Carroll O'Conner
(Deceased)
Carroll O'Conner, actor, was born on Aug. 2, 1924 in The Bronx, New York. He grew up in the relative affluence of Forest Hills, a section of Queens. His father was an attorney and his mother a school teacher, so he was reared in a life of some financial comfort. Both of his brothers became physicians.He served as a merchant seaman during World War II. Then he enrolled at the University of Montana where he studied literature and theatre. While attending the University of Montana, O'Connor was an associate editor for the college newspaper, the Kaimin. And it was there that he met his future wife, Nancy Fields.
In 1949, he resigned his editing position in protest to the pressure from the campus administration that lead to confiscation and destruction of an issue of the paper which carried a cartoon depicting the Montana Board of Education as rats gnawing at a bag of university funds.
O'Connor visited Ireland in 1950 and fell in love with that country. So much so that he finished his bachelor's degree at the National University of Ireland. He and his American girlfriend, Nancy Fields, were married in Ireland in 1951. He later returned to the University of Montana, where he earned a master's degree in speech in 1956.
Stage and screen actor best known for his portrayal of Archie Bunker in the long-running TV series "All in the Family" and its sequel series, "Archie's Place." He was making about $250,000 a week during the 1980 filming of the series.
He also starred in and produced the TV cop series, "Heat of the Night". He won an Emmy® in 1989 for his relaxed portrayal of Chief Bill Gillespie. And he would also sometimes direct, and write episodes under his pen name "Matt Harris".
In 1997, he and his wife, also a University of Montana graduate, donated $1 million to the University of Montana's Center for the Rocky Mountain West, a regional studies and public policy institute. The Center was renamed "Carroll and Nancy Fields O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West" in September of 1997.
Carroll O'Conner was instrumental in the passage of the Drug Dealers Civil Liability Act in California. The Act states that citizens can sue drug dealers whom they feel are responsible for the drug-related deaths of family members. The Act came about as a result of the death of his son, Hugh O'Conner, in a drug-related suicide in 1995.
Here are some other facts about Carroll O'Conner that you probably didn't know: (1) He auditioned for the role of The Skipper on "Gilligan's Island." (2) He composed the theme song for the TV show, "All in the Family" (The song is called "Remembering You" or "Those Were the Days") (3) He won a total of four Emmy® awards during his career.
Carroll O'Conner's roles in Westerns included "The Death of a Gunfighter" (1969) and the TV shows, "Gunsmoke" and "The Wild, Wild West."
He wrote an autobiography in 1999 and titled it, "I Think I'm Outta Here".
Carroll O'Conner had a heart attack at his home on June 21, 2001. He was rushed to Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, CA., where he died the same day. He was 76.
CLICK HERE to watch a lengthy interview of Carroll O'Conner in 1999.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Carroll O'Conner.
Doye O'Dell
(Deceased)
Doye O'Dell was born Allen Doye O'Dell in 1912. He was raised on a cotton farm outside Plainview, Texas. He learned to play the fiddle and guitar while a teenager. Still a teen, he left the farm in the early 1930s to seek fortune and fame.
He starting out playing on radio in Amarillo. Then he went on to co-star in the movies with some of the most legendary names in show business such as Ronald Reagan, Rosalind Russell, Tex Ritter, Red Foley, Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Lucille Ball, Charles Bronson, Roy Rogers, Charles Starrett and Monte Hale.
His first film was "The Pioneers" with Tex Ritter. According to Doye, "Republic was grooming me to take Roy Rogers' place. I tried out, passed the tests, and signed the contract. Roy was supposed to be drafted about that time. I was in a famous Western clothes store in Los Angeles, trying on boots, hats and the whole bit. Right in the middle of the tailoring, Republic called. The draft age had been lowered, and Roy was safe. So, I didn't get the clothes---or the part!"
Doye joined the U.S. Marines in December 1942, then returned to radio and the movies.
One of his television shows, Western Varieties, was the #1 rated show in Los Angeles for several years. It receiving two Emmys.
Doye O'Dell has had his share of million-selling records, including "Old Shep", "Blue Christmas", "Diesel Smoke (And Dangerous Curves)" and "Half Past A Heartache".
This photo was taken at a 1980 party at the Landmark Night Club in 1980.
The cowboy stars present included (l to r): Eddie Dean, Doye O'Dell, Cliffie Stone,
Tex Williams, Rex Allen, and Jimmy Wakely.
CLICK HERE to watch a video of Doye O'Dell performing "I Left My Gal on the Mountain" on the Ranch Party TV show in the 1950's.
CLICK HERE to go to a web site featuring many photos of Doyle O'Dell and a contact address. Doye O'Dell lived in Newhall, California the last years of his life. He died in 2001.
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara, actress, was born as Maureen FitzSimons,on Aug. 17, 1920 in Ranelagh, Ireland. Her father was a wealthy businessman who owned most of the best soccer teams in Ireland. And her mother sang soprano in opera productions.
No wonder, then, that young Maureen was ambitious. At an early age she set her dream as being "the Number One actress in the world".
Fortunately, she had the strikingly beautiful good looks and talent to take her a long way toward her dream. She was accepted for training at the Abbey Theater at the age of 14, and quickly began turning heads and winning drama awards.
She started her film career in London, starring with Charles Laughton and directed by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie, "Jamaica Inn". With the rumbling of World War II, the movie company moved from England to Hollywood, CA. in 1939, and young Maureen went with them.
Her first film in the US was "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" Charles Laughton. In 1941, she played Angharad in "How Green Was My Valley". In 1947, Maureen appeared in two big hits, "Sinbad the Sailor" and "Miracle on 34th Street". The latter is now considered a Christmas classic, due to her role and that of a newcomer, Natalie Wood.
1952 saw Maureen play Mary Kate Danaher in John Ford's hit THE QUIET MAN. This film garnered Ford an Oscar for Best Director, but it was the performance by Maureen, that many said, cinched it for him.
After "The Big Jake" in 1971, Maureen O'Hara wasn't seen on the silver screen for 18 years. In 1991 she returned to film ONLY THE LONELY.
Maureen O'Hara was the only woman tough enough to handle John Wayne. Wayne often said that he loved women but only had men as friends. That was with one major exception, Maureen O'Hara. He laughed and said of her, "She's a great guy."
O'Hara was married three times. The first was to movie director George Hanley Brown, and it was annulled. Her second was to another director, Will Price, which produced one daughter (Bronwyn) before ending in divorce. Her third marriage was to retired Brig. Gen. Charles Blair and lasted from 1968 until his death in 1978. That established their home in the Virgin Islands, where she still lived as lates as August of 2000. He was the owner and president of Antilles Airlines, based in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. And when he died, she ran the company until she sold it several years later.
John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara
in "Rio Grande" (1950)Maureen O'Hara's roles in Western films included such movies as "Buffalo Bill" (1944), "Rio Grande" (1950), "Comanche Territory" (1950), "War Arrow" (1953), "The Redhead from Wyoming" (1953), "McLintock!" (1963), "The Rare Breed" (1966), "Big Jake" (1971), and "The Red Pony" (1973, TV).
CLICK HERE to see Maureen O'Hara and Stephanie Powers discuss their roles in the movie "McLintock". Lots of great stories!
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Maureen O'Hara.
Merlin Olsen
(Deceased)
Merlin Jay Olsen was born on Sept. 15, 1940 to Lynn and Merle Olsen in Logan, Utah. He was the second of nine children in his family. He married his sweetheart, Susan Wakely, on March 30, 1962. They had three daughters.
Olsen stood 6'5" inches tall, and he was a fierce competitor at whatever activity he pursued. He played football at Utah State University, where he earned All-American honors for his brusing defensive skills. And he also won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in the land. The Los Angeles Rams snapped him up in the 1962 draft. He immediately won "Rookie of the Year" honors that fall, playing left tackle. And he played in 14 consecutive Pro Bowls. Olsen and Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy, and Deacon Jones became known as the "Fearsome Four" for their destruction of offensive lines. He won the "NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year Award" in 1973. The League voted Merlin Olsen as the Most Valuable Player in 1974. He retired from football in 1976. And he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
However, this was also one smart jock. He was an Academic All-American not once but three years in a row at Utah State. He graduated from Utah State summa cum laude with a degree in economics. And, deep into his football career, he returned to school in the off seasons and earned a masters degree, also in economics.
He was a supporting actor on the TV Western series, "Little House on the Prairie,"
from 1977 to 1981. One of his co-actors on that show, Melissa Gilbert, upon hearing of Olsen's death, recalled him to be one of the most gentle, kind and understanding people she had ever met.
He starred in his on TV Western series, "Father Murphy," from 1981 to 1983.
In the 1980s he worked beside Dick Enberg in the TV booth as a "Color Commentator" covering American Football League games. And he and his friend Enberg also did the TV broadcast of the annual Rose Bowl football game from 1980 to 1988. In addition, he was seen on TV during this time as the spokesperson for "FTD Florists".
In December of 2009, when Olsen knew his days were numbered, he attended a ceremony during a basketball half-time at Utah State in which the football field at Romney Statium was officially named, "Merlin Olsen Field". He waved at the audience but was too weak to speak.
Merlin Olsen was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He died at the age of 69 on March 11, 2010 due to mesotheliopma (lung problems related to exposure to asbestos). He died at the City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, California with his family surrounding him. He and wife Susan were married for 47 years. The funeral was a private one.
In 2009 he had filed several law suits against various companies he alledged to have exposed him to the asbestos threat in the work place.
CLICK HERE to watch a remarkable video made in December, 2009, when the Utah State football field was named for him. This was probably his last public appearance.
CLICK HERE to see his complete filmology.
References:
Internet Movie Database
"Los Angeles Rams Star, Pro Football Hall of Famer and TV Star dies at age 69," New York Times (nydailynews.com), March 14, 2010.
Wikipedia
T.V. Olsen
(Deceased)
Theodore Victor "Ted" Olsen was born in Rhinelander on April 25, 1932.He graduated from Rinelander high school in 1950, and he received the B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin (Stevens Point) in 1955. He says, "My childhood was unremarkable except for an inordinate preoccupation with Zane Grey and Edgar Rice Burroughs." He planned on being a commercial artist--a comic strip artist, in fact. But as he practiced his art, he kept adding story lines and grew more interested in writing than in art. He tried writing a western novel during his junior year in high school, then cranked out four more novels and a dozen Western short stories. No publisher would touch them.Meanwhile, T.V. Olsen had reworked that first novel he produced his junior year in high school. And in the summer of 1954 paid agent August Lenniger $35 to critique the manuscript. After two revisions, the book was still rejected by both Popular Library and Lion Books. Then on Sept. 26, 1955, Lenniger's office notified him that his book, "Valley of the Hunted," had been bought by Ace Books. It was finally published in Feb., 1956 as Haven of the Hunted.
T.V. Olsen's work includes books in such categories as Westerns, adventure, gothic, romance and historical. He writes under his own name was well as under the pen names of Cass Willoughby, Christopher Storm and Joshua Stark.Interestingly, his very first published short story, "Backtrail," was sold to "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater" and produced in the spring of 1957. His book The Stalking Moon became a 1968 movie, and Arrow in the Sun became the 1970 film "Soldier Blue".
His books include Haven of the Hunted (1956), The Man from Nowhere (1959), McGivern (1960, 1982), High Lawless (1960), Gunswift (1960), Ramrod Rider (1961, 1986), Brand of the Star (1961), Brothers of the Sword (1962), Savage Sierra (1962), The Young Duke (1963), Break the Young Land (1964), The Sex Rebels (1964), A Man Called Brazos (1964), Canyon of the Gun (1965), Campus Motel (1965), The Stalking Moon (1965), The Hard Men (1966), Autumn Passion (1966), Bitter Grass (1967), The Lockhart Breed (1967), Blizzard Pass (1968). His book Arrow in the Sun was made into the movie, "Soldier Blue" (1970). And The Stalking Moon became a movie starring Gregory Peck and Eva Marie Saint (1968).
T.V. Olsen also wrote Keno (1970), A Man Called Yuma (1971), Eye of the Wolf (1971), There Was a Season (1972), Summer of the Drums (1972), Starbuck's Brand (1973), Mission in the West (1973), Run to the Mountain (1974), Track the Man Down (1975), Stallion (1977), Rattlesnake (1979), Roots of the North (1979), Allegories for One Man's Moods (1979), Our First Hundred Years (1981), Blood of the Breed (1982), The Hard Men (1982), The Lockhart Breed (1982), Blizzard Pass (1982), Birth of a City (1983), Red is the River (1983), Lonesome Gun (1985), and Blood Rage.
T.V. Olson died on July 13, 1993 at his home in Rhinelander, WI. He was 61 and was survived by his wife, Beverly.
Bill O'Neal
Bill O'Neal wrote an article on outlaw Sam Bass in The Roundup (April, 1985), 25-26, and he regularly writes for Real West, True West, National Tombstone Epitaph and Texas Monthly.
He is the author of Henry Brown: Outlaw Marshal (Creative Texas, 1980) and Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters (OU Press, 1983).He and Dale W. Walker collaborated on the book, The Legends of the Wild West.
Jerry O'Neal
Jerry O'Neal is a former U.S. Forest Service research entomologist and news correspondent, and is now a self-employed research entomologist. His newspaper work was for the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, writing hard news, features and book reviews. He has one novel to his credit, Colorado Ambush (Pinnacle, 1989; under the pen name "Jess McCreede").
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.
I will praise you, O Lord, my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
--- Bible: Psalm 86:12
© 1999-2010 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
This page last updated on March 15, 2010
