Forrest Tucker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker described himself as a farm boy. He was born in Plainfield, Indiana, on February 12, 1919, a son of Forrest A. Tucker and his wife, Doris Heringlake. His mother has been described as an alcoholic. Tucker began his performing career at age 14 at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, pushing the big wicker tourist chairs by day and singing "Throw Money" at night. After his family moved to Washington, D.C., Tucker attracted the attention of Jimmy Lake, the owner of the Old Gaiety Burlesque Theater, by winning its Saturday night amateur contest on consecutive weeks. After his second win, Tucker was hired there at full time as Master of Ceremonies, but left when it was soon discovered that he was underage. He graduated from Washington-Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., in 1938, and, joining the United States Cavalry, was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, but discharged for, once again, being underage. He returned to work at the Old Gaiety after his 18th birthday. When Lake's theatre closed for the summer in 1939, Tucker was helped by a wealthy mentor to travel to California and try to break into film acting. He made a successful screen test, and began auditioning for movie roles. In his own estimation, Tucker was in the mold of large "ugly guys" such as Wallace Beery, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen, rather than a matinee idol. His debut was as a powerfully built farmer who clashes with the hero in The Westerner (1940), which starred Gary Cooper. Like many other movie actors at the time, Tucker enlisted in the United States Army during World War II; he earned a commission as a second lieutenant. Tucker married four times: Sandra Jolley (1919–1986) in 1940, divorced in 1950, daughter of the character actor I. Stanford Jolley (who also died of emphysema) and the sister of the Academy Award-winning art director Stan Jolley. They had a daughter, Pamela "Brooke" Tucker. Marilyn Johnson on March 28, 1950 (died on July 19, 1960). Marilyn Fisk on October 23, 1961. They had a daughter, Cindy Tucker, and son, Forrest Sean Tucker. Sheila Forbes on April 15, 1986. Tucker, who had battled lung cancer for more than a year, as well as having a series of minor illnesses, collapsed and was hospitalized, for the second time in a week, on his way to the ceremony for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1986. He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on October 25, 1986, a few months after the theatrical release of Thunder Run and Outtakes. He was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. CLR
Known For
Credits
- 1993 · La Classe américaine as The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1987 · Outtakes as Himself
- 1987 · Timestalkers as Texas John Cody
- 1985 · Thunder Run as Charlie Morrison
- 1984 · Rare Breed as
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Tom Cassidy
- 1983 · Blood Feud as Lyndon B. Johnson
- 1982 · Matt Houston as Buck Turley
- 1982 · Filthy Rich as
- 1981 · The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as Duke
- 1980 · Flo as
- 1979 · The Rebels as Angus Fletcher
- 1978 · A Real American Hero as Carl Pusser
- 1977 · Incredible Rocky Mountain Race as Mike Fink
- 1977 · The Love Boat as Sam Zachary
- 1977 · The Love Boat as Tex
- 1977 · The Love Boat as Tom Preston
- 1977 · Final Chapter: Walking Tall as Carl
- 1977 · Grizzly Adams as
- 1976 · Once an Eagle as Col. Avery
- 1976 · Alice as
- 1976 · The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West as Wagonmaster Callahan
- 1976 · The Bionic Woman as
- 1975 · Ellery Queen as Clint McGraw
- 1975 · The Ghost Busters as
- 1975 · The Wild McCullochs as J. J. McCulloch
- 1975 · S.W.A.T. as
- 1974 · Police Woman as
- 1974 · Little House on the Prairie as
- 1973 · Kojak as Det. Paul Zachary
- 1973 · Dusty's Trail as Wagonmaster Callahan
- 1973 · Jarrett as Rev. Vocal Simpson
- 1972 · Footsteps as Bradford Emmons
- 1972 · Cancel My Reservation as Reese
- 1972 · Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol as Harry McMartin
- 1971 · Columbo as Bo Williamson
- 1971 · Cat Ballou as Kid Sheleen
- 1971 · Alias Smith and Jones as
- 1970 · Night Gallery as Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
- 1970 · Barquero as Mountain Phil
- 1970 · Chisum as Lawrence Murphy
- 1969 · Medical Center as Ollie Wayne
- 1969 · Doc as Dr. Jason Fillmore
- 1968 · The Night They Raided Minsky's as Trim Houlihan
- 1967 · A Boy Called Nuthin’ as Turkeyneck
- 1967 · Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self
- 1967 · Hondo as
- 1967 · Ironside as
- 1966 · Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title as Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
- 1965 · F Troop as Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
- 1964 · Daniel Boone as Joe Snag
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Cyrus Smuts
- 1963 · Channing as Major Don Landon
- 1962 · The Virginian as Martin Evers
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Max Beemis
- 1959 · Counterplot as Brock Miller
- 1959 · Bonanza as Frank Ryan
- 1959 · Rawhide as Dan Carlock
- 1958 · Gunsmoke in Tucson as John Brazos
- 1958 · Auntie Mame as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
- 1958 · The Trollenberg Terror as Alan Brooks
- 1958 · Girl in the Woods as Steve Cory
- 1958 · Fort Massacre as McGurney
- 1958 · The Strange World of Planet X as Gil Graham
- 1957 · Wagon Train as Rex Montana
- 1957 · The Deerslayer as Harry March
- 1957 · The Abominable Snowman as Tom Friend
- 1957 · The Quiet Gun as Sheriff Carl Brandon
- 1956 · Stagecoach To Fury as Frank Townsend
- 1956 · Three Violent People as Deputy Commissioner Cable
- 1955 · Paris Follies of 1956 as Dan Bradley
- 1955 · The Vanishing American as Morgan
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Brad McClain
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Adam Benteen
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as John Charron
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Sergeant Holly
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Sgt. Emmett Holly
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Will Donavan
- 1955 · Night Freight as Mike Peters
- 1955 · Finger Man as Dutch Becker
- 1955 · Rage at Dawn as Frank Reno
- 1955 · Break in the Circle as Baron Keller
- 1954 · Climax! as Chips Murphy
- 1954 · Trouble in the Glen as Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
- 1954 · Jubilee Trail as John Ives
- 1954 · The Big Moment as Uri
- 1953 · Flight Nurse as Capt. Bill Eaton
- 1953 · Laughing Anne as Jem Farrell
- 1953 · Pony Express as James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
- 1953 · San Antone as Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Frank Marlowe
- 1952 · Ride the Man Down as Sam Danfelser
- 1952 · Montana Belle as Mac
- 1952 · The Ford Television Theatre as Red Healey
- 1952 · Hurricane Smith as Dan McGuire
- 1952 · Hoodlum Empire as Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
- 1952 · Bugles in the Afternoon as Donavan
- 1952 · Flaming Feather as Lt. Tom Blaine
- 1951 · The Wild Blue Yonder as Maj. Tom West
- 1951 · Warpath as Sgt. O'Hara
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Steve MacGregor
- 1951 · Crosswinds as 'Jumbo' Johnson
- 1951 · Fighting Coast Guard as Bill Rourk
- 1951 · Oh! Susanna as Lt. Col. Unger
- 1950 · California Passage as Mike Prescott
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as William Patterson
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Ken
- 1950 · Rock Island Trail as Reed Loomis
- 1950 · Robert Montgomery Presents as Bob Slater
- 1950 · The Nevadan as Tom Tanner
- 1950 · Sands of Iwo Jima as PFC Al J. Thomas
- 1949 · Brimstone as Sheriff Henry McIntyre
- 1949 · Hellfire as Marshall Bucky McLean
- 1949 · The Big Cat as Gil Hawks
- 1949 · The Last Bandit as Jim Plummer
- 1948 · The Plunderers as Whit Lacey
- 1948 · Two Guys from Texas as 'Tex' Bennett
- 1948 · Coroner Creek as Ernie Combs
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · Adventures in Silverado as Zeke Butler
- 1947 · Gunfighters as Ben Orcutt
- 1946 · The Yearling as Lem Forrester
- 1946 · Never Say Goodbye as Fenwick Lonkowski
- 1946 · Dangerous Business as Clayton Russell
- 1946 · Renegades as Frank Dembrow
- 1946 · The Man Who Dared as Larry James
- 1946 · Talk About a Lady as Bart Manners
- 1943 · Keeper of the Flame as Geoff Midford
- 1942 · Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood as Whipper
- 1942 · The Spirit of Stanford as Buzz Costello (uncredited)
- 1942 · My Sister Eileen as Sandhog (uncredited)
- 1942 · Counter-Espionage as Anton Schugg
- 1942 · Parachute Nurse as Lt. Tucker
- 1942 · Submarine Raider as Pulaski
- 1942 · Tramp, Tramp, Tramp! as Blond Bomber
- 1942 · Canal Zone as Recruit Madigan
- 1942 · Shut My Big Mouth as Red
- 1941 · Honolulu Lu as Barney
- 1941 · New Wine as Moritz
- 1941 · Emergency Landing as Jerry Barton
- 1940 · The Westerner as Wade Harper