Born on June 13, 1918, in Foraker, Oklahoma, on the Osage Indian Reservation, Ben Johnson was one of the greatest American actors in the Western film industry. With passing years, he matured into a star character actor who exemplified not only integrity and strength, but an ideal of the common man fighting against social injustice and oppression. In television, Carney played municipal sewer worker Ed Norton in the influential sitcom "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956). He served as a medic at a U.S. Army hospital in the United States. [16], A one-and-a-quarter-sized bronze sculpture by John D. Free of Ben Johnson riding a horse and roping a steer was commissioned and produced in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Richard Pryor is regarded as one of the most important and controversial stand-up comedians in history, and his talents translated to a career in Hollywood that included films like "Superman III" and "Brewster's Millions." You know, I'd say that aside from Mr. Ford's [, [on leaving Oklahoma for Hollywood, where he became a horse wrangler oh, I might take a drink now and then, but you know what I mean. He did stunt-double work for . At the age of 16, the future Academy Award winner dropped out of school to join the Navy. Born in Foraker, Oklahoma, his father, Ben Johnson, Sr., was a cattleman and rancher in Osage County, Oklahoma, as well as a champion rodeo steer roper. Although he died in 2015, Oscar nominee Robert Loggia earned 235 acting credits dating from 19512019, including memorable roles in big-screen blockbusters like "Big" and "Scarface," as well as in acclaimed TV series like "The Sopranos." He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer and served as an OCS Tactical Officer at Fort Benning, before undergoing Vietnamese language training and jump school Army - '67-'70. He got his start in night clubs, toiling for over 20 years, until 1958, when he made his film debut in Run Silent Run Deep (1958). But if called upon to portray a member of the Armed Forces on screen, many actors could draw from their own life experience. He has found it a constant American leading man famed as the star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). He portrayed the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV series ' Miami Vice '. Ben Johnson (actor), better known by her family name Benjamin, was a popular American film actor (1918-1996). Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, at the age of seventeen, young Jack Navy - '38-'42 and Army '42-'45. To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into He played the role of the iconic sitcom character George Jefferson, who appeared not just on "The Jeffersons," but also on "ER," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "House of Payne," and "All in the Family.". As a young man, Franz enlisted in the Army after college and experienced intense combat in Vietnam, where he served with the 82nd Airborne. Known for his roles in "Dr. Strangelove" and as a crooked police captain in "The Godfather," Sterling Hayden's acting credits date back to 1941. All branches of the military, including the Coast Guard, are represented on the list, along with some actors from foreign countries. Ford then suggested a starring role for him in the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young; he played Gregg opposite Terry Moore. republish under a Creative Commons License, and we encourage you to His great-grandfather was the first Tyrone Power (1795-1841), a famed Irish comedian. Highly influential, and always controversial, African-American actor/comedian who was equally well known for his colorful language during his live comedy shows, as for his fast paced life, multiple marriages and battles with drug addiction. It was while he was in the army that he made his acting debut, in Army training films, Army - Saw action in the European theater. After being expelled from high school, the man born Laurence Tureaud served in the Army as a military policeman. Not only did he make propaganda films for the Army, but he saw action as a tail gunner during five missions over Germany. Actor and roper Ben Johnson stands in front of a statue of Will Rogers that was unveiled Aug. 12, 1995, in Oologah. when, in 1940, - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bruce Cameron , Had initially turned down the role of Sam the Lion in. While attending Marquette Academy, he and classmate Pat O'Brien quit school to enlist in the Navy at the start of World War I. Tracy was still at Norfolk Navy Yard One of the great movie villains, Clarence Leroy Van Cleef, Jr. was born in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia (Van Fleet) and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. His parents were of Dutch ancestry. One of the most important pioneering actors in early Hollywood, Buster Keaton's career spanned nearly half a century with credits dating from 1917 to 1966. Some of history's biggest stars served their countries in times of war and peace. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father was a landscape designer. Before injuries forced him to retire, Ermey served for 11 years as a Marine, earning the rank of staff sergeant and the honorary title of gunnery sergeant after spending 14 months in Vietnam and completing two tours in Okinawa, Japan. Dwayne Johnson has a long career in wrestling and as an actor. He was previously married to Sandy Molloy and Kathleen Tough around the edges and with a handsome durability, Alabama-bred Wayne Rogers was born in Birmingham on April 7, 1933. The son of Greek immigrants, Telly Savalas shined shoes and sold newspapers before joining the Army to serve in World War II, which he survived, with a Purple Heart. William served two years in the US Army. In 1953, he took a break from well-paid film work to compete in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA), becoming the Team Roping World Champion; although he only broke even financially that year. Following his military service he attended Southern Methodist . As Army Air Corps - WWII. He died on December 16, 1993 in Guilford, Connecticut, USA. Veteran actor and director Robert Selden Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, CA, to Mildred Virginia (Hart), an amateur actress, and William Howard Duvall, a career military officer who later became an admiral. He also saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, was captured, and managed to escape a massacre of American soldiers in Belgium. Few child stars were as big as Jerry Mathers, who will be forever remembered in television history as the titular character on "Leave it to Beaver." He acted in front of the camera for the first time (uncredited) in 1945 in Abbott and Costello's Naughty Nineties. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most Prolific and versatile character actor William Sanderson was born on January 10, 1944, in Memphis, Tennessee. of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage The son of a rancher, Johnson arrived in Hollywood to deliver a consignment of horses for a film. Richard Harris and Sally Kellerman presenting Ben Johnson with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Last Picture Show" at the 44th Ac. A native of Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, he joined the US Navy after graduating high school and served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.