1986, Wooley appeared in practically nothing but Westerns. Among them were the wildly underrated Rocky Mountain (1950), Fort Worth (1951), The Lusty Men (1952), Johnny Guitar (1954), Terror in a Texas Town (1959), Rio Bravo (1959), The War Wagon (1967), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Silverado (1986). He also appeared frequently in Clint Eastwood's TV series "Rawhide," and wrote and directed a few episodes.

In general, Wooley didn't get many lines unless he was singing them, but was certainly a recognizable presence in the genre's Golden Age.

Hail! Hail! All hail Sheb Wooley!

One of the key features of the Western genre--in stark contrast to most film genres today--was the veneration of elders. The "old timers" were generally fonts of wisdom and lore and were respected as such, even by the ultra fast young guns of the Old West. Then there were the "old coots," who were almost by definition eccentric and cantankerous, but were usually looked kindly upon because of their humorousness and colorfulness.

Chubby Johnson was a past master of both character types. And although he made his first Western appearance in Abilene Town (1946) at the tender age of 43, he always seemed to be a good 20 years older than his actual age. The same could be said of Walter Brennan.

The Western was certainly Johnson's specialty and most of his silver screen appearances came in this genre. He turned up in such gems as Rocky Mountain (1950), Fort Worth (1951), Bend of the River (1952), High Noon (1952), The Far Country (1954), Tribute to a Bad Man (1956) and Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) (his scenes in this one were deleted).

Johnson tended to bring a comedic element to many of his roles. At times it seemed as though he had only two lower teeth, which gave him a pug-like appearance. He also had round, twinkly eyes and a profuse, bushy beard, which would have made him a perfect sagebrush Santa for all the little shavers in Tombstone.

Hail! Hail! All hail Chubby Johnson!

Of all the Western character actors, Karl Malden is probably the most decorated. He won an Oscar for his acting in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), and received sundry nominations for his roles in On the Waterfront (1954), Baby Doll (1956), and Gypsy (1962). Of course, Malden wasn't just or even primarily a Western actor. He appeared in many films noir, war pictures and comedies, among other genres. And truthfully, his Western didn't career didn't really take off until fairly late. He was excellent as an ingratiating barkeep in Gunfighter (1950), but then didn't make another Western until The Hanging Tree (1959). From that point up through 1971's highly underrated Wild Rovers, Malden appeared in six Westerns including One-Eyed Jacks (1961), How the West Was Won (1962), and Nevada Smith (1966). What Malden's Western career lacked in quantity, it more than made up for in quality.

With his bulbous nose and piercing stare, Malden was frequently cast as a heavy. And although he wasn't by any means classically handsome, he could certainly be charming. This was a feature he shared with John Dehner.

Malden was of Serbian extraction and very proud of it. He was active in Serbo-American organizations in the US and was loved by the people of Serbia itself. A prominent sculpture of Malden was unveiled in Belgrade in 2018, and Serbia awarded him with their Medal of the White Angel and Order of Saint Sava decorations.

Hail! Hail! All hail Karl Malden!

I don't suppose John Dehner was ever an "A-list" actor, but given how incredibly prolific he was, he must have earned like one. Whether on the silver screen or the little screen, Dehner was the very soul of ubiquity from the 40s well into the 80s.

Dehner, in most ways, was a fortunate son. His father was a nationally renowned artist who ultimately worked in the film industry, and his mother was a woman of exceptional musical abilities. The Dehner family ultimately became very wealthy, especially after John's father began working in Disney's animation department. John shared's his dad's skill with the pencil, pen and brush and was also hired by Disney as an apprentice animator.

In 1940, well before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dehner enlisted in the military but was mustered out honorably with a severe stomach ulcer. I don't know what sort of strains he was under at this time, but they must have been powerful.

Soon thereafter, Dehner's acting career picked up steam and he found steady employ in the Western genre. His Western debut was in the musical Out California Way (1946) and his final Western appearance came in Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). He appeared in 12 episodes of Gunsmoke and noteworthy Westerns such as Powder River (1953), Man of the West (1958), and The Cheyenne Social Club (1970).

With his pencil mustache, raptor nose, lazy eyes, and honeyed voice, Dehner had the ideal appearance to play underhanded cads and con artists, and indeed, he often appeared in such roles. But Dehner was also extremely versatile. He had a natural yen for comedy, enough size and menace to play blackhearted villains, but could also play sympathetic and pathetic down-and-outers. And it was doubtless Dehner's protean characteristics that made him an actor in tremendous demand for a good four decades.

Hail! Hail! All hail John Dehner.

Arkansas native Arthur Hunnicutt made plenty of pictures during a career that spanned over three decades, and the large majority of them were Westerns. His first was Riding through Nevada (1942) and his last--also his last overall film role--was Winterhawk (1975). Among the more prominent Westerns on his CV were Stars in My Crown (1950), Broken Arrow (1950), The Big Sky (1952) for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, The Tall T (1957), Cat Ballou (1965), and El dorado (1966).

I don't know if Hunnicutt ever played a gold prospector, but if he didn't it was a missed opportunity for casting directors. To these eyes Hunnicutt, at least when he had a full face of beard, looked the very quintessence of a grizzled old prospector. But his typical roles were adjacent to gold prospectors--hawkeyed provincials who knew all the lore and tricks and goings on of the territory. Art was country but he was sure no bumpkin.

Hail! Hail! All hail Arthur Hunncutt!

There may have been some actors--such as John Wayne--who appeared in more Westerns than Robert Wilke, but not many. Beginning with Come on, Rangers (1938) and concluding with Santee (1973), Wilke appeared in dozens of Westerns and that's to say nothing of his manifold TV Western roles.

With relatively few exceptions, Wilke was cast as a henchman or a principle baddie. So weather-beaten was Wilke's appearance that I imagine he was born looking like a slab o' beef jerky. The slightly lopsided mouth, prominent nose, and pale blue eyes only added to the classic look of an Old West badman.

Aside from being one of the most prolific Western actors ever, Wilke was also an absolute shark on the links. From all that has been said about his excellent golfing abilities, one imagines he might have had a career as a pro if he hadn't gone into acting. Fortunately for us Western junkies, he didn't.

Hail! Hail! All hail Robert Wilke!

PS--Unless there's a hue and cry for me to continue this series, this will be the final installment of Western Character Actor Appreciation.

RG Armstrong lived to the ripe old age of 95--good on him--and his Western film career was correspondingly lengthy. His first Western feature was as vengeful rancher Hunter Boyd in From Hell to Texas (1958) alongside Dennis Hopper, Diane Varsi, Chill Wills and Don Murry, and his final outing was in Purgatory (1999). Because of his unusual longevity then, he was one of the few classic Western character actors who continued acting in Westerns well into the modern period of the genre.

Armstrong, one of Sam Peckinpah's favorite actors, had eyes so dark--almost black--that they looked dead when Armstrong wanted them that way. The result was a frightening presence, sometimes motivated by religious madness. And supposedly, this aura wasn't mere happenstance; he grew up in an intensely religious household and remained conflicted about religion the rest of his life. Regardless, he was extremely memorable as a scattergun-wielding religious zealot in films such as Ride the High Country (1961), Major Dundee (1965), and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). He was memorable in his myriad other roles, too.

Hail! Hail! All hail RG Armstrong!

Richard Jaeckel's Western coming-out party was playing the role of smart-mouthed punk Eddie in the classic Gunfighter (1950). When Jaeckel called notorious gunfighter Jimmie Ringo "Mr. Frazzlebottom," you knew Jaeckel was here to stay. Actually, Eddie got blown away directly thereafter, but work with me here!

Jaeckel's concluding Western role was in the equally excellent Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), as sheriff Kip McKinney. Between those poles, Jaeckel appeared in myriad Westerns including 3:10 to Yuma (1957) as Charlie Prince, Chisum (1970), and Ulzana's Raid (1972), although he was probably better known as a WW II film actor.

Jaeckel was born into wealth. His father owned a lucrative fur business, and Richard attended the best private schools. But the pampered upbringing didn't come across onscreen. More often than not, he was cast as a dry-gulching dastard and was very believable in these roles.

As soon as he was old enough Jaeckel joined the US Merchant Marines in 1944 although I'm not aware that his vessels ever came under fire. He passed away in in 1997 at the age of 70.

Hail! Hail! All hail Richard Jaeckel!

Neville Brand wasn't quite Audie Murphy as far as being a decorated war hero, but among Western actors was probably the closest thing to him. He received the Silver Star for courage under fire, among several other citations, and was one of the most decorated US soldiers to come out of WWII.

But unlike the cherubic Murphy, Brand actually looked the part of a grizzled combat vet. With broad and craggy face, and his gravelly voice, he seemed the sort capable of barking out orders and receiving unquestioning compliance in return. Naturally, this hardcore image stood Brand well in the Western genre.

Brand's first Western was Only the Valiant (1951) alongside Gregory Peck, and his final Western was The deadly Trackers (1973) along with Richard Harris. In the intevening period, Brand was a steady fixture in Westerns.

Brand was born 13 years after John Wayne in Griswold, Iowa a mere 64 miles west southwest of Wayne's hometown. However, he didn't act alongside Wayne until Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973), the final year of Brand's Western acting career.

Hail! Hail! All hail Neville Brand!

Unlike highly distinctive character actors such as Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, Bruce Dern, et al, John Larch had a rather bland appearance and was not much of a scenery chewer. It's a testament to his skill as an actor then, that he had such a long career and that many of his appearances were in the Western genre, which prizes rather wild and bizarre characters.

Larch, who was born in Salem, MA of all places, and whose WWII experiences turned him into something of a misanthrope, made his Western debut in Bitter Creek (1956) and finished up with Santee (1973). Among his other Western jobs, he played baddies in From Hell to Texas (1958) and 7 Men from Now (1956). Given his rather unthreatening appearance, it's remarkable how often he was cast as a heavy. But he always pulled it off with great aplomb.

Hail! Hail! All hail John Larch!

I would never claim Anthony James was the best of the Western character actors, but I would argue he had the most unforgettable face--albeit not in the most favorable ways. Demonic, cadaverous, sharkish--these are all appropriate adjectives. Frankly, he looked to me like the very incarnation of the Phantom of the Opera. And it was this unsettling appearance that made him such a beneficial presence to any Western film as a baddie.

James, who was born James Anthony but reversed his names because there was already a SAG actor names James Anthony, made his first Western appearance in the comedy Sam Whiskey (1969) and his last was in The Unforgiven some 23 years later. In between, James was in Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972), and High Plains Drifter (1973) and made seven Gunsmoke appearances, some of which, alas, were farcical comedy roles. I believe James would have made many more Western appearances had his acting career begun earlier. As it was, he got in on the tail end of the genre's Golden Age. Nevertheless...

Hail! Hail! All hail Anthony James!

John Russell is probably best known for his turn as Claude Akins' rich big brother Nathan Burdette in Rio Bravo (1959) and as malign marshal Stockburn in Pale Rider (1985), but he appeared in a slew of other Westerns besides those two. Indeed, from 1965 through 1970, Russell acted in five Westerns.

Russell was one of those lucky men who actually looked better the older he got. With the slightly gaunt visage, the high cheekbones, and the ultra-cool duster, he looked better at age 64 as Stockburn than at age 38 as Burdette. There's hope for us all.

Hail! Hail! All hail John Russell!

Is Ben Johnson the greatest Western character actor of 'em all? There can be no doubt he would poll extremely high in a canvass of the experts on this topic. Johnson won an Oscar for his work in The Last Picture Show. And it is rare indeed, for any actor in a Western to be so honored. Not only must he be the best, he must be the best by a wide margin.

His list of Western acting credits is far too long to list here. His breakout role may have been as Sergeant Tyree, a trusted advisor to John Wayne's Nathan Brittles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). His last Western role was in My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1991). My favorite performance by Johnson may have been as the intimidating Conferedate Sergeant Chillum in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee (1965).

Regardless, in his rather humble, low-key way, Johnson brought utter believability to every Western role he played.

Hail! Hail! All hail Ben Johnson!

Jack Palance's Western career is bracketed by Shane (1953) and the neo-Western comedy City Slickers (1989). Between those two he appeared in a plethora of other Westerns, among which are The Professionals (1966) and Monte Walsh (1970). But it is those bookends--Jack Wilson and Curly Washburn--that rather define Palance's Western career. As the former he played possibly the greatest Western villain of all time and in the latter he was the epitome of a grizzled old cattleman for Gen X and the Millennials. Interestingly enough, Palance's Jack Wilson didn't have many lines. He didn't need them. Palance imbued his character with such miasmal poisonousness that the viewer understood his blackheartedness simply by sight.

And that was Palance for you. He had trouble mounting and dismounting horses and gave up eating red meat after ranching his own cattle, but his craggy, asymetrical features, dark, piercing stare and raspy voice sho' 'nuff made him look and sound the part of an Old West heavy. Palance will not be forgotten so long as there are people who love Westerns.

Hail! Hail! All hail Jack Palance!

Perhaps the most important key to being a successful Western actor--character or otherwise--is the ability to convey a sense of Old West authenticity. If you come across as a high-toned Bostonian or a wise guy from Philly, you're Western cachet has gone up in blazes before you even start.

That was certainly never a problem for Ft. Worth native son Morgan Woodward. With his pockmarked complexion, gravelly baritone, and shaggy beard--which he often sported--Woodward was just about as Western as they came.

His Western career began with The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) and concluded with the television movie, Gunsmoke: to the Last Man (1992). Between them he was a presence in, among others, Ride a Crooked Trail (1958), and Firecreek (1968) as well as 19 [!] episodes of Gunsmoke, which was the most of any guest star in the series' 20-season run. No wonder he won the Golden Boot, the Golden Lariat, and is a member ot the Hall of Great Western Performers.

Hail! Hail! All hail Morgan Woodward!

Who would have guessed that little Skippy Homeier would grow up to be a top-class baddy in the Golden Age of the Western? He was known as Skippy when a child actor but changed his name to Skip at the age of 18. His Western career began with a bang--in more ways than one--when he played Hunt Bromley, a young punk with a chip on his shoulder who shoots Gregory Peck's Ringo in the back in the classic Western, The Gunfighter (1950). From that moment his specialty was playing sneering punk villains in Westerns. But don't sell him short as merely a rebellious teen with a bad case of schlong envy. Homeier was also capable of playing seriously menacing dudes as he did in Stranger at My door (1956). He also had two Ranowns to his credit--The Tall T and Comanche Station.

Homeier was an actor who found a very specialized niche and mined it for all it was worth, carving out a fine Western career in the process.

Hail! Hail! All hail Skip Homeier!

Here is an actor who truly needs no introduction, but I'll provide one anyway.

Elam was famous for having a left eye that didn't track exactly in tandem with his right eye. This was because, as a little boy, he got into a fight and his adversary stabbed him in the eye with a pencil, blinding that eye. Now that's a pretty authentic Old West injury right there! And that wayward eye served him well as an actor, allowing him to play eccentrics, lunatics, and villains particularly well.

In the industry, Elam was known as "One-Reel Jack" because, very frequently, his character got killed off early in the films (Once upon a Time in the West is a classic example). But, no matter how short his appearances, Elam always left his mark.

Hail! Hail! All hail Jack Elam!

Just as James Best was known primarily as television's Roscoe P. Coltrane, so Jim Davis achieved his greatest fame as Jock Ewing, patriarch of the Ewing family in the TV series, Dallas. And like Best, Davis had a long and formidable career in Westerns long before attaining small screen fame.

For most of his early career Davis appeared in inconsequential B-Westerns, although he did also appear in Brimstone and The Last Command. He didn't break through and begin receiving meaty roles in A-films until El Dorado (1966). After that he showed up in Monte Walsh, Rio Lobo and Big Jake.

Before making a big name for himself on the silver screen, he was an established television star, appearing in 11 episodes of Gunsmoke, for instance.

Davis, for my money, was one of the most authentic Western film stars. With his craggy features, grim-set jaw and slightly pugnacious gaze, he was a ringer for any sagebrush ruffian you cared to cast. The only pity is that it took Hollywood's producers and casting directors so long to realize it. Late bloomer or no, Jim Davis was one of the best to ever do it.

Hail! Hail! All hail Jim Davis!