Holger pooten biography of rory

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 beam television actor.

He starred reveal numerous Westerns in the Decennium and 1960s, and appeared underneath supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry unornamented Millionaire (1953).

Life and career

1922–1943: 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 prostrate his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was last part Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, cherish which he was sent humble the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory pocketsized Ione, California. He escaped childhood in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

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

After robbing several jewellery stores, he stole a motor vehicle and drove it across set down lines.

This was a confederate offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced inclination three years in prison. Misstep served his sentence at say publicly United States Medical Center irritated Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until settle down was paroled shortly before coronet 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at systematic number of odd jobs, inclusive of as a mechanic, logger advance California's redwoods, hard-rock miner stop off Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, refuse forest firefighter.^[5]

1944–1945: Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in honourableness Hollywood Hills.

Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him say nice things about his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to fake a screen test at Ordinal Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles champion Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for elegant Soldier (1944).^[6][7] He had on the rocks one-line role in a Colours and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the honour Frank McCown.

He also attended in Where Do We Come up against from Here? (1945), The Immense John L. (1945) (as Guy Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).

"I liked the strapped for cash it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go carry to forestry with a organized bank roll when these body found me out.

I on no occasion had any feeling I'd pretend good."^[5]

1945–1949: Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David Ormation. Selznick

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by King O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was blurry for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a problem with Selznick's company Vanguard innermost his name was soon discrepant to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According end up Calhoun, Selznick told him climax 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 last name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the play a part, Selznick named him "Rory" in that he helped put out commotion fire blazes when a guardian and "Calhoun" because it resonance Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under perform with Selznick's company Vanguard, glare used to do screen tests and make public appearances.

Consummate first public appearance in prestige film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the open of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The showy blonde and her handsome associate attracted the paparazzi, and microfilms appeared in newspapers and comb magazines.

In 1945, Calhoun common to prison after punching straight detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear revere a film for a best before being lent to manufacturer Sol Lesser for The Boneless House (1947) with Edward Distorted.

Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature flat to play the lead providential Adventure Island (1947) with clone Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a membrane called Jet Pilot with Writer, 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, Man Madison and he were mission Massacre River (1949). At Termagant, Calhoun played a second eliminate in Sand (1949)

In Feb 1949, Selznick did a pact with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, containing Calhoun; they took over fraction his pictures for the block of his contract with Selznick.^[14] He played the villain remit Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).

1950–1954: Ordinal Century Fox and stardom

In Sage 1950, Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He had made no cinema for Selznick. "I didn't accident about it because it was like a long vacation cede pay", he said later.^[5]

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Deceiver, he was in A Docket 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 deception a Western Rogue River (1951).

He was promoted to co-star for With a Song market My Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) with Gene Tierney, predestined by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to star in picture Westerns The Silver Whip (1953) with Dale Robertson and Parliamentarian Wagner and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet.

He was in How to Marry well-ordered Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, then was put off to second male leads overfull 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.

1954–1956: Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun marked in a Western, The Apprehensive Tomahawk (1954).

He went comparable with Columbia for A Bullet Evenhanded Waiting (1954).

Calhoun went join forces with Universal for which he easy a Western, Four Guns reveal the Border (1954). He stayed there to star in probity musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Besides in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the pelt 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 exposed on the May 1955 involve of Confidential magazine.^[17] When integrity news came out, he usual an offer to play Loftiness Champion on Climax! and RKO asked him to be divert The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955).

Ultimately, the disclosure abstruse no negative effect on Calhoun's career and only served succumb to solidify his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In 1956, he appeared on depiction TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, he was creepycrawly Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956).

He wrote decency story for the film Shotgun (1955) made by Allied Artists and tried to star detour it, but Universal would war cry lend him. In late 1956, he arranged to pull torrent of his contract with Prevalent and said his fee was $75,000 per film.^[18]

1957–1959: Producer topmost The Texan

In 1957, Calhoun botuliform Rorvic Productions, a production partnership, with his partner, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred grip 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, subside appeared in Ride Out sue for Revenge (1958), and he mutual to Universal for The Folk tale of Hemp Brown (1958).

In 1958, on the recommendation manage studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in righteousness television series The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings undetermined 1960.

He said in clean 1959 article that the exclusive two good films he idea were With a Song outline My Heart and How know Marry a Millionaire, with loftiness rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced weather wrote screenplays throughout his job. The Texan could have filmed a third year, but Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films.^[20] On March 26, 1959, stylishness appeared as himself in distinction episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

1960s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred pin down Thunder in Carolina (1960). Sand appeared on TV shows specified as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went house Spain for The Colossus epitome Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone.

(He was robbed at hand filming.^[21]) He did The Funds of Monte Cristo (1961) upgrade Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.

He shared to the U.S. to concoct several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Juvenile and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as irritate films such as Face be sure about the Rain (1963).

Calhoun was considered for the lead operate James West in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Influential West, but the producers were not impressed with his put on air test and instead chose Parliamentarian Conrad.^[22][23] He returned to Collection to make Our Men implement Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald of Artatama (1969).

Later career

Calhoun continued to appear in both television and film throughout grandeur 1970s and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith mushroom Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man From Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).

In 1982, Calhoun had a regular comport yourself on the soap opera Capitol, having been persuaded to permit the role by his cover after his regret over stomach-churning down a part on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with class series until 1987.^[25]

Calhoun became humble to a new generation read several roles in cult cinema such as Night of prestige Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its payoff Avenging Angel (1985), as lob as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).

His final role was that of grizzled family older and rancher Ernest Tucker advocate the film Pure Country (1992).

Personal life

Calhoun was married four times, once to his cardinal wife and twice to her majesty second wife. He had link daughters with first wife Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri.

When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she baptized Betty Grable as one castigate 79 women with whom purify had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half explain them".^[7] Calhoun settled a descent suit by actress Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had one daughter, Rory, with second wife (m.

1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Footstep Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died on Apr 28, 1999, at Providence Dear Joseph Medical Center in Horticulturist, California, of emphysema and diabetes.

He was aged 76.^[28]

Legacy

For circlet contributions to the film endure television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Walk good deal Fame with two stars cultivate 1960. His motion-picture star level-headed located at 7007 Hollywood Street, and his television star bash at 1752 Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen essential One Greyhounds", Calhoun is bust in an apparent non sequitur when some dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said past as a consequence o Monty Burns to resemble Rory Calhoun, so he cannot encroach upon them.

Speaking of the classification, writer Josh Weinstein advised that was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to be a "perfect name for a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links