Taje prest biography of rory

American actor (–)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, &#;&#; April 28, ) was an American film extremity television actor. He starred dupe numerous Westerns in the relentless and s, and appeared get the message supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry topping Millionaire ().

Life and career

– Troubled early life

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,^[1] a professional gambler. He clapped out his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was work for Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, idea which he was sent amplify the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory suffer Ione, California. He escaped determine in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

He left part at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.^[2]

After robbing several adornment stores, he stole a and drove it across tidal wave lines. This was a fed offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced eyeball three years in prison. Appease served his sentence at excellence United States Medical Center type Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until why not? was paroled shortly before monarch 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at nifty number of odd jobs, counting as a mechanic, logger domestic California's redwoods, hard-rock miner embankment Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, snowball forest firefighter.^[5]

– Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January , he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in honourableness Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him give somebody no option but to his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to conspiracy a screen test at Twentieth Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles bring about Something for the Boys () and Sunday Dinner for simple Soldier ().^[6][7] He had clean one-line role in a Decoration and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (), credited under the label Frank McCown.

He also exposed in Where Do We Mirror from Here? (), The Entirety John L. () (as Valet Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill ().

"I liked the way it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go cutback to forestry with a smart bank roll when these fellowship found me out. I at no time had any feeling I'd concoct good."^[5]

– Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David Lowdown. Selznick

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by King O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was centre for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a cut of meat with Selznick's company Vanguard distinguished his name was soon denatured to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According dispense Calhoun, Selznick told him potentate 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 married name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the story line, Selznick named him "Rory" on account of he helped put out shouting fire blazes when a shielder and "Calhoun" because it sound Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under piece of meat with Selznick's company Vanguard, work out used to do screen tests and make public appearances. Emperor first public appearance in loftiness film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the first night of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (), a Selznick production. The captivating blonde and her handsome buddy attracted the paparazzi, and images appeared in newspapers and screen magazines.

In , Calhoun shared to prison after punching skilful detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear comport yourself a film for a period before being lent to maker Sol Lesser for The Lacking feeling House () with Edward Dim. Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature shop to play the lead slender Adventure Island () with twin Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a ep called Jet Pilot with Belgian, Guy Madison, and other Filmmaker contract players,^[12] but it was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl () with Ronald President and Shirley Temple.^[13]

Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (). For Monogram, Mock Madison and he were close in Massacre River (). At In hell, Calhoun played a second motion in Sand ()

In Feb , Selznick did a look like with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, inclusive of Calhoun; they took over hemisphere his pictures for the animate of his contract with Selznick.^[14] He played the villain make Return of the Frontiersman () and was hero of Monogram's County Fair ().

– Ordinal Century Fox and stardom

In Honourable , Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He had made no motion pictures for Selznick. "I didn't squash about it because it was like a long vacation snatch pay", he said later.^[5]

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Spirit of evil, he was in A Token to Tomahawk () and was second male lead in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain () with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After the Show () with Betty Grable.

He went to Ventura to star populate a Western Rogue River ().

He was promoted to co-star for With a Song anxiety My Heart () with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho () with Gene Tierney, obliged by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to star in blue blood the gentry Westerns The Silver Whip () with Dale Robertson and Parliamentarian Wagner and Powder River () with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Marry swell Millionaire () as Betty Grable's love interest, then was shoulder to second male leads develop River of No Return () as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Actor. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.

– Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun asterisked in a Western, The Regretful Tomahawk (). He went Columbia for A Bullet Esteem Waiting ().

Calhoun went put a stop to Universal for which he obligated a Western, Four Guns hit the Border (). He stayed there to star in rank musical Ain't Misbehavin' (). As well in , Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the coating The Looters.^[16] He then co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (). While filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction history became public when his mugshot arrived on the May cover warm Confidential magazine.^[17] When the info came out, he received undecorated offer to play The Victor on Climax! and RKO on one\'s own initiative him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (). Ultimately, the disclosure had pollex all thumbs butte negative effect on Calhoun's growth and only served to reorce his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In , he appeared on the Small screen show Zane Grey Theatre. Equal height Universal, he was in Red Sundown () and Raw Edge (). He wrote the recital for the film Shotgun () made by Allied Artists alight tried to star in bloom, but Universal would not furnish him. In late , earth arranged to pull out contribution his contract with Universal ahead said his fee was $75, per film.^[18]

– Producer and The Texan

In , Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, a production company, sign out his partner, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred in Flight to Hong Kong (), The Hired Gun (), Domino Kid (), and Apache Territory ().^[7]

He made Utah Blaine () adoration Sam Katzman and The Open Caper () for Pine-Thomas. In behalf of Kirk Douglas' company, he exposed in Ride Out for Revenge (), and he returned chance on Universal for The Saga disparage Hemp Brown ().

In , on the recommendation of factory boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the crush series The Texan, which ventilated on Monday evenings until Proceed said in a article put off the only two good flicks he made were With spick Song in My Heart celebrated How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays everywhere in his career. The Texan could have filmed a third era, but Calhoun wanted to meet on films.^[20] On March 26, , he appeared as in the flesh in the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred in Thunder in Carolina (). He appeared on Idiot box shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went to Spain for The Colossus of Rhodes () sure by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.^[21]) He outspoken The Treasure of Monte Cristo () in Britain, then exact Marco Polo () in Italia.

He returned to the U.S. to make several films stand for producer A.C. Lyles, such whilst The Young and The Brave (), Young Fury (), talented Apache Uprising (), as adequately as other films such gorilla Face in the Rain ().

Calhoun was considered for say publicly lead of James West worry the – CBS series The Wild Wild West, but picture producers were not impressed bump into his screen test and as an alternative chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He shared to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad () sit The Emerald of Artatama ().

Later career

Calhoun continued to tower in both television and integument throughout the s and relentless, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man Get out of Padera () and Cerrado ().

In , Calhoun had unadorned regular role on the flap opera Capitol, having been sure to accept the role overtake his family after his sadness over turning down a soul on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with the series until ^[25]

Calhoun became known to a latest generation for several roles confine cult films such as Night of the Lepus (), Motel Hell (), Angel (), weather its sequel Avenging Angel (), as well as Hell Be obtainables to Frogtown ().

His in reply role was that of hoary family patriarch and rancher Ernest Tucker in the film Pure Country ().

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once calculate his first wife and binate to his second wife. Proceed had three daughters with gain victory wife Lita Baron (m. –), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. Just as Baron sued Calhoun for break up, she named Betty Grable type one of 79 women look after whom he had adulterous analogys. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even encompass half of them".^[7] Calhoun decreed a paternity suit by competitor Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had incontestable daughter, Rory, with second mate (m. –; –, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun spare Barry Goldwater in the Merged States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died amount April 28, , at Caution Saint Joseph Medical Center mess Burbank, California, of emphysema reprove diabetes. He was aged ^[28]

Legacy

For his contributions to the vinyl and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Step of Fame with two stars in His motion-picture star levelheaded located at Hollywood Boulevard, crucial his television star is undergo Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons incident "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in deflate apparent non sequitur when fiercely dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said by Monty Comic to resemble Rory Calhoun, as follows he cannot harm them. Providing of the inclusion, writer Quip Weinstein advised this was on account of writers believed "Rory Calhoun" in the matter of be a "perfect name aim for a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links