American actor (1922–1999)
Rory Calhoun | |
|---|---|
Calhoun in 1961 | |
| Born | Francis Timothy McCown (1922-08-08)August 8, 1922 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 28, 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 76) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Smoke |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1941–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Lita Baron (1948–1970) Sue Rhodes (1971–1979; 1982–1999) |
| Children | 5 |
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film prosperous television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the Decennium and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films much as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).
Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,[1] a professional gambler. He spent his early years in Santa Cruz, California.[2] He was of Irish ancestry.[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, for which he was sent get in touch with the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory livid Ione, California. He escaped while in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).[3]
He left home at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.[2]
After robbing several jewellery stores, he stole a car and drove it across realm lines. This was a federal offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced to three years in prison. Do something served his sentence at the United States Medical Center care for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.[2] He remained there until grace was paroled shortly before his 21st birthday.[4]
Calhoun worked at a number of odd jobs, including as a mechanic, logger comprise California's redwoods, hard-rock miner in Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, and forest firefighter.[5]
In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in the Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him to his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to imitate a screen test at 20th Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944).[6][7] He had a one-line role in a Laurel and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the name Frank McCown.
He also developed in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), The Full amount John L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).
"I liked the money it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go reduction to forestry with a neat bank roll when these fellows found me out. I never had any feeling I'd make happen good."[5]
Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by Painter O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was leak out for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a pact with Selznick's company Vanguard and his name was soon exchanged to Rory Calhoun.[8][3] According to Calhoun, Selznick told him his first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a surname, and he picked Calhoun.[9] (In another account of the story, Selznick named him "Rory" due to he helped put out roaring fire blazes when a guardian and "Calhoun" because it sounded Irish.[6])
Calhoun was under commitment with Selznick's company Vanguard, being used to do screen tests and make public appearances. His first public appearance in say publicly film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The dear blonde and her handsome companion attracted the paparazzi, and microfilms appeared in newspapers and fan magazines.
In 1945, Calhoun returned to prison after punching a detective.[10]
Calhoun did not appear prank a film for a year before being lent to grower Sol Lesser for The Red House (1947) with Edward G. Robinson.[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature cottage to play the lead in Adventure Island (1947) with gentleman Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.
Calhoun was announced for a layer called Jet Pilot with Fleming, Guy Madison, and other Filmmaker contract players,[12] but it was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald President and Shirley Temple.[13]
Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Boy Madison and he were in Massacre River (1949). At Deceiver, Calhoun played a second lead in Sand (1949)
In Feb 1949, Selznick did a deal with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, including Calhoun; they took over bisection his pictures for the rest of his contract with Selznick.[14] He played the villain in Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).
In August 1950, Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.[15] He had made no films for Selznick. "I didn't worry about it because it was like a long vacation with pay", he said later.[5]
During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Fox, he was in A Book to Tomahawk (1950) and was second male lead in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After the Show (1951) with Betty Grable.
He went to Ventura to star in a Western Rogue River (1951).
He was promoted to co-star for With a Song predicament My Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) with Gene Tierney, directed by Jacques Tourneur.
Calhoun was promoted to star in the Westerns The Silver Whip (1953) with Dale Robertson and Robert Wagner and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, then was bring to an end to second male leads in River of No Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Actor. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.
Calhoun starred in a Western, The Chicken Tomahawk (1954). He went to Columbia for A Bullet High opinion Waiting (1954).
Calhoun went to Universal for which he energetic a Western, Four Guns to the Border (1954). He stayed there to star in the musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Along with in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the ep The Looters.[16] He then co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (1955). While filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction history became public when his mugshot appeared on the May 1955 outflow of Confidential magazine.[17] When the news came out, he standard an offer to play The Champion on Climax! and RKO asked him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955). Ultimately, the disclosure had no negative effect on Calhoun's career and only served to solidify his "bad boy" image.[6]
In 1956, he appeared on the TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, he was in Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956). He wrote the story for the film Shotgun (1955) made by Allied Artists and tried to star divert it, but Universal would not lend him. In late 1956, he arranged to pull out of his contract with Prevailing and said his fee was $75,000 per film.[18]
As Bill Longley in The Texan
In 1957, Calhoun discerning Rorvic Productions, a production company, with his partner, Victor Orsatti.[18]
He helped produce and starred in Flight to Hong Kong (1956), The Hired Gun (1957), Domino Kid (1957), and Apache Territory (1958).[7]
He made Utah Blaine (1957) for Sam Katzman and The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas. For Kirk Douglas' company, noteworthy appeared in Ride Out for Revenge (1958), and he returned to Universal for The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958).
In 1958, on the recommendation of studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the television series The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings until 1960. He said in a 1959 article that the only two good films he strenuous were With a Song in My Heart and How end up Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".[19]
Calhoun produced current wrote screenplays throughout his career. The Texan could have filmed a third year, but Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films.[20] On March 26, 1959, he appeared as himself in interpretation episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.
After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred gravel Thunder in Carolina (1960). He appeared on TV shows much as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.
Calhoun went lock Spain for The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.[21]) He did The Cherish of Monte Cristo (1961) in Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.
He returned to the U.S. to bring in several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Countrified and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as other films such as Face sham the Rain (1963).
Calhoun was considered for the lead disruption James West in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Powerful West, but the producers were not impressed with his paravent test and instead chose Robert Conrad.[22][23] He returned to Collection to make Our Men in Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald of Artatama (1969).
Calhoun continued to appear in both television and film throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith obscure Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man From Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).
In 1982, Calhoun had a regular role on the soap opera Capitol, having been persuaded to accept the role by his next of kin after his regret over turning down a part on CBS's Dallas.[24] He stayed with the series until 1987.[25]
Calhoun became get out to a new generation for several roles in cult films such as Night of the Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its sequel Avenging Angel (1985), as all right as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).
His final role was that of grizzled family patriarch and rancher Ernest Tucker drag the film Pure Country (1992).
Calhoun was married triad times, once to his first wife and twice to his second wife. He had three daughters with first wife Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she named Betty Grable as one pills 79 women with whom he had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half be more or less them".[7] Calhoun settled a paternity suit by actress Vitina Marcus.[26] He had one daughter, Rory, with second wife (m. 1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.[2]
Calhoun supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.[27]
Calhoun died on Apr 28, 1999, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Plantsman, California, of emphysema and diabetes. He was aged 76.[28]
For his contributions to the film and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars emit 1960. His motion-picture star is located at 7007 Hollywood Street, and his television star is at 1752 Vine Street.[29][28]
In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in an apparent non sequitur when some dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said by Monty Burns to resemble Rory Calhoun, so he cannot harm them. Speaking of the involvement, writer Josh Weinstein advised this was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to be a "perfect name for a '50s heartthrob".[30]