Buck Taylor (born Walter Clarence Taylor III,Yoggy, Gary A. (1995).
Riding the Video Range: The Rise and Fall of the Western on Television
'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 123. . May 13, 1938) is an American actor and artist, best known for his role as

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

-turned- deputy Newly O'Brien in the CBS television series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

''.

Early life and career

Taylor is the son of character actor Dub Taylor, from whom Buck reportedly acquired his nickname simply because, having clocked in at a hefty nine pounds at birth, he "looked like a big buck." Taylor graduated from

North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, including m ...

, where he became a talented gymnast. Actor Guinn "Big Boy" Williams sponsored him to go to the U.S. Olympic Trials as a

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, but he failed to qualify for the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. He served two years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. His first important acting role was as Trooper Shattuck in the 1961'' Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' episode "Image of a Drawn Sword". His other early roles were in a 1964 episode of ''The Outer Limits'' entitled " Don't Open Till Doomsday", and as John Bradford (Brad) in four episodes of the 1966 ABC Western series '' The Monroes''.

''Gunsmoke''

From 1967 to 1975, Taylor played Newly O'Brien in the television series ''Gunsmoke''. He replaced deputy marshal Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood, played by Roger Ewing, after Ewing left the show. The character came to Dodge City as a gunsmith, and later became a deputy marshal. He reprised his role in the 1987 television movie '' Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge'', where he played the city's marshal. In 1981, the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

inducted Taylor into the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and awarded him the Trustee Award for his performance on ''Gunsmoke''.Meetings, The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 100, No. 1, July, 1996, Page 94

Artwork

Taylor attended the Chouinard Art Institute, and has been selling his watercolor and acrylic paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, and horses since 1993. Many of his paintings are of characters and scenes from movies and television series in which he has appeared. These images are made into prints, which are sold in various sizes. He is the official artist for many rodeos and state fairs, and creates their promotional posters.Bell, Kathy, The Life of Buck Taylor, Daily Globe, December 2, 2019

Filmography

Film

* 1966 - '' The Wild Angels'' as Dear John * 1976 - '' Pony Express Rider'' as Bovey Kingman * 1978 - ''Beartooth'' * 1981 - '' The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' as Robert Edward Gattlin * 1981 - '' Cattle Annie and Little Britches'' as Dyamite Dick * 1983 - '' Triumphs of a Man Called Horse'' as Sgt. Bridger * 1984 - '' No Man's Land as Feeny * 1990 - ''

Big Bad John "Big Bad John" is a country music, country song written and originally performed by Jimmy Dean. It was released in September 1961 and by the beginning of November it had gone to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It won ...

'' as Bob Simmons * 1991 - '' Conagher'' as Tile Coker * 1993 - '' Gettysburg'' as Colonel William Gamble * 1993 - ''

Tombstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

'' as "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson * 1998 - '' Hard Time'' as Capt. Adam Gunther * 2003 - '' Gods and Generals'' as General Maxcy Gregg * 2005 - ''Truce'' as Harry Dodds * 2006 - ''

Flicka ''Flicka'' is a 2006 American family adventure drama film loosely based on the 1941 children's novel '' My Friend Flicka'' by Mary O'Hara. The film is directed by Michael Mayer and written by Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner. The novel had ...

'' as Wagner * 2007 - '' The Mist'' as Ambrose Cornell * 2011 - '' Cowboys & Aliens'' as Wes Claibourne * 2017 - ''The Road to Valhalla'' as Union Veteran * 2016 - '' Indiscretion'' as Abe * 2016 - '' Hell or High Water'' as Old Man * 2019 - '' Trading Paint'' as Ben * 2025 - '' Sod & Stubble'' as John C. Haag

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Buck 1938 births Living people American male television actors American male film actors Chouinard Art Institute alumni North Hollywood High School alumni Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors Western (genre) television actors