Note: The "I" listings were somehow lost during the conversion of my old DIRECTORY OF WESTERN WRITERS to the new one. Please send photos and biographical information to me by email, below. Or by snail mail at: 1008 S. Neptune Road, Edmond, OK 73003.
Jill Ireland
(Deceased)
Jill Ireland, actress, was born on April 24, 1936. She played in some Western movies with her last husband, Charles Bronson.
She was married to actor David McCallum from 1957 to 1967. Then she married actor Charles Bronson in 1968, and they remained married until her death.
In 1987 she wrote her autobiography titled, Life Wish, in which she detailed her fight against breast cancer. The title was a take-off of the movie "Death Wish" in which she co-starred with husband Bronson.
Jill Ireland's Western credits included Villa Rides (1968), Valdez (1973), Hard Times (1975), and From None to Three (1976). She also appeared in the short-lived TV Western series, "Shane".
Jill Ireland died from breast cancer on May 18, 1990. It is said that Bronson had her cremated ashes placed into a special cane which he uses as a way to remember her.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Jill Ireland.
John Ireland
(Deceased)
John Benjamin Ireland, actor and director, was born on Jan. 30, 1914 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.He was reared in New York and got his early taste of entertainment as a swimmer in a water carnaval one summer. He went that that to local theater productions and then to Broadway.
His first film was "A Walk in the Sun" (1945), a war drama. He was nominated for an Oscar as "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in "All the Kings Men" (1949).
Hope Lange and John IrelandJohn Ireland, his wife and actress Joanne Dru, and his son Peter Ireland producted and directed a Western titled, "Hannah Lee"(aka"Outlaw Territory"). He also played in such Westerns as "Little Big Horn"(1951) and "Bushwackers"(1952).
John Ireland was scheduled to play the role of the patriarch Cartwright on the Ponderosa in "The New Bonanza." However, no producer stepped forward and the series died a quiet death.
John Ireland died of lukemia on Marh 21, 1992 in Santa Barbara, CA.
CLICK HERE for the complete filmography of John Ireland.
Burl Ives
(Deceased)
Burl Ives, actor and folksinger, was born as Burle Icle Ivanhoe Ives on June 14, 1909 in Hunt, IL. His grandmother, a pipe-smoking and tobacco-chewing storyteller, gave him a love for folk songs when he was quite young. And it served him well throughout his life.In 1930, as the Great Depression deepened, Burl Ives dropped out of college. And, like many other unemployed men, he hitchhiked across the country looking for work. And wherever he went he learned folk songs from those whom he met: miners, cowboys, hoboes, and everyone in between.
By 1937 he was in Hollywood, Calif., sharing a house with friend and actor Eddie Albert. Eddie had a job and Burl had a job at a radio station. Burl came home one day and said, "Eddie, there's a family living in a box car and they just came from the dust bowl. The man plays a mean guitar." Eddie said, "Well, we have a big place here. Why don't you just invite them to stay here." When Eddie came home from work he could hear the guitar playing and he came into the kitchen and there were big pitchers of milk and a mess of chicken, and the two little children were running around. And this man came up and said, "Hello Mr. Albert, thank you for having us. My name is Woodie Guthrie."
Versatile. That word, like the album cover shown here, best describes this talented man. He was an entertainer, through and through, whether on the Broadway stage, in movies, in the recording studio or live in concert. He also published numerous songbooks.
Burl Ives played Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway during the 1950's. In 1962 he did a TV special, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which still runs every Christmas season. Children still sing along with his records on such classic tunes as, "Holly Jolly Christmas," and "Little White Duck". He recorded over 30 albums for Decca and another dozen for Columbia.
After he death in 1995, his wife-- Dorothy Ives --gave an interviewer these insights into the life of her late husband: "He loved sailing. He also loved reading. I read to Burl every morning and continuously on airplanes and backstage and in hotel rooms and around the world. We did a 27-year study on world cultures, world religions, stuff like that."
On the big screen, Burl's performance in The Big Country (1958), won him an Oscar for best supporting actor. His other Western credits included Smoky (1946), Station West (1948), Green Grass of Wyoming (1948) and Day of the Outlaw (1959). He also appeared in such TV Westerns as "Little House on the Prairie," "Alias Smith and Jones," and the Zane Grey Theater.
Burl Ives died of mouth cancer at the age of 85 on April 14, 1995 in Anacortes, WA. His remains are in the Mound Cemetery in Jasper County, Illinois.
CLICK HERE to view the complete filmography of Burl Ives.
Note: The "I" listings were somehow lost during the conversion of my old DIRECTORY OF WESTERN WRITERS to the new DIRECTORY OF WESTERN ENTERTAINERS. Please send photos and biographical information to me by email, below. Or by snail mail at: 1008 S. Neptune Road, Edmond, OK 73003.
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 Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
--- Bible: Psalm 34:18
© 2000 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
