Rory Calhoun

A chance meeting with Alan Ladd led to a film career for Rory Calhoun, a rangy, likable leading man who started out billed as Frank McCown before settling on his permanent moniker. Best remembered for his work in the Westerns and action pictures, he acted in a wide variety of movies, portraying eligible bachelors in modern-day comedies like "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) and "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1955), as well as venturing into period fare for "The Colossus of Rhodes" (1961) and the title role in "Marco Polo" (1962). Calhoun's cowboy credits included the comedy-Western, "A Ticket to Tomahawk" (1950) and a series of films that he produced (with Victor Orsatti) and starred in, "Domino Kid", "The Hired Gun" (both 1957) and "Apache Territory" (1958), all directed by Ray Nazarro. He solidified his Western standing as star of the CBS series, "The Texan" (1958-60), which he also produced with Orsatti. Calhoun has acted in some laughers like "The Night of the Lepus" (1972) and "Angel" (1984), but has balanced those with appearances in the popular CBS miniseries, "The Blue and the Gray" (1982), and features like "Bad Jim" (1990) and "Pure Country" (1992). During the 80s, he also ventured into the realm of daytime drama, playing a judge with political connections on the CBS series "Capitol".

• Also Credited As:
  Francis Timothy Durgin, Frank McCown
• Born:
  August 8, 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Died:
  April 28, 1999.
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Producer, Artist, Writer, Cowboy, Forest firefighter, Forester, Lumberjack, Mechanic, Miner, Truck driver

Family

• Daughter: Cindy Calhoun. mother, Lita Baron
• Daughter: Lorri Calhoun. mother. Lita Baron
• Daughter: Rory Patricia Calhoun. mother, Susan Langley
• Daughter: Tami Calhoun. mother, Lita Baron

Milestones

• 1939 At age 17, left home for good; began hot-wiring automobiles
• 1944 Feature debut (billed as Frank McCown), Something for the Boys
• 1947 First credit as Rory Calhoun, The Red House , followed by first starring role in Adventure Island
• 1950 Played gunslinger in Richard Sale s comedy-Western, A Ticket to Tomahawk
• 1952 Portrayed pilot who saved Susan Hayward s life in Walter Lang s With a Song in My Heart , based loosely on the events of singer Jane Froman s life
• 1953 Played a poor but honest forest ranger who wins Betty Grable s heart in How to Marry a Millionaire
• 1955 Gave good account of himself as wealthy businessman who ends up with Piper Laurie in Ain t Misbehavin
• 1957 Produced (with Victor M Orsatti) and starred in two films directed by Ray Nazarro, Domino Kid and The Hired Gun
• 1958 Produced (with Orsatti) and starred in CBS series, The Texan ; ABC later aired repeats (1960-1962)
• 1958 Reteamed with Orsatti and Nazarro for Apache Territory
• 1961 Looked uncomfortable in a toga for Sergio Leone s directing debut, The Colossus of Rhodes
• 1962 Played title role in Marco Polo
• 1963 Co-executive produced and starred as US spy in tense World War II melodrama, A Face in the Rain
• 1963 Hosted Western Star Theater , re-syndicated title for selected episodes of Death Valley Days
• 1967 Played Sergeant Sean MacAfee in WWII pic, Operation Cross Eagles
• 1969 Acted on the London stage in Belle Starr
• 1972 Portrayed a rancher whose pique at hungry rabbits leads to a wacky science experiment gone haywire in Night of the Lepus , resulting in 25-foot man-eating bunnies
• 1977 Appeared in NBC disaster movie, Flight to Holocaust
• 1979 Acted in syndicated miniseries, The Rebels
• 1982 Played General George Meade in CBS miniseries, The Blue and the Gray
• 1984 Brought an amiability to his role as an old cowpoke laboring under the delusion that he really is Kit Carson in Angel ; also appeared in 1985 sequel, Avenging Angel
• 1990 Returned to Western genre for Bad Jim ; screen debut for John Clark Gable (Clark Gable s son)
• 1992 Last feature to date, Pure Country
• 1993 Acted in Oil s Well That Ends Well episode of HBO s Tales of the Crypt
• As a child, frequently ran away from home
• Chance meeting with Alan Ladd led to his film career
• Given the stage name Rory Calhoun by producer David O Selznick
• Had regular role of Judson Tyler on the CBS daytime drama Capitol
• Raised in Santa Cruz, California
• Spent three years in federal reformatory in El Reno, Oklahoma