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
Acted in
La Classe américaine
1993
as The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
Outtakes
1987
as Himself
Timestalkers
1987
as Texas John Cody
Thunder Run
1985
as Charlie Morrison
Rare Breed
1984
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Tom Cassidy
Blood Feud
1983
as Lyndon B. Johnson
Matt Houston
1982
as Buck Turley
Filthy Rich
1982
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1981
as Duke
Flo
1980
The Rebels
1979
as Angus Fletcher
A Real American Hero
1978
as Carl Pusser
Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
1977
as Mike Fink
The Love Boat
1977
as Sam Zachary
The Love Boat
1977
as Tex
The Love Boat
1977
as Tom Preston
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
1977
as Carl
Grizzly Adams
1977
Once an Eagle
1976
as Col. Avery
Alice
1976
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
1976
as Wagonmaster Callahan
The Bionic Woman
1976
Ellery Queen
1975
as Clint McGraw
The Ghost Busters
1975
The Wild McCullochs
1975
as J. J. McCulloch
S.W.A.T.
1975
Police Woman
1974
Little House on the Prairie
1974
Kojak
1973
as Det. Paul Zachary
Dusty's Trail
1973
as Wagonmaster Callahan
Jarrett
1973
as Rev. Vocal Simpson
Footsteps
1972
as Bradford Emmons
Cancel My Reservation
1972
as Reese
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
1972
as Harry McMartin
Columbo
1971
as Bo Williamson
Cat Ballou
1971
as Kid Sheleen
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Night Gallery
1970
as Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
Barquero
1970
as Mountain Phil
Chisum
1970
as Lawrence Murphy
Medical Center
1969
as Ollie Wayne
Doc
1969
as Dr. Jason Fillmore
The Night They Raided Minsky's
1968
as Trim Houlihan
A Boy Called Nuthin’
1967
as Turkeyneck
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1967
as Self
Hondo
1967
Ironside
1967
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
1966
as Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
F Troop
1965
as Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
Daniel Boone
1964
as Joe Snag
Burke's Law
1963
as Cyrus Smuts
Channing
1963
as Major Don Landon
The Virginian
1962
as Martin Evers
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Max Beemis
Counterplot
1959
as Brock Miller
Bonanza
1959
as Frank Ryan
Rawhide
1959
as Dan Carlock
Gunsmoke in Tucson
1958
as John Brazos
Auntie Mame
1958
as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
The Trollenberg Terror
1958
as Alan Brooks
Girl in the Woods
1958
as Steve Cory
Fort Massacre
1958
as McGurney
The Strange World of Planet X
1958
as Gil Graham
Wagon Train
1957
as Rex Montana
The Deerslayer
1957
as Harry March
The Abominable Snowman
1957
as Tom Friend
The Quiet Gun
1957
as Sheriff Carl Brandon
Stagecoach To Fury
1956
as Frank Townsend
Three Violent People
1956
as Deputy Commissioner Cable
Paris Follies of 1956
1955
as Dan Bradley
The Vanishing American
1955
as Morgan
Gunsmoke
1955
as Brad McClain
Gunsmoke
1955
as Adam Benteen
Gunsmoke
1955
as John Charron
Gunsmoke
1955
as Sergeant Holly
Gunsmoke
1955
as Sgt. Emmett Holly
Gunsmoke
1955
as Will Donavan
Night Freight
1955
as Mike Peters
Finger Man
1955
as Dutch Becker
Rage at Dawn
1955
as Frank Reno
Break in the Circle
1955
as Baron Keller
Climax!
1954
as Chips Murphy
Trouble in the Glen
1954
as Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
Jubilee Trail
1954
as John Ives
The Big Moment
1954
as Uri
Flight Nurse
1953
as Capt. Bill Eaton
Laughing Anne
1953
as Jem Farrell
Pony Express
1953
as James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
San Antone
1953
as Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
General Electric Theater
1953
as Frank Marlowe
Ride the Man Down
1952
as Sam Danfelser
Montana Belle
1952
as Mac
Hurricane Smith
1952
as Dan McGuire
The Ford Television Theatre
1952
as Red Healey
Hoodlum Empire
1952
as Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
Bugles in the Afternoon
1952
as Donavan
Flaming Feather
1952
as Lt. Tom Blaine
The Wild Blue Yonder
1951
as Maj. Tom West
Warpath
1951
as Sgt. O'Hara
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Steve MacGregor
Crosswinds
1951
as 'Jumbo' Johnson
Fighting Coast Guard
1951
as Bill Rourk
Oh! Susanna
1951
as Lt. Col. Unger
California Passage
1950
as Mike Prescott
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as William Patterson
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Ken
Rock Island Trail
1950
as Reed Loomis
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
as Bob Slater
The Nevadan
1950
as Tom Tanner
Sands of Iwo Jima
1950
as PFC Al J. Thomas
Brimstone
1949
as Sheriff Henry McIntyre
Hellfire
1949
as Marshall Bucky McLean
The Big Cat
1949
as Gil Hawks
The Last Bandit
1949
as Jim Plummer
The Plunderers
1948
as Whit Lacey
Two Guys from Texas
1948
as 'Tex' Bennett
Coroner Creek
1948
as Ernie Combs
Adventures in Silverado
1948
as Zeke Butler
Gunfighters
1947
as Ben Orcutt
The Yearling
1946
as Lem Forrester
Never Say Goodbye
1946
as Fenwick Lonkowski
Dangerous Business
1946
as Clayton Russell
Renegades
1946
as Frank Dembrow
The Man Who Dared
1946
as Larry James
Talk About a Lady
1946
as Bart Manners
Keeper of the Flame
1943
as Geoff Midford
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
1942
as Whipper
The Spirit of Stanford
1942
as Buzz Costello (uncredited)
My Sister Eileen
1942
as Sandhog (uncredited)
Counter-Espionage
1942
as Anton Schugg
Parachute Nurse
1942
as Lt. Tucker
Submarine Raider
1942
as Pulaski
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
1942
as Blond Bomber
Canal Zone
1942
as Recruit Madigan
Shut My Big Mouth
1942
as Red
Honolulu Lu
1941
as Barney
New Wine
1941
as Moritz
Emergency Landing
1941
as Jerry Barton
The Westerner
1940
as Wade Harper