John Thomas Berger (October 22, 1923 – June 30, 2004) was an American film and television actor. He mostly appeared on western television shows including, ''

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

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', '' Rawhide'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', '' Trackdown'', '' Laramie'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the progra ...

'', '' Tales of Wells Fargo'', '' Maverick'', '' Zane Grey Theatre'' and ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

''.

Early life

Alcaide was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. as John Thomas Berger. He was the son of George F. B. Berger and Frances Conroy. He moved to Hollywood in 1942 and worked as a bouncer at the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

. Alcaide served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the war, he returned to the Hollywood Palladium and joined the Ben Bard Players, in 1948.

Career

In 1958, Alcaide was the original choice of star as the lead role in

Black Saddle ''Black Saddle'' is an American Western television series starring Peter Breck that aired 44 episodes on NBC from January 10, 1959, to May 6, 1960. The half-hour program was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television, and the original ba ...

, but studio executives thought he was too associated with badman roles and chose

Peter Breck Joseph Peter Breck (March 13, 1929 – February 6, 2012) was an American character actor. The rugged, dark-haired Breck played the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday on the ABC/ Warner Bros. Television series '' Maverick'' as well as Victori ...

for the lead role. During filming pilot, Alcaide injured his back in a fall and again caused permanent damage. From 1972 to 1985, Alcaide ran a photography studio named "Peri's Pictures" in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

with his wife, Peri.

Death

Alcaide died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

on June 30, 2004 at

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by la ...

, at the age of 80.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcaide, Chris 1923 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Desert Memorial Park Deaths from cancer in California Golden Boot Awards recipients Male actors from Youngstown, Ohio United States Army personnel of World War II Western (genre) television actors