Janet Dailey
Janet Dailey was born in Storm Lake, Iowa on May 21, 1944. She was a secretary for a dozen years, but in 1974 she became a full-time writer. And now she ranks as one of the most popular writers of all time, with romance, historical and Gothic novels to her credit. Her books have been translated into 19 languages and have sold more than 100 million copies.
Among her books are No Quarter Asked (1974), Savage land (1974), Something Extra (1975), Fire and Ice (1975), Boss Man from Ogallala (1975), After the Storm (1975), Land of Enchantment (1975), Sweet Promise (1976), The Homeplace (1976), Dangerous Masquerade (1976), Show Me (1976), Valley of the Vapours (1976), The Night of the Cotillion (1976), Fiesta San Antonio (1977), Bluegrass King (1977), A Lyon's Share (1977), The Widow and the Wastrel (1977), The Victory Cane (1977), To Tell the Truth (1977), Giant of Medabi (1978), For Bitter or Worse (1978), The Bride of the Delta Queen (1978), Sonora Sundown (1978), Big Sky Country (1978), Bed of Grass (1979), Kona Winds (1979), Enemy in Camp (1980),
Lord of the High Lonesome (1980), Southern Nights (1980), The Rougue (1980), Ride the Thunder (1981), Dakota Dreamin' (1981), This Calder Range (1982), Terms of Surrender (1982), Wildcatter's Woman (1982), Touch the Wind (G.K. Hall, 1985); The Pride of Hannah Wade.
Incidentally, hubby Bill (formerly her employer) does much of the historical research for the stories that Janet tells. And when she gets bored with writing novels, she writes lyrics for country music songs.
In July of 1997 her fans were shocked to learn that she admitted to plagiarizing passages from rival Nora Roberts' books. Plagiarizing is, plainly, stealing. Or in cowboy terms, rustling.
Dailey admitted to using passages from Nora Roberts' works for her first book with the publishing house, 1996's "Notorious," and another book, "Aspen Gold." HarperCollins stopped selling "Notorious" when the plagiarism was discovered. The plagiarizing was done in the early 1990s, during what Mrs. Dailey said was a stressful time in her life. Her brothers had recently died of cancer and her husband had been operated on for lung cancer. The copying was discovered when readers began discussing similarities during online chats.
"Plagiarism is a line that can't be crossed," Ms. Roberts said. "Plagiarism is theft, therefore I've been robbed and I've been robbed repeatedly." Roberts, who lives in Keedysville, Md., has written more than 100 novels with 35 million books in print.
CLICK HERE to go to Janet Dailey's own web site.
Edward Everett Dale
(Deceased)
Edward Everett Dale was born in 1879 near Keller, Texas. In his youth, spent in north Texas and southern Oklahoma, he was a working cowboy. He rode the creeks and valleys of the famous Kiowa-Comanche tract before it was opened to homesteading in 1901. Along the way he managed to complete the 8th grade and, thus, qualified to be a teacher himself. He received his B.A. at the University of Oklahoma in 1911, at the age of 32. He earned his masters at Harvard University in 1914, became an instructor in history at OU, and in 1922 finished his Ph.D. at Harvard. He was head of the OU history department from 1924 to 1942.
Dr. Edward Everett Dale was one of the prime developers of the Western History Collection there in the OU Library, as well as a stalwart in the Oklahoma Historical Society. He was the author of 20 books and countless articles. He was named the first George Lynn Cross Research Professor at OU. He was elected to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. And the OU Regents bestowed on him their "Distinguished Service Citation." In 1969 OU named a new social sciences building "Edward Everett Dale Hall".
Still, he was a cowboy at heart. He maintained a 400-acre ranch on Otter Creek in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton, Ok. An editorial in the May 31, 1972 Norman (Okla.) Transcript said of Dale: "When Dr. Dale was a young man, growing up on the frontier of the southwest, about the highest compliment that could be paid to a cowman was to say of him that ‘he'll do to ride the river with.' The saying originated in the old trail days when brave men had to swim herds across swollen, treacherous rivers. The act required level-headed courage, and as time passed, the phrase meant that the one spoken of was loyal, dependable, trustworthy, and had plenty of sand. Dr. Dale was a man ‘to ride the river with'."
Edward Everett Dale died on May 28, 1972, at the age of 93.
Audrey Dalton
Audrey Dalton, actress, was born on Jan. 21, 1934 in Dublin, Ireland. Her family moved to London, England when she was quite young. She began acting in school plays. Then she was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She was spotted by a Paramount movie studio executive and signed to a contract.
Audrey Dalton came to America in 1952. She appeared in three Western films: Drum Beat (1954), Lone Texas (1959) and The Bounty Killer (1965).
She also appeared in these TV Western shows: The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, Wild, Wild West, The Big Valley, Laredo, Wagon Train, Temple Houston, The Dakotas, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Whispering Smith and Bat Masterson.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Audrey Dalton.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon, actor, was born Matthew Paige Damon on Oct. 8, 1970 in Cambridge, MA.
Matt Damon played the role of John Grady Cole in the film, "All the Petty Horses" ( 2001), based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. He was only paid $5,000,000 for his work, quite a discount from his regular rate. But Damon took it because he wanted the part.
Damon spent many hours brushing horses, saddling them and riding them in preparation for the riding he had to do.
Matt Damon's other Western credits include "The Good Old Boys" (TV, 1995) and "Geronimo: An American Legend" (1993).
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Matt Damon.
CLICK HERE to go to the official Matt Damon fan club web site.
Victor Daniels
(Deceased)
Victor Daniels, actor, was born as Victor Mahawa on April 12, 1899 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was a full-blooded Cherokee. He received his public schooling in Texas and Arizona. Prior to making movies, he worked on cattle ranches, was a rodeo performer, and even did a tour performing Indian songs and dances. Daniels entered films as a stunt man around 1929. He doubled for many of the top stars, because of his skill as a horseman.
During most of his career he was known as "Chief Thunder Cloud" (also spelled as "Thundercloud"). He made some 74 movies, most of them Westerns. When his movie career waned, he worked on weekends at Ray Corrigan's tourist attraction/movie location-- Corriganville. He would walk around and greet visitors.
Victor Daniels was hospitalized for treatment of a stomach cancer. He underwent surgery on Nov. 30, 1955. He died on December 1, 1955 at the General Hospital in Ventura County, CA. (NOTE: My grandfather, Frank Paregien, died at this same hospital less than a year later) Daniels had listed his home address as: Corrigan Ranch, Route 1, Santa Susanna, CA.
CLICK HERE for the complete filmography of Victor Daniels --- Chief Thunder Cloud.
Royal Dano
(Deceased)
Royal Dano, actor, was born on Nov. 16, 1922 in New York City.
As I Was researching this material, I had no idea at all who this "Royal Dano" was or what he looked like. I just couldn't put a face to that name, even after seeing all of his film and TV credits. But when I ran across his photo, pow, it hit me. This very tall and lanky Yankee made a steady living portraying mainly Southern or Western characters who were sorta shady and spineless or outright bad. But he could do comedy, as well. I remember him for several appearances on "Gunsmoke" as the hillbilly cousin of Festus Hagin.
His Western TV credits included appearances on these shows: Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, Alias Smith and Jones, The Big Valley, Cimarron Strip, The Iron Horse, The Virginian, Bonanza, The Legend of Jesse James, Rawhide, Temple Houston, The Dakotas, The Rifleman, Zane Grey Theater, Gunslinger, Johnny Ringo, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, and The Restless Gun.
Royal Dano appeared in many Western movies, a few of which were: Bend of the River (1952), The Far Country (1954), Saddle the Wind (1958), These Thousand Hills (1959), Cimarron (1960), Gunpoint (1965), Welcome to Hard Times (1967), The Undefeated (1969), Cahill: U.S. Marshall (1973), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Once Upon a Texas Train (1988, TV).
Royal Dano had a car accident and as a result had a heart attack and died. He died at the age of 71 on May 15, 1994 in Los Angeles, CA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Royal Dano.
Michael Dante
Michael Dante, actor, was born Ralph Vitti on Sept. 2, 1931 at Stamford, Conn.
Michael Dante played in five Western films: Fort Dobbs (1958), Westbound (1958), Apache Rifles (1964), Arizona Raiders (1965) and Winterhawk (1976).
Dante also made appearances in these TV Westerns: Custer (1967, as Crazy Horse), The Big Valley, Bonanza, Death Valley Days, Maverick, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Lawman, Colt .45, and Cheyenne.
Michael Dante in a Star Trek episode.CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Michael Dante.
Jim Darden
Darden does some rodeo announcing. He has written articles for Western Horseman, and he is the author of Scrappy, A Rodo Bull (Rodeo Studio, 1985) and Cowboy Craft (Rodeo Studio, 1985).
Linda Darnell
Deceased
Linda Darnell, actress, was born Monetta Eloyse Darnell, in Dallas, Texas on October 16, 1923. She was a strikingly beautiful young girl, so her mother encouraged her to go into modeling even before she was a teen. By age 13, she was appearing in local theatrical productions. She was a star on the rise.
She eventually went to Hollywood and made her first film, "A Hotel for Women," in 1939. She was only sixteen years old.
In 1947 she co-starred with Henry Fonda and Victor Mature in "My Darling Clementine". Linda's final appearance on the silver screen was in 1965's "Black Spurs".
On April 10, 1965, Linda was at the home of her former secretary. She was watching one of own movies, "Star Dust" (1940), on TV. A fire broke out and she later died of the burns she suffered. She was just 41 years of age. She is buried at Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square, PA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Linda Darnell.
Henry Darrow
Henry Darrow was born as Enrique Tomas Delgado on Sept. 15, 1933 in New York City. He moved to Puerto Rico with his family when he was 13. As a college student at the University of Puerto Rico, he won a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse.
He was a natural in TV and the movies when they needed someone for Latin roles and dialects. He grew so tired of that typecasting that he changed his stage name from Delgato to Darrow, and that nearly made him miss his biggest role.
Henry was chosen to play Manolito Montoya on the TV Western, "The High Chaparral". But the director had a heck of a time tracking him down, due to his name change. But he was finally found and became a popular member of the show.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Henry Darrow.
CLICK HERE to go to the official Henry Darrow Fan Club web site.
Peggy Darty
Peggy Darty is the author of Cimarron Sunset (Zondervan) and Kincaid of Cripple Creek (Zondervan).
David Archie Dary
David Dary, born in 1934 in Manhattan, Kan., is a former broadcast journalist and former White House correspondent for CBS (1960-63) and NBC. He was a professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kansas University from 1969 to 1989. In the spring of 1989, he accepted the position as chairman of the Journalism Department at the University of Oklahoma. And he held that job until his retirement in 2000.
His first books included Radio News Handbook (1967, 1970), Television News Handbook (1971), and How to Write News for Broadcast and Print (1973). He is the author of the highly praised Cowboy Culture: A Saga of Five Centuries (Alfred Knopf, 1981, and reprinted in paperback by Avon). That book earned him a Spur from WWA for best nonfiction book and a Wrangler Award from the national Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Westerners International named it the best nonfiction book of 1981. And Dary's publisher nominated it for a Pulitzer Prize.
Dary is also the author of The Buffalo Book (Swallow Press, 1974), selected for the Book of the Month Club and also for the National Science Book Club; and The Entrepreneurs of the Old West (University of Kansas Press, 1986), True Tales of Old-Time Kansas (University of Kansas, 1984), More True Tales of Old-Time Kansas (University of Kansas), and The Santa Fe Trail: It's History, Legends, and Lore (Knopf, 2000).
In 1998 Knopf published his book, Red Blood & Black Ink: Journalism in the Old West. It reveals that early newspapers were not only reflectors of what was going on but also promoters of pet projects or viewpoints. Newspeople on the frontier not only covered the news but sometimes colored it and even created it. It also contains a listing of newspapers published in the Old West.
He joined Western Writers of America as an associate member in 1970. He has served as Vice President of the WWA from 1987-88, and in 1988 began a two-year term as president. He is a member of the executive board. He is a former President of Westerners International, and is an accredited member of Public Relations Society of America.
David Dary has also written for such magazines as True West, True Treasure, Western Horseman, Civil War Times, Denver Post, New Mexico Historical Review, Persimmon Hill, and The Cattleman.
This listing is far from complete and may contain errors.
Therefore, all Western entertainers and/or their agents
are requested to submit recommended changes by
contacting Stan Paregien through his e-mail address.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
--- Bible: Psalm 19:9-11
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.