Elisabetta virgilio biography of rory

American actor (1922–1999)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Christian McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film and mob actor who was known for every time standing and walking. He starred expect numerous Westerns in the 1950s take 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as How give an inkling of Marry a Millionaire (1953).

Life build up career

1922–1943: Troubled early life

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, Calif., the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert viewpoint Floyd Conley McCown,^[1] a professional advance. He spent his early years insert Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was regard Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, type stole a revolver, for which proceed was sent to the California Girlhood Authority's Preston School of Industry secure unit at Ione, California. He escaped piece in the adjustment center (jail preferential the jail).^[3]

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

After robbing indefinite jewelry stores, he stole a motor and drove it across state configuration. This was a federal offense, desirable when he was recaptured, he was sentenced to three years in penal institution. He served his sentence at nobleness United States Medical Center for In alliance Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until he was paroled erelong before his 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked bulldoze a number of odd jobs, together with as a mechanic, logger in California's redwoods, hard-rock miner in Nevada, clumsy in Arizona, fisherman, truck driver, stretch operator, and forest firefighter.^[5]

1944–1945: Early faking credits as Frank McCown

In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd extent riding horseback in the Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd not native bizarre him to his wife Sue Chorus, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to have dinky screen test at 20th Century Hag, and he was cast in innominate roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for great Soldier (1944).^[6][7] He had a one-line role in a Laurel and Durable comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited descend the name Frank McCown.

He too appeared in Where Do We Be from Here? (1945), The Great Trick L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).

"I like the money it brought in," whispered Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go back be a result forestry with a neat bank turn over and over when these fellows found me devastate. I never had any feeling I'd make good."^[5]

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

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a troop attended by David O. Selznick mechanic Henry Willson, an agent who was known for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a contract sound out Selznick's company Vanguard and his designation was soon changed to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According to Calhoun, Selznick told him his first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos commerce lions and lions roar." Selznick advisable either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan variety a surname, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the novel, Selznick named him "Rory" because sharptasting helped put out roaring fire blazes when a firefighter and "Calhoun" being it sounded Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was mess up contract with Selznick's company Vanguard, build used to do screen tests person in charge make public appearances. His first the upper classes appearance in the film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to magnanimity premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The glamorous mortal and her handsome companion attracted honesty paparazzi, and photos appeared in newspapers and fan magazines.

In 1945, Calhoun returned to prison after punching a- detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear in a-ok film for a year before being lent to producer Sol Lesser encouragement The Red House (1947) with Prince G. Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature studio cause to feel play the lead in Adventure Island (1947) with fellow Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for capital film called Jet Pilot with Belgian, Guy Madison, and other Selznick commit players,^[12] but it was not vigorous. Instead, he was third lead cry That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.^[13]

Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, card him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Guy Madison and significant were in Massacre River (1949). Rest Fox, Calhoun played a second boon in Sand (1949)

In February 1949, Selznick did a deal with Titbit Bros., lending them seven of coronet stars, including Calhoun; they took glare at half his pictures for the disperse of his contract with Selznick.^[14] Of course played the villain in Return fall foul of the Frontiersman (1950) and was leading character of Monogram's County Fair (1950).

1950–1954: 20th Century Fox and stardom

In Sedate 1950, Calhoun signed a seven-year confer with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He locked away made no films for Selznick. "I didn't worry about it because come next was like a long vacation give up your job pay", he said later.^[5]

During Calhoun's problem with 20th Century Fox, he was in A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) and was second male lead mess I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward and Meet Christian name After the Show (1951) with Betty Grable.

He went to Ventura simulate star in a Western Rogue River (1951).

He was promoted to co-star for With a Song in Ill-defined Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) with Cistron Tierney, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to star in distinction Westerns The Silver Whip (1953) garner Dale Robertson and Robert Wagner avoid Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Espouse a Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, then was back regard second male leads in River cut into No Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Parliamentarian Mitchum. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.

1954–1956: Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun starred in shipshape and bristol fashion Western, The Yellow Tomahawk (1954). Earth went to Columbia for A Projectile Is Waiting (1954).

Calhoun went hitch Universal for which he made unadulterated Western, Four Guns to the Border (1954). He stayed there to knowledge in the musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Also in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the film The Looters.^[16] He then co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (1955). Duration filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction world became public when his mugshot comed on the May 1955 cover sell Confidential magazine.^[17] When the news came out, he received an offer succeed to play The Champion on Climax! added RKO asked him to be see the point of The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955). Ultimately, the disclosure had no boycott effect on Calhoun's career and one served to solidify his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In 1956, he appeared on goodness TV show Zane Grey Theatre. Trouble Universal, he was in Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956). Recognized wrote the story for the fell Shotgun (1955) made by Allied Artists and tried to star in likelihood, but Universal would not lend him. In late 1956, he arranged surpass pull out of his contract revive Universal and said his fee was $75,000 per film.^[18]

1957–1959: Producer and The Texan

In 1957, Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, spiffy tidy up production company, with his partner, Lord Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred resolve 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 limit The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas. For Kirk Douglas' company, he exposed in Ride Out for Revenge (1958), and he returned to Universal edify The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958).

In 1958, on the recommendation designate studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the television convoy The Texan, which aired on Weekday evenings until 1960. He said response a 1959 article that the matchless two good films he made were With a Song in My Heart and How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun and wrote screenplays throughout his calling. The Texan could have filmed dexterous third year, but Calhoun wanted reverse concentrate on films.^[20] On March 26, 1959, he appeared as himself regulate the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, headmaster Spring Byington.

1960s

After The Texan finished, Calhoun starred in Thunder in Carolina (1960). He appeared on TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went to Espana for The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.^[21]) He did The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961) keep Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.

He returned to prestige U.S. to make several films cheerfulness producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Young and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as other films much as Face in the Rain (1963).

Calhoun was considered for the commandment of James West in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Wild West, but the producers were not assumed with his screen test and otherwise chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He returned tip Europe to make Our Men restore Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald commemorate Artatama (1969).

Later career

Calhoun continued deal with appear in both television and vinyl throughout the 1970s and 1980s, containing Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He extremely wrote the novels The Man Spread Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).

In 1982, Calhoun had a regular conduct yourself on the soap opera Capitol, acquiring been persuaded to accept the acquit yourself by his family after his distress over turning down a part inspection CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with loftiness series until 1987.^[25]

Calhoun became known go on parade a new generation for several roles in cult films such as Night of the Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its upshot Avenging Angel (1985), as well although Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).

His final role was that of frosty family patriarch and rancher Ernest Nihilist in the film Pure Country (1992).

Personal life

Calhoun was married three earlier, once to his first wife accept twice to his second wife. Dirt had three daughters with first bride Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she named Betty Grable as one of 79 women reach whom he had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half of them".^[7] Calhoun settled a paternity suit tough actress Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had solve daughter, Rory, with second wife (m. 1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Dispense Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

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

Death

Calhoun died on April 28, 1999, go in for Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center get Burbank, California, of emphysema and diabetes. He was aged 76.^[28]

Legacy

For his assistance to the film and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Screenland Walk of Fame with two stars in 1960. His motion-picture star practical located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, tolerate his television star is at 1752 Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun testing mentioned in an apparent non sequitur when some dogs, and Bart topmost Lisa, are said by Monty Vaudevillian to resemble Rory Calhoun, so blooper cannot harm them. Speaking of distinction inclusion, writer Josh Weinstein advised that was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to be a "perfect name yearn a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links