Rod Cameron (born Nathan Roderick Cox; December 7, 1910 – December 21, 1983) was a Canadian-born film and television actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

, war, action and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

movies, but is best remembered for his many westerns.

Early years

Cameron was born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, and grew up in New Jersey. He played on his high school basketball team and on a semi-professional football team. Despite those activities and others such as swimming and playing ice hockey, he couldn't join the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

because he failed the physical examination.

Films

Cameron moved to Hollywood as a young man and started out as a stuntman and bit player for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

as well as a

stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins al ...

for Fred MacMurray. His early films include '' Heritage of the Desert'' with Donald Woods and Russell Hayden, ''

Rangers of Fortune ''Rangers of Fortune'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Sam Wood. The plot revolves around three heroes, played by Fred MacMurray, Albert Dekker, and Gilbert Roland, as they battle a ruthless land baron who is intent on driving ou ...

'' with Fred MacMurray, '' North West Mounted Police'' and '' Henry Aldrich for President'' with Jimmy Lydon. He also played bit roles at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, including in '' If I Had My Way'', starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and Gloria Jean. He appeared in a horror film '' The Monster and the Girl'' and played

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained s ...

in '' The Remarkable Andrew'' for Paramount. In 1943, Cameron gained star status in action serials for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

. As crime-busting federal agent Rex Bennett, Cameron battled enemy terrorists in 15 weekly episodes of '' G-Men vs. the Black Dragon''. He was already working in another serial when audience reaction to ''Black Dragon'' made him a hit. He appeared in another Rex Bennett adventure, '' Secret Service in Darkest Africa'', with Cameron again battling against Axis agents. When cowboy star Johnny Mack Brown left Universal Pictures for Monogram Pictures, Cameron replaced him as Universal's western series star. Universal soon gave him straight character roles in feature films, including ''

Salome, Where She Danced ''Salome, Where She Danced'' is a 1945 American Technicolor Western drama film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Rod Cameron and Walter Slezak. The film follows the adventures of a dancer in nineteenth-century Europe and t ...

'' and '' River Lady'' both co-starring fellow Canadian Yvonne De Carlo. During World War II Cameron played in '' Commandos Strike at Dawn'' and played a

US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

in ''

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the Sida fallax, kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, sou ...

'' (1942) and '' Gung Ho!'' (1943). Universal reorganized as Universal-International and downsized its activities in 1947, leaving Cameron and other contract players unemployed. He was hired by Monogram Pictures for a long string of outdoor action pictures. In 1948, he starred in ''

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

'' (a movie with a script co-written by Blake Edwards) for Allied Artists. In 1949, Cameron appeared with Bonita Granville in the comedy film ''Strike It Rich''. He then appeared in many westerns and other films for

including '' Santa Fe Passage'' (1955), and later '' The Gun Hawk'' (1963), '' Requiem for a Gunfighter'' (1965) and '' The Bounty Killer'' (1965). Cameron traveled to Europe in 1964 to play the lead in

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most ...

s such as ''

Bullets Don't Argue ''Bullets Don't Argue'' (Italian title: ''Le pistole non discutono'', also known as ''Guns Don't Talk'' and ''Pistols Don't Argue'') is a 1964 Italian Spaghetti Western directed by Mario Caiano. The film was produced by Jolly Film, back to back ...

'' (1964) and '' Bullet in the Flesh'' (1965). He later appeared in such films as '' The Last Movie'' (1971), '' Evel Knievel'' (1971) and ''

Psychic Killer ''Psychic Killer'' is a 1975 American horror film directed by Ray Danton and written by Greydon Clark, Mikel Angel and Ray Danton. The film stars Paul Burke, Jim Hutton, Julie Adams, Nehemiah Persoff, Neville Brand and Aldo Ray. The film wa ...

'' (1975).

Television

Cameron starred in three

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

: '' City Detective'' (1953–1955), ''

State Trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...

'' (1956–1959), and the '' Coronado 9'' (1960–1961). In ''City Detective'', Cameron appeared as the tough New York City police Lieutenant Bart Grant.Erickson, Hal (1989). ''Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947–1987''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 22–23 In ''State Trooper'', a 1950s-style western-themed

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

, Cameron starred as Lieutenant Rod Blake of the Nevada State Police. In ''Coronado 9'', set in the

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

area, Cameron appeared as Dan Adams, a private detective. Hal Erickson, in his book, ''Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947–1987'', cited Cameron's business sense in confining his work in TV series to syndication: "A canny businessman, Cameron knew that his ''City Detective'' residuals wouldn't have been as fat had a major television network been claiming a percentage of the action, and as a result the actor vowed to remain in syndication for the rest of his TV career. By 1960, Cameron was drawing over $200,000 per annum in residuals

rom his three syndicated programs Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

.." Cameron himself guest starred in many westerns, including six appearances on NBC's '' Laramie'', with

John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...

and

Robert Fuller Bob, Bobby, Robbie, Rob or Robert Fuller may refer to: Academics *Robert W. Fuller (born 1936), American president of Oberlin College *Robert C. Fuller (born 1952), American professor of religious studies Performers *Robert Fuller (actor) (born 1 ...

. In "Drifter's Gold" (November 29, 1960), Cameron plays Tom Bedloe, an outlaw who has started the rumor of a nearby gold strike. When series lead Slim Sherman, played by John Smith, comes to Laramie to buy supplies, he finds the town nearly deserted and must pretend to be an outlaw to survive. Meanwhile, Bedloe is looking for Marcie Benson, the daughter he has never seen, played by

Judi Meredith Judi Clare Meredith (born Judith Clare Boutin; October 13, 1936 – April 30, 2014) was an American actress. Early life Born on October 13, 1936 to Herbert Boutin and Janice M. Starr in Portland, Oregon, Meredith graduated from St. Mary's Acad ...

. Gregory Walcott plays Duke, Bedloe's partner in crime. In another ''Laramie'' episode, "Broken Honor" (April 9, 1963), Cameron and Peggy McCay portray Roy and Martha Halloran, a farm couple who stumbles upon $30,000 in money found inside a strong box on their property. The loot had been seized in a stagecoach heist and hidden away for later retrieval. Roy, who is reliant on a wheelchair, insists on keeping the money until Jess Harper arrives amid grave danger to all of their lives from the bandits searching about for the missing money. One of the bandits is played by Don "Red" Barry, best remembered from the 1940 film '' Adventures of Red Ryder''. Cameron also guest starred in the NBC's western ''

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 ...

'' in 1966: he portrayed Curtis Wade in the two-part episode "Ride The Wind". Cameron also guest starred in season 6 episode 18 of western TV series "The Tales of Wells Fargo". Cameron guest starred in such dramatic series as '' Crossroads'', in which he portrayed Dr. Ervin Seale in the 1956 episode "Deadly Fear." He guest starred too on CBS's '' Perry Mason'', with Raymond Burr, as defendant Grover Johnson in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang." He continued to work in motion pictures and television into the 1970s. He appeared in season 2 of

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

's NBC detective series, ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigat ...

''. Cameron also appeared in two episodes of ADAM-12 in 1975.

Personal life

In 1960, he divorced his wife and, soon after, married her mother. Director William Witney publicly acclaimed Cameron as the bravest man that he had ever seen. In the 1970s, Cameron became involved with efforts to treat alcoholism. He was active in the Alcoholism Council of San Fernando Valley in Van Nuys, California, and he spoke to groups about problems related to alcoholism. In his later years, he lived on Lake Lanier in northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. After an extended battle with cancer, Cameron died in a hospital in nearby Gainesville, aged 73. He was posthumously awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

Quote

''I got on a horse and that was my big mistake. I didn't even know how to ride a horse when I came to Los Angeles. Even after I did 400 episodes on three different detective series, "Coronado Nine", "City Detective" and "State Trooper", casting directors would say "Oh yes, Rod Cameron, the cowboy"''.

Selected filmography

*'' Heritage of the Desert'' (1939) - Cowhand (uncredited) *'' The Old Maid'' (1939) - Minor Role (scenes deleted) *'' If I Had My Way'' (1940) - Slim - Bridge Worker (uncredited) *''

Those Were the Days! ''Those Were the Days!'' is a 1940 comedy film directed by Theodore Reed and starring William Holden and Bonita Granville.

'' (1940) - Bartlett - Student Waiter (uncredited) *'' Stagecoach War'' (1940) - Townsman (uncredited) *''

'' (1940) - Shelby Henchman (uncredited) *'' The Quarterback'' (1940) - Tex *'' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) - Corporal Underhill *'' Christmas in July'' (1940) - Dick *'' Life with Henry'' (1940) - Bill Van Dusen *'' The Monster and the Girl'' (1941) - Sam Daniels *'' I Wanted Wings'' (1941) - Voice on loudspeaker (uncredited) *''

Riders of Death Valley ''Riders of Death Valley'' is a 1941 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures. It was a high budget serial with an all-star cast led by Dick Foran and Buck Jones. Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor directed. It also features Lon Chaney Jr. i ...

'' (1941, Serial) - Rider (uncredited) *'' The Parson of Panamint'' (1941) - Porter, Young Prospector, 'Son' in Prologue (uncredited) *'' Buy Me That Town'' (1941) - Gerard *'' Nothing but the Truth'' (1941) - Sailor (uncredited) *'' Henry Aldrich for President'' (1941) - Ed Calkins *'' The Night of January 16th'' (1941) - Attorney Polk's Assistant *'' No Hands on the Clock'' (1941) - Tom Reed *'' Among the Living'' (1941) - Eddie - Man in Cafe (uncredited) *''

Pacific Blackout ''Pacific Blackout'' is a 1941 American mystery thriller film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Robert Preston, Eva Gabor and Martha O'Driscoll.Parish & Pitts p.362 It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot Inventor and ...

'' (1941) - Pilot *'' The Fleet's In'' (1942) - 'Texas' - Sailor (uncredited) *'' The Remarkable Andrew'' (1942) - Jesse James *'' True to the Army'' (1942) - Pvt. O'Toole *''

Priorities on Parade ''Priorities on Parade'' is a 1942 American musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Art Arthur. The film stars Ann Miller, Johnny Johnston, Jerry Colonna (entertainer), Jerry Colonna, Betty Jane Rhodes, Barbara Jo Allen, Harry Ba ...

'' (1942) - Stage Manager *''

'' (1942) - Capt. Pete Lewis *''

The Forest Rangers The Forest Rangers may refer to: * ''The Forest Rangers'' (TV series), Canadian TV series *The Forest Rangers (band), band formed to create the soundtrack for TV series Sons of Anarchy * ''The Forest Rangers'' (film), 1942 film starring Fred MacMur ...

'' (1942) - Jim Lawrence *'' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1942) - Petty Officer (uncredited) *'' Commandos Strike at Dawn'' (1942) - Pastor *'' G-Men vs. the Black Dragon'' (1943, Serial) - Agent Rex Bennett *'' No Time for Love'' (1943) - Taylor (uncredited) *'' Honeymoon Lodge'' (1943) - Big Boy Carson *'' Secret Service in Darkest Africa'' (1943, Serial) - Rex Bennett *'' The Good Fellows'' (1943) - Soldier (uncredited) *'' The Kansan'' (1943) - Kelso *'' Riding High'' (1943) - Sam Welch *'' Gung Ho!'' (1943) - Pvt Rube Tedrow *'' Boss of Boomtown'' (1944) - Steve Hazard *'' Trigger Trail'' (1944) - Clint Farrel *'' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944) - Al Swann *'' Riders of the Santa Fe'' (1944) - Matt Conway *''

The Old Texas Trail ''The Old Texas Trail'' is a 1944 American Western film directed by Lewis D. Collins and written by William Lively. The film stars Rod Cameron, Eddie Dew, Fuzzy Knight, Ray Whitley, Virginia Christine, Joseph J. Greene, Marjorie Clements, ...

'' (1944) - Jim Wiley, posing as Rawhide Carney *''

'' (1945) - Jim *'' Beyond the Pecos (1945) - Lew Remington *'' Swing Out, Sister'' (1945) - Geoffrey Cabot *''

Renegades of the Rio Grande ''Renegades of the Rio Grande'' is a 1945 American Western film about a crooked financier and a corrupt sheriff that conspire to steal land from ranchers in Oklahoma Territory for the purposes of a railroad right-of-way. A young lawyer, Clint F ...

'' (1945) - Buck Emerson *'' Frontier Gal'' (1945) - Jonathan Hart *'' The Runaround'' (1946) - Eddie J. Kildane *'' Pirates of Monterey'' (1947) - Captain Phillip Kent *''

'' (1948) - John Sands *'' River Lady'' (1948) - Dan Corrigan *'' The Plunderers'' (1948) - John Drum *'' Belle Starr's Daughter'' (1948) - Bob 'Bitter Creek' Yauntis *'' Strike It Rich'' (1948) - Duke Massey *'' Stampede'' (1949) - Mike McCall *'' Brimstone'' (1949) - Johnny Tremaine *'' Dakota Lil'' (1950) - Harve Logan / Kid Curry *'' Stage to Tucson'' (1950) - Grif Holbrook *''

Short Grass ''Short Grass'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Rod Cameron, Cathy Downs and Johnny Mack Brown.Pitts p.311 Cast * Rod Cameron as Steve Llewellyn * Cathy Downs as Sharon Lynch * Johnny Mack Brown as S ...

'' (1950) - Steve Llewellyn *'' Oh! Susanna'' (1951) - Captain Webb Calhoun *'' Cavalry Scout'' (1951) - Kirby Frye *'' The Sea Hornet'' (1951) - Gunner McNeil *'' Fort Osage'' (1952) - Tom Clay * ''

Wagons West ''Wagons West'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Rod Cameron, Noah Beery Jr., and Peggie Castle. Plot Cast * Rod Cameron as Jeff Curtis * Noah Beery Jr. as Arch Lawrence * Peggie Castle as Ann Wilkins * ...

'' (1952) - Jeff Curtis *''

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...

'' (1952) - Steve Bentley *'' Woman of the North Country'' (1952) - Kyle Ramlo *'' Ride the Man Down'' (1952) - Will Ballard *'' San Antone'' (1953) - Carl Miller *'' The Steel Lady'' (1953) - Mike Monahan *'' Southwest Passage'' (1954) - Edward Fitzpatrick Beale *'' Hell's Outpost'' (1954) - Tully Gibbs *'' Santa Fe Passage'' (1955) - Jess Griswold *''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being Trial, tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare ...

'' (1955) - Marc Hill *'' Headline Hunters'' (1955) - Hugh 'Woody' Woodruff *'' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) - Bill Binyon *'' Passport to Treason'' (1955) - Mike O'Kelly *''

Yaqui Drums ''Yaqui Drums'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Rod Cameron, J. Carrol Naish, Mary Castle.Pitts p.407 Plot Cast * Rod Cameron as Webb Dunham * J. Carrol Naish as Vacqi Jack * Mary Castle as Linda ...

'' (1956) - Webb Dunham *''

Spoilers of the Forest ''Spoilers of the Forest'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Joseph Kane, written by Bruce Manning, and starring Rod Cameron, Vera Ralston, Ray Collins, Hillary Brooke, Edgar Buchanan and Carl Benton Reid. It was released on April 5 ...

'' (1957) - Boyd Caldwell *''

Escapement An escapement is a mechanical linkage in mechanical watches and clocks that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The impulse action transfers energy to ...

'' (1958) - Jeff Keenan *'' The Man Who Died Twice'' (1958) - William 'Bill' Brennon *'' Gunfight at Blackhorse Canyon'' (1961) *'' Laramie'' (1961 episode "The Last Journey") - John Cole *'' Perry Mason (TV series) (1963)(Case of the Bouncing Boomerang) - Grover Johnson *'' The Gun Hawk'' (1963) - Sheriff Ben Corey *''

'' (1964) - Pat Garrett *'' Bullet in the Flesh'' (1964) - Nathaniel Masters *'' Requiem for a Gunfighter'' (1965) - Dave McCloud *'' The Bounty Killer'' (1965) - Johnny Liam *'' Winnetou and Old Firehand'' (1966) - Old Firehand *'' Evel Knievel'' (1971) - Charlie Knesson *'' The Last Movie'' (1971) - Pat Garrett *''The French Love'' (1972) - (uncredited) *''Jessi's Girls'' (1975) - Rufe *''

'' (1975) - Dr. Commanger *''Love and the Midnight Auto Supply'' (1977) - Sheriff Dawson

References

External links

* *
''Rod Cameron Western'' comic book from the Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Rod 1910 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Male actors from Calgary Male film serial actors Paramount Pictures contract players 20th-century Canadian male actors Western (genre) television actors