Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Clint Walker - Death of a TV (and Movie) Cowboy


He was best known as the tall, barrel-chested cowboy, Cheyenne Bodie on the ABC TV western, Cheyenne in the '50s and early '60s, but his earliest work on screen was in feature films.  This past Monday, May 21, Clint Walker died, just nine days shy of his ninety-first birthday.

Born in Illinois, Walker joined the US Merchant Marine at the age of 17, in the final days of World War II.  One of his earliest acting jobs was for Cecil B. DeMille in the gargantuan Bible epic, The Ten Commandments, but before the movie premiered, Clint had landed what would be his signature role, Cheyenne.  For eight years, Walker's good looks and impressive 6' 6" frame made him a favorite with television audiences.

He appeared in other big screen releases including None But the Brave with Frank Sinatra, The Dirty Dozen, with a multitude of macho heavyweights like Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and Jim Brown, and a leading role in The Night of the Grizzly.

Walker is survived by his third wife, Susan Cavallari and a daughter.

1 comment:

  1. As a fan of Cheyenne and his many film appearances, this one really hurt.

    ReplyDelete

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