THE HAT SQUAD: JOHN QUADE

You couldn't say that this was a face only a mother could love - 71 year old John Quade, who died in his sleep Sunday of natural causes, leaves behind six children and ten grand-children. So there was always somebody who loved him. And that would include the many fans of the character actor, probably best known for the biker he played in two Clint Eastwood movies, "Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can". (But for me, it's "High Plains Drifter".)

The obits I've seen online so far list his performance as Sheriff Biggs as his biggest contribution to Toobworld. That may be so, but it gives short shrift to the many other characters he played over the years on TV. Here's a rundown:

TV SERIES
"Lucky Luke" .... Lucky Luke's sidekick

"Return to Lonesome Dove" (1993) .... Martin

"On the Air" .... Billy 'The Ear' Mulkahey

"Baywatch" .... Kyle Rigler

"Hunter" .... Jim Holloway

"Werewolf" .... Mulligan

Werewolf (Pilot) .... Storage Shed Owner

"Crime Story" .... Captain

"Dream West" .... Big Fallon

"The A-Team" .... Garber & McKaydoo (two characters)

"Hill Street Blues" .... Sal Intestinale

"Manimal"

"The Fall Guy" .... Roland & Foyle (two different episodes)

"CBS Children's Mystery Theatre": Dirkham Detective Agency .... Frankie

"CBS Afternoon Playhouse": The Shooting .... Toad

"Quincy M.E." .... Pawnshop Owner

"Palmerstown, U.S.A." .... Luke Spears

"CHiPs" .... Reno

"Galactica 1980" .... Sheriff Ellsworth

"B.J. and the Bear" .... Taker

"CBS Library": Animal Talk .... Matthewson

"The Yeagers" .... Roy

"Paris" .... Lupo

"The Dukes of Hazzard" .... Augie Detweiller

"Vega$" .... Dominic & Hugh (two different episodes)

"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" .... Jolen Quince

"Flatbush" .... Clean Otto

"How the West Was Won" .... Waddie Travers

"Sword of Justice" .... Lt Ellis

"Baretta" .... Schreiber

"Police Woman" .... Ganz & Willy

"Charlie's Angels" .... Brown

"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" .... Sheriff

"The Bionic Woman" .... Hawkins

"Starsky and Hutch" .... Vic Humphries

"Roots" .... Sheriff Biggs

"McCloud" .... Merle Koska & Pete Stern (two different episodes)

"The Quest" .... Neeley

"Kojak" .... Colby

"Switch" .... Sheriff

"Police Story" .... Redneck

"The Rockford Files" .... Tenner

"Get Christie Love!"

"Kung Fu" .... Johnson

"Chopper One" .... Brandt

"McMillan & Wife" .... Doorman

"Faraday and Company" .... Hooper

"Roll Out" .... Cook

The Blue Knight .... Knobby Booker

"Dusty's Trail" .... Jake

"Ironside" .... Johnny Andrews

"Nichols" .... Scully

"Bearcats!" .... Brady

"Bonanza" .... Tallman & Telegrapher

"Cade's County" .... Mule Mueller

"Gunsmoke" .... Shaw

"The High Chaparral" .... Bartender

"The Wild Wild West" .... Man

TV MOVIES
Unconquered

The Tracker .... Lomax

Longarm

The Highwayman .... Bartender

Houston: The Legend of Texas .... Sen. Stansbury

The B.R.A.T. Patrol .... Knife

Seasons in the Sun .... Gordie Vickers

No Man's Land .... Henry Lambert

Big Bend Country .... Hart

Trouble in High Timber Country .... Roy

Power .... Loading Dock Foreman

Go West, Young Girl .... Ingalls

Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion .... Adam

The Ghost of Flight 401 .... Marshall

Escape from Bogen County .... Sheriff Mason

Night Terror .... Old Derelict

Last Hours Before Morning .... Korbett

The Godchild .... Denton

The Virginia Hill Story.... Mousie

Planet Earth .... Kreeg Commandant

Honky Tonk

Of Men and Women .... (segment "Margie Passes")

Goodnight, My Love .... Edgar

As you can see, a lot of Westerns and hard-boiled detective shows in the mix, but even a couple of sci-fi roles as well as a few sitcoms. And he wasn't always the bad guy; there are a few sheriffs among his roles. (Granted, not all of them were on the right side of the Law.)

Quade was in high demand in the seventies and it's reflected by the high calibre shows he appeared in: 'Rockford Files', 'Kojak', 'Kung Fu', etc....

And there's even a blipvert in which his role was so colorful and over the top, that he stole it away from not only John Philip Law but also Lee Van Cleef!



The great character actors are born, and having that right look is key. Luckily, John Quade didn't just have that to rely on; he was a good actor as well. And his loss will be felt by all character actor connoisseurs.

BCnU......