DALE ROBERTSON
Dale Robertson, an Oklahoma horseman who became a
TV and western movie star during the genre's heyday, died Tuesday at Scripps
Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. He was 89.
Robertson, who was best known for starring in the series "Tales of Wells Fargo" from 1957 to 1962, had pneumonia and lung cancer, his family said.
The handsome, square-jawed actor, who was often said to resemble Clark Gable, was an able horse rider by age 10 and was training polo ponies in his teens. He applied those skills in Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 60 movies.
In the 1950s, Robertson moved into television, where the faster pace appeared to suit his no-nonsense style.
Starring as stagecoach troubleshooter Jim Hardie in NBC's "Tales of Wells Fargo," he made the role memorable in part because he drew his pistol with his left hand, a quirk that became necessary because he drew so fast with his right hand that the camera missed the action.
After that series ended, Robertson appeared in "Iron Horse" from 1966 to 1968 as a ladies' man who wins a railroad in a poker game. The actor then was a host on the anthology series "Death Valley Days" from 1968 to 1970.
Robertson continued to work in TV through the 1980s, when he landed roles in the popular nighttime soap operas "Dallas" and "Dynasty." He also starred in the short-lived 1987 series "J.J. Starbuck" as an eccentric, crime-solving Texas billionaire.
In 1993, he took what would be his final role, as Zeke in the television show "Harts of the West," before retiring from acting to spend more time at his ranch in Yukon, Okla., where he raised horses.
Robertson, who was best known for starring in the series "Tales of Wells Fargo" from 1957 to 1962, had pneumonia and lung cancer, his family said.
The handsome, square-jawed actor, who was often said to resemble Clark Gable, was an able horse rider by age 10 and was training polo ponies in his teens. He applied those skills in Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 60 movies.
In the 1950s, Robertson moved into television, where the faster pace appeared to suit his no-nonsense style.
Starring as stagecoach troubleshooter Jim Hardie in NBC's "Tales of Wells Fargo," he made the role memorable in part because he drew his pistol with his left hand, a quirk that became necessary because he drew so fast with his right hand that the camera missed the action.
After that series ended, Robertson appeared in "Iron Horse" from 1966 to 1968 as a ladies' man who wins a railroad in a poker game. The actor then was a host on the anthology series "Death Valley Days" from 1968 to 1970.
Robertson continued to work in TV through the 1980s, when he landed roles in the popular nighttime soap operas "Dallas" and "Dynasty." He also starred in the short-lived 1987 series "J.J. Starbuck" as an eccentric, crime-solving Texas billionaire.
In 1993, he took what would be his final role, as Zeke in the television show "Harts of the West," before retiring from acting to spend more time at his ranch in Yukon, Okla., where he raised horses.
'The Six Million Dollar Man'
["Little Orphan Airplane"]
From the Bionic Wikia:
- [Sister Annette, a nun doing missionary work in the African country of Katara,] asks every American that she meets if they know Dale Robertson, star of the "Tales of Wells Fargo". Sister Anneti has seen every episode of the actor's series twice, and is the president of his fan club.
- Dale Robertson's cameo appearance is uncredited. He is the first celebrity to appear as himself in the Bionic franchise. (The last, for the record, will be fast-food guru Dave Thomas in "Bionic Ever After?" 20 years later.)
Good night and may God bless.....
Hat tip to Caeric ArcLight for help on this.....
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