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Peter Breck
Peter Breck, actor, was born on March 13, 1929 in Haverhill, MA.Breck played as Nick Barkley, one of Barbara Stanwyck's sons, in the long-running TV Western series, "Big Valley". His other TV appearances include "Alias Smith and Jones," "The Virginian," "Branded," Bonanza," Gunsmoke," "Cheyenne," "Lawman," "Maverick," "Bronco," "Sugarfoot," "Zne Grey Theater," "The Restless Gun," "Wagon Train," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Tombstone Territory," and "U.S. Marshal."
Peter Breck is at the top, second from left, in this photo
of the cast of "The Big Valley".CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Peter Breck.
Katie Breeze
Katie Breeze was born on April 28, 1929 at Waco, Texas. She is the author of Nekkid Cowboy (1982). Her articles have appeared in the Dallas Times Herald.
Carl W. Breihan
Carl W. Breihan is the author of The Crimson Trail of Frank and Jesse James (Pine Mountain Press), Sam Hildebrand, Guerilla (Pine Mountain Press, 1984), Wild Women of the West (Signet, 1982), Lawmen and Robbers (Caxton Printers, 1986), Great Gunfighters of the West (Signet, 1981), Gunfighters (Pine Mountain, 1984). His book written with Wayne Montgomery, Forty Years on the Wild Frontier (Devin, 1985), first published in the U.S. by Devin-Adair Co., was published in England by Chevers Press. He and W.R. Garwood wrote West Wander Wind (Doubleday, 1986). In addition, Breihan served on the St. Louis County council for over 20 years.
Walter Brennan
(Deceased)
Walter Brennan, actor, was born on July 25, 1894 in Swampscott, MA. Believe it or not, young Walter Brennan studied engineering at Cambridge. But along the way he got involved in campus theatrical productions and ditched his engineering plans to go into vaudeville. He was not exactly a smash hit, so he took a series of temporary jobs doing everything from bank clerking to lumberjacking.
When World War I--the war to end all wars--came along, he did his patriotic duty and joined the army. He was twenty-three. Upon his release he raised pineapples in Guatemala for a while, then moved to Los Angeles and found day-work as a realtor.
The clock was ticking. Now he was thirty-three. He managed to get into his first movie, "Tearin' Into Trouble," not as an actor but as a stuntman. But that was all he needed. He took off like a rocket and had roles in 90 movies in five years (1930-35). And it was during that period, in 1932 to be exact, that he was kicked in the mouth by a horse and lost most of his teeth. He later turned his dentures, or the absence of them, into a useful comedy tool.
In 1936 he won an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in "Come And Get It." And in 1938 he received his second Oscar in the same category for his acting in "Kentucky" opposite Loretta Young.
He played Judge Roy Bean in the beautifully photographed "The Westerner," with Gary Cooper. And for that tremendous role, in which he steals the show from star Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan became the very first actor to earn a third Oscar. He received a fourth nomination, but no award, for "Sgt. York".
In 1948 Walter Brennan, minus his dentures in several scenes, appeared in the classic Western "Red River" opposite John Wayne and Cliff Montgomery. In 1957 he went from the big screen to the TV tube and starred as "Grandpa Amos McCoy" in the comedy series, "The Real McCoys" with Kathleen Nolan and Richard Crenna. That hugely popular show ran through 1963.
Of course, he did not give up films entirely. When he was not in TV production, he made movies. Like the 1959 film "Rio Bravo" with John Wayne, Dean Martin, teen singing sensation Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson.
In 1964 he starred in a TV show called "The Tycoon" which only lasted the one season. Then he had a two-year run as the star of "The Guns of Will Sonnett" (1967-69). He also was in "To Rome With Love" which lasted one season (1969). He played in several episodes of "Alias Smith and Jones"along the way. He was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK.
Walter Brennan died of emphysema on September 21, 1974 in Oxnard, CA. He is buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery (Section D, Lot 445, Grave 8) in Mission Hills, CA.
Lloyd Bridges
(Deceased)
Lloyd Bridges was born as Lloyd Vernet Bridges on January 15, 1913 in San Leandro, CA. His parents hoped young Bridges would become a lawyer or such, but when he went off to college (B.A., University of California at Berkley, 1936) he fell in love with acting and never turned back.He soon found his way down south to Tinsel Town (Hollywood), where he made his first movies in 1936. He also acted on the Broadway stage, and even directed and produced plays at the Green Mansions Theatre in the New York resort area of the Catskills.
He married one of his classmates, Dorothy Simpson, on March 10, 1938. That marriage, which lasted until his death, produced three children: Cindy Bridges, and the acting brothers Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges.
In 1941 he signed a long-term contract with Columbia Pictures. He was caught up in the "Red Scare" of the 1950's, when many Hollywood types were blacklisted for supposed "Communist sympathies". However, the FBI cleared him of such allegations.
Lloyd Bridges then turned his talents to TV and became the star of the underwater TV series, "Sea Hunt". And late in his life he won a new generation of fans when he appeared in the comedies "Airplane!" and "Hot Shots!".
Bridges appeared in over 150 movies during his career that stretched from 1936 to 1998, an amazingly productive 62 years of acting. His Western films included "Lone Wolf Takes a Chance" (1941), "West of Tombstone" (1942; he appeared in 20 films in 1942, alone), "Saddle Leather Law" (1944), "Abilene Town" (1946), "Calamity Jane and Sam Bass" (1949), "Little Big Horn" (1951), "High Noon" (1952), "The Tall Texan" (1953) and "Apache Woman" (1955).
Lloyd Bridges died on March 10, 1998 in Los Angeles, CA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Lloyd Bridges.
Wilford Brimley
Wilford Brimley, actor, was born on Sept. 27, 1934 in Salt Lake City, UT. He spent his first years as a rancher who also toured the rodeo circuit. He went from that to working as a blacksmith. Somewhere along the line he even worked as a body guard for billionaire Howard Hughes. Then he found his real love--acting. And one of the first to encourage him was actor Robert Duvall.
Like fellow cowboy Ben Johnson, Wilford Brimley broke into the movies through his skill with horse. He began as an extra in crowd scenes in Western movies in about 1964. From that he went to small speaking roles and to steady appearances on TV in "The Waltons" and, later, on the TV show "Our House".
His Western roles have included "Crossfire Trail (2000, TV), "All My Friends Are Cowboys" (1998), "Last of the Dogmen" (1995), "The Good Old Boys" (1995, TV), "Tender Mercies" (1983), "Death Valley" (1982), "Rodeo Girl" (1980, TV), "The Wild, Wild West Revisited" (1979, TV) "The Electric Horseman" (1979), "The Oregon Trail" (1976, TV), and "Crossfire Trail" (TV, 2001).
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Wilford Brimley.
Paul Brinegar
Paul Brinegar, actor, was born in Tucumar, NM. He played the part of "Wishbone" in the TV Western series, "Rawhide." He also appeared in the TV Western, "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp." In addition to his role in Rawhide, Mr. Brinegar appeared in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp in the 50's, Lancer in the 60's, and Matt Houston in the 80's. He also appeared in numerous movies, among them Maverick and High Plains Drifter.
Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood, Sheb Wooley and
(seated) Paul Brinegar duded up for "Rawhide".Paul Brinegar's movie credits included "Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone" (1994), Maverick " (1994), "Charo"(1969), and "High Plains Drifter" with Clint Eastwood.
In 1994 the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation presented Paul Brinegar with a Golden Boot Award. He died of emphysema on March 27, 1995 in Los Angeles, CA., at the age of 77.
Elton Britt
(Deceased)
Elton Britt, singer and musician, was born as James Britt Baker in Marshall, AR. He developed his own yodeling style in the 1930's while performing in Los Angeles with a group called "The Beverly Hillbillies" (long before the TV show of the same name). He is credited with over 60 record albums.
Elton Britt died on June 23, 1972.
Barbara Britton
Barbara Britton, movie and TV actress, was born in 1920. Besides her movie roles, she was the "Mrs." in the popular TV detective series, "Mr. and Mrs. North".
Barbara Britton's Western movies included "Ride the Man Down" (1953), "Riders of Vengeance"(1952), "The Raiders"(1952), "Bandit Queen" (1951), "Loaded Pistols"(1949), "I Shot Jesse James" (1949), "The Untamed Breed"(1948), "Gunfighters" (1947), and "The Virginian" (1946).
Barbara Britton died in 1980.
Sharon Brondos
Sharon Brondos holds a master's degree in Asian History. She has written several romance books for Harlequin, including A Magic Serenade, In Perfect Harmony, Partners for Life, A Primitive Affair, Give and Take, Search for the Rainbow and Special Touches. In addition, she has written articles and poetry. Sharon Brondos speaks at many writers' conferences.
Charles Bronson
(Deceased)
Charles Bronson was born as Charles Buchinsky on Nov. 3, 1921 in Ehrenfeld, PA. The photo at left comes from the film, "Villa Rides" (1964).
He was married to his second wife, actress Jill Ireland, from 1968 until her death from cancer in 1990.
Charles Bronson appeared in these TV Western series: "The Virginian," "The Legend of Jesse James," "Rawhide," "The Big Valley," "Bonanza," "Laramie," "Yancy Derringer," "Colt.45," and "Have Gun Will Travel."
His Western movie credits include "Vera Cruz" (1954), "Riding Shotgun" (1954), "Drum Beat" (1954), "Apache" (1954), "Run of the Arrow" (1957), "Showdown at Boot Hill" (1958), "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "A Thunder of Drums" (1961), "Four for Texas" (1963), "Villa Rides" (1968), "Chato's Land" (1971), "Valdez" (1973) and "The White Buffalo" (1977).
Alan Ladd and Charles Bronson in "Drum Beat" (1954)Charles Bronson died on Saturday, August 30, 2003, of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. His third wife, Kim, was at his bedside.
CLICK HERE to go to a web site featuring over 100 photos of Bronson, as well as other links.
CLICK HERE to view Charles Bronson's complete filmography.
Darin Brookman
Darin Brookman, cowboy poet, runs a cattle and farming operation in Hollis, Oklahoma. He has been performing in cowboy poetry gatherings for several years, appearing in Oklahoma, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico.
Rand Brooks
(Deceased)Rand Brooks was born in Los Angeles, Calif.
He got his first role in one of the "Andy Hardy" movies in 1938.
Perhaps Rand Brooks' most famous role was in "Gone With the Wind". He played the part of Scarlet O'Hara's first husband, Charles Hamilton.
Rand Brooks is no doubt best remembered by Western movie buffs as "Lucky" in twelve of the Hopalong Cassidy films. In 1966 he started his own company, Professional Ambulance Service of Glendale. He built it into a highly successful business and sold it in 1995. Rand was present in Lone Pine for a first in television history, the first color episode of The Lone Ranger series. He played Al Sommers in an episode called “The Wooden Gun” about a boy and a wooden rifle and some real rifles. Rand television credits are long and range from various western series like The Roy Rogers Show, Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock to Perry Mason and Adam 12. While he did seem to resent the romantic stero-type he was cast into, Rand did get to give Marilyn Monroe her first screen kiss in Ladies of the Chorus (1948). Rand’s playful nature was always on view to anyone who knew him here in Lone Pine. Friendly, outgoing yet gentle, Rand was the perfect gentleman at the Hopalong celebration, both at the dinner at Ruiz Hill and later at the screening of the movie not far from Cooper Rock. However, he began to realize that he was getting a little too old still to be tromping around the Alabamas. Rand began his ambulance service with two used ambulances and a credit card, but the company grew to the largest private ambulance 9-1-1 paramedic provider in Los Angeles County. During his ownership the ambulance service won several awards, commendations and was considered one of the best in the country. Rand and his wife Hermine, an executive with the company, sold the company in 1995. They had two children, a daughter and a son, Rand Brooks, Jr. A PROLIFIC character actor who appeared in over 100 films from the Thirties to the Fifties, Rand Brooks has a part in cinema history for his role of Charles Hamilton, the ill-fated first husband of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). He was also well-known to western fans for his role as Lucky Jenkins, Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick in the popular film series starring William Boyd as Cassidy, and he acted for five years in the television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.
Rand Brooks died of cancer at his ranch home in Santa Inez, Calif. on Sept. 1, 2003. He was eight-four and enjoyed raising horses during his retirement years. He was survived by his wife, Hermine, and two children (son: Rand Brooks, Jr).
This listing is far from complete and may
contain errors. Therefore, all Western writers and
entertainers and/or their agents are requested to
submit recommended changes by contacting Stan Paregien.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
--Bible: Psalm 9:9
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
