Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' from 1955 to 1962.

Early life

Clint Walker was born in Hartford, Illinois.Walker's biography
from his official website His mother was Czech. He had a fraternal twin sister, Neoma Lucille "Lucy" Westbrook and another half-sister. Walker left school to work at a factory and on a

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury ...

, then joined the

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

at the age of 17. After leaving the Merchant Marine, he did odd jobs in Brownwood, Texas; Long Beach, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a doorman at the Sands Hotel before reuniting with the Merchant Marine to fight in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Career

Early films

Walker became a client of Henry Willson, who renamed him "Jett Norman".

''Cheyenne''

Walker's good looks and imposing physique (he stood tall with a chest and a waist)Cowboy actor inspires local Western writer
, a December 2003 review transcribed from an '' Idaho State Journal'' article helped him land an audition where he won the lead role in the TV series ''

''. Billed as "Clint Walker", he was cast as Cheyenne Bodie, a roaming cowboy hero in the post-

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

era. His casting was announced in June 1955. ''Cheyenne'' originally appeared as part of ''

Warner Bros. Presents ''Warner Bros. Presents'' is the umbrella title for three series that were telecast as part of the 1955-56 United States network television schedule, 1955–56 season on American Broadcasting Company, ABC: ''Cheyenne (TV series), Cheyenne'', a ne ...

'' rotating with adaptations of ''

Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Woo ...

'' and ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

''. ''Cheyenne'' turned out to be the breakout hit. While the series regularly capitalized on Walker's rugged frame with frequent bare-chested scenes, it was also well-written and acted. It proved hugely popular for seven seasons. Walker's pleasant baritone singing voice was also occasionally utilized on the series and led Warner Brothers to produce an album of Walker performing traditional songs and ballads. Early in the series run, Warners announced they would star Walker in a feature, ''The Story of Sam Houston''. It was not made. In April 1956 Walker said "I don't think I'd want any other roles ... Westerns keep me outdoors and active." Warners cast Walker in the lead of a Western feature film, '' Fort Dobbs'' (1958), directed by Gordon Douglas. Howard Thompson described the actor as "the biggest, finest-looking Western hero ever to sag a horse, with a pair of shoulders rivaling King Kong's". Box office returns were modest. Warners tried him in another Douglas-directed Western, '' Yellowstone Kelly'' (1959), co-starring

Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series '' 77 Sunset Strip.'' He also was featured in the 1978 film '' Gr ...

from another Warners TV show, ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...

''. It was a minor success. A number of ''Cheyenne'' episodes were cut into feature films and released theatrically in some markets, and a brief clip of Walker galloping on horseback as Bodie was featured in an

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

of '' Maverick'' starring Jack Kelly. He also guest starred on an episode of ''

''. Warners tried Walker in a third Western feature directed by Douglas, '' Gold of the Seven Saints'' (1961), this time co-starring

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the ...

, who was also under contract to Warners.

Post-''Cheyenne''

Lucille Ball Clint Walker The Lucy Show 1965

Walker had a role in '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' (episode "Portrait of an Unknown Man", alongside

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He has received an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Awards ...

). He had a supporting role in the

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

–

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

comedy, '' Send Me No Flowers'' (1964).

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

cast him in the leading role in the war drama '' None but the Brave'' (1965), the only film Sinatra directed. After doing some guest appearances in ''

The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...

'' he fought a grizzly bear in Paramount's Western, '' The Night of the Grizzly'' (1966). He starred in a family adventure movie shot in India, ''

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

'' (1966). Walker had his biggest feature film hit to date when he played the meek convict Samson Posey in the war drama '' The Dirty Dozen'' (1967). Walker returned to Westerns with '' More Dead Than Alive'' (1969). The ''New York Times'' described the actor as "a big, fine-looking chap and about as live-looking as any man could be. And there is something winning about his taciturn earnestness as an actor, although real emotion seldom breaks through". Walker had support roles in two comic Westerns, ''

Sam Whiskey ''Sam Whiskey'' is a 1969 American Western comedy film shot in DeLuxe Color and directed by Arnold Laven, starring Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, Clint Walker and Ossie Davis. "Way ahead of its time," said Reynolds of the film. "I was playing ...

'' (1969) and '' The Great Bank Robbery'' (1969).

1970s

Walker was one of many names in '' The Phynx'' (1970) and returned to TV with the leads in some television pilots that appeared as made for television movies on the ''

ABC Movie of the Week The ''ABC Movie of the Week'' is an American weekly television anthology series featuring Television film, made-for-TV movies that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network in various permutations from 1969 in television, 1969 t ...

'', '' Yuma'' (1971), '' Hardcase'' (1972), and '' The Bounty Man'' (1972). In May 1971, he was seriously injured in a skiing accident on Mammoth Mountain when one of his ski poles went through his chest but he recovered. Walker supported Telly Savalas in the biopic ''

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

'' (1972) and starred in a short-lived series in 1974 called '' Kodiak'', playing an Alaskan patrolman. He starred in the made-for-television

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

'' Killdozer!'' the same year as well as '' Scream of the Wolf'' (1974). Walker starred in '' Baker's Hawk'' (1976) and had supporting roles in '' Snowbeast'' (1977), and '' The White Buffalo'' (1977). He starred in the Canadian '' Deadly Harvest'' (1977) and had a small role in ''

Centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

'' and ''Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women'' (1979).

Literary pursuits

Walker met western author Kirby Jonas through

James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 ...

, a mutual friend. Jonas and Walker subsequently spent two years collaborating on a storyline by Walker involving gold and the

Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are an Indigenous people of Mexico and Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe, who speak the Yaqui language, a Uto-Aztecan language. Their primary homelands are in Río Yaqui valley in the no ...

. The partnership led to the publication of the

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

Western novel ''Yaqui Gold'' (). Clint Walker Star on Texas Trail of Fame

Honors

Walker has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 1505

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

, near its intersection with

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

(approximate coordinates: ). In 2004, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at 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 ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, Oklahoma. He received the Golden Boot Award in 1997. In 2017 he was presented an inlaid bronze star medallion on the Texas Trail of Fame in the

Fort Worth Stockyards The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district that is located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, north of the central business district. A portion encompassing much of the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as F ...

National Historic District.

Personal life and death

Walker had three marriages, each of which lasted approximately twenty years. Walker married Verna Garver in 1948. The marriage produced one daughter, Valerie (born 1950) before ending in divorce in 1968. Valerie became one of the first female airline pilots. Walker then married Giselle Hennesy in 1974 and they remained married until her death in 1994. His final marriage was to Susan Cavallari, which lasted from 1997 until his death. Walker was a

pesce Pesce may refer to: Geography * The Pesce Peninsula in West Antarctica Cinema * Il pesce innamorato (‘The Fish in Love’), Italian comedy film released in 1999 People * Brett Pesce (born 1994), American hockey player * Emidio Pesce (born 2002 ...

- pollotarian, stating, "we don't eat beef, but we eat chicken and salmon." Walker supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

in the

1964 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1964, less than a year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who won the previous presidential election. The Democratic Party (U ...

. In May 1971, Walker narrowly escaped death in a

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

accident at Mammoth Mountain, California. While following the contours of the twisting, irregular terrain Walker began tumbling out of control before coming to an abrupt, violent stop in which he was pierced through the heart with a

ski pole Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiing, skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from Aluminium, aluminum and Carbon fibers, carbon fiber, ...

. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. However, a doctor detected faint signs of life and rushed Walker to surgery, where his damaged heart was repaired. Within two months, Walker was working again.St. Petersburg ''Times'', May 26, 1971, p. 17 Walker died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

in Grass Valley, California, on May 21, 2018, shortly before his 91st birthday. He was survived by his daughter, his third wife, as well as his half sister and grandson. His twin sister, Lucille Westbrook, died in 2000.

Filmography

*1954: '' Jungle Gents'' as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

Type (uncredited) *1955–1962: ''

'' (TV series) as Cheyenne Bodie / Ace Black / Jim Thornton Merritt *1956: '' The Ten Commandments'' as Sardinian Captain *1957: ''The Travellers'' as Cheyenne Bodie *1958: '' Fort Dobbs'' as Gar Davis *1959: '' Yellowstone Kelly'' as Luther 'Yellowstone' Kelly *1960: ''Requiem to Massacre'' as Cheyenne Bodie *1961: '' Gold of the Seven Saints'' as Jim Rainbolt *1963: ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'' *1964: '' Send Me No Flowers'' as Bert Power *1965: '' None but the Brave'' as Capt. Dennis Bourke *1965–1966: ''

'' (TV Series, 2 episodes) as Frank / Frank Wilson *1966: '' The Night of the Grizzly'' as Jim Cole *1966: ''

'' as Hugh Bowen *1967: '' The Dirty Dozen'' as Samson Posey *1969: '' More Dead Than Alive'' as Cain *1969: ''

'' as O. W. Bandy *1969: '' The Great Bank Robbery'' as Ranger Ben Quick *1970: '' The Phynx'' as Cheyenne *1971: '' Yuma'' (TV Movie) as Marshal Dave Harmon *1972: '' Hardcase'' (TV Movie) as Jack Rutherford *1972: '' The Bounty Man'' (TV Movie) as Kinkaid *1972: ''

'' as Scotty *1974: '' Kodiak'' (13 episodes) as Cal "Kodiak" McKay *1974: '' Scream of the Wolf'' (TV Movie) as Byron Douglas *1974: '' Killdozer!'' (TV Movie) as Lloyd Kelly *1976: '' Baker's Hawk'' as Dan Baker *1977: '' The White Buffalo'' as Whistling Jack Kileen *1977: '' Snowbeast'' (TV Movie) as Sheriff Paraday *1977: '' Deadly Harvest'' as Grant Franklin *1978: ''

'' (TV Mini-Series) as Joe Bean *1979: ''Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women'' (TV Movie) as Wendell *1983: '' Hysterical'' as Sheriff *1983: ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' (Episode: "Friend of the Family/Affair on Demand/Just Another Pretty Face") as Bill *1985: '' The Serpent Warriors'' as Morgan Bates *1985: ''All American Cowboy'' (TV Movie) *1991: '' The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw'' (TV Movie) as Cheyenne Bodie *1993: '' Tropical Heat'' (TV) – episode "The Last of the Magnificent" *1994: '' Maverick'' as Sheriff (cameo appearance) (Scene deleted) *1995: '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' (TV) as Cheyenne Bodie, episode "Gunfighters" *1998: '' Small Soldiers'' as Nick Nitro (Voice) (final film role)

References

External links

* *
"Clint Walker: Top Gun of Warner's TV" by Herb Fagen (1999 interview)
@ ''Classic Images'' magazine, issue # 212, p. 12
"Belleville had its share of fame: Nice guy Clint Walker became Hollywood hunk"
by Jaime Ingle – ''News-Democrat'' (Wednesday, June 18, 2008)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Clint 1927 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Long Beach, California American country singer-songwriters American male film actors American male television actors American people of Czech descent American sailors American twins California Republicans Country musicians from California Country musicians from Illinois Country musicians from Texas Illinois Republicans Male actors from Illinois Male actors from Las Vegas Male actors from Los Angeles Male Western (genre) film actors Military personnel from Illinois People from Brownwood, Texas People from Grass Valley, California People from Madison County, Illinois Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Illinois Singer-songwriters from Texas United States Merchant Mariners of the Korean War United States Merchant Mariners of World War II United States Merchant Mariners Warner Bros. contract players Western (genre) television actors