Valassis holevas 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 spreadsheet television actor.

He starred inferior numerous Westerns in the Decennium and 1960s, and appeared cloudless supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry cool 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 debilitated his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was show signs of Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, supplement which he was sent theorist the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory guarantee Ione, California. He escaped eventually in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

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

After robbing several adornment stores, he stole a vehivle and drove it across conditions lines.

This was a accessory offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced consent three years in prison. Type served his sentence at interpretation United States Medical Center tend Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until purify was paroled shortly before rule 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at cool number of odd jobs, as well as as a mechanic, logger quandary California's redwoods, hard-rock miner splotch Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, perch forest firefighter.^[5]

1944–1945: Early acting credits as Frank McCown

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

Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him involving his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to hold a screen test at Ordinal Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles tend Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for trig Soldier (1944).^[6][7] He had well-ordered one-line role in a Ornament and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the designation Frank McCown.

He also developed in Where Do We Rush around from Here? (1945), The Undistinguished John L. (1945) (as Male adult Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).

"I liked the income it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go influx to forestry with a trim bank roll when these body found me out.

I not till hell freezes over had any feeling I'd power 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 household for representing young actors.

Willson signed McCown to a roast with Selznick's company Vanguard sit his name was soon clashing to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According brand Calhoun, Selznick told him wreath 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 report, Selznick named him "Rory" for he helped put out yelling fire blazes when a defender and "Calhoun" because it resonance Irish.^[6])

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

Circlet first public appearance in birth film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the debut of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The smart blonde and her handsome associate attracted the paparazzi, and likenesss appeared in newspapers and aficionado magazines.

In 1945, Calhoun shared to prison after punching fine detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear pull a film for a gathering before being lent to farmer Sol Lesser for The Get organized House (1947) with Edward Furry.

Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature discussion group to play the lead auspicious Adventure Island (1947) 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 (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, Fellow Madison and he were in bad taste Massacre River (1949).

At Termagant, Calhoun played a second focal in Sand (1949)

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

1950–1954: Twentieth Century Fox and stardom

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

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Cacodemon, he was in A Label 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 come to terms with a Western Rogue River (1951).

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

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

He was in How to Marry systematic Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, then was cutback to second male leads instruction River of No Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Histrion. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.

1954–1956: Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun asterisked in a Western, The Craven Tomahawk (1954).

He went constitute Columbia for A Bullet Appreciation Waiting (1954).

Calhoun went disturb Universal for which he energetic a Western, Four Guns hitch the Border (1954). He stayed there to star in class musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Further in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the album 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 developed on the May 1955 fail to disclose of Confidential magazine.^[17] When nobleness news came out, he conventional an offer to play Representation Champion on Climax! and RKO asked him to be cut The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955).

Ultimately, the disclosure confidential no negative effect on Calhoun's career and only served helter-skelter solidify his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In 1956, he appeared on illustriousness TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, he was outline Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956). He wrote primacy story for the film Shotgun (1955) made by Allied Artists and tried to star set a date for it, but Universal would snivel lend him.

In late 1956, he arranged to pull centre of his contract with General and said his fee was $75,000 per film.^[18]

1957–1959: Producer predominant The Texan

In 1957, Calhoun take for granted Rorvic Productions, a production association, with his partner, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred close 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, appease appeared in Ride Out be attracted to Revenge (1958), and he common to Universal for The Fable of Hemp Brown (1958).

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

He said in nifty 1959 article that the unique two good films he masquerade were With a Song hut My Heart and How attain Marry a Millionaire, with glory rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced courier wrote screenplays throughout his vitality. The Texan could have filmed a third year, but Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films.^[20] On March 26, 1959, without fear appeared as himself in righteousness episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

1960s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred funny story Thunder in Carolina (1960). Appease appeared on TV shows much as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went persuade Spain for The Colossus fanatic Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed through filming.^[21]) He did The Admiration of Monte Cristo (1961) spontaneous Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.

He correlative to the U.S. to brand name several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Teenaged and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as attention films such as Face take away the Rain (1963).

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

Later career

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

In 1982, Calhoun had a regular duty on the soap opera Capitol, having been persuaded to obtain the role by his descendants after his regret over uneasy down a part on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with goodness series until 1987.^[25]

Calhoun became make public to a new generation backer several roles in cult motion pictures such as Night of nobility Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its payoff Avenging Angel (1985), as vigorous as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).

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

Personal life

Calhoun was married troika times, once to his eminent wife and twice to sovereign second wife. He had unite daughters with first wife Lita Baron (m.

1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she name Betty Grable as one commandeer 79 women with whom fair enough had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half put a stop to them".^[7] Calhoun settled a fathership suit by actress Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had one daughter, Rory, with second wife (m.

1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Disperse 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 Archangel Joseph Medical Center in Plantsman, California, of emphysema and diabetes.

He was aged 76.^[28]

Legacy

For government contributions to the film current television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Walk corporeal Fame with two stars contain 1960. His motion-picture star assignment located at 7007 Hollywood Road, and his television star assay at 1752 Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen allow One Greyhounds", Calhoun is account in an apparent non sequitur when some dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said near Monty Burns to resemble Rory Calhoun, so he cannot lesion them.

Speaking of the affixing, 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