Ty Hardin (born Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr.; January 1, 1930August 3, 2017) was an American actor best known as the star of the 1958 to 1962 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 ...

television series ''

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

''.

Early life

Hardin was born in New York City, but reared in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, after his family moved to the capital city of

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

when he was six months old. His father, an acoustical engineer, left the family four years later. Hardin graduated in 1949 from Lamar High School in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. A

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

scholarship enabled him to attend Blinn College in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas, United States, and the county seat of Washington County, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Brenham is also known for its annual German heritage festival that takes pl ...

, for one year, and then he went to the

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Bible Institute for one semester. He served in the United States Army during 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 ...

. He was commissioned after attending

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey and the site of a major upcoming Netflix film production campus, alongside a variety of other redevelopment. The site is surrounded by the commun ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and he became a pilot of Forward Observer

O-1 Bird Dog The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a Liaison aircraft, liaison and observation aircraft that first flew on December 14, 1949, and entered service in 1950 as the L-19 in the Korean War. It went to serve in many branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, was no ...

liaison aircraft A liaison aircraft (also called an army cooperation aircraft) is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. Operation The concept developed before Worl ...

. He attained the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. After his return from service, he began taking courses at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in College Station on a scholarship under Coach

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

, for whom he played tight end.

Acting career

Paramount – "Ty Hungerford"

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

talent scout In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports, and they determine whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the s ...

discovered Hardin while he was attending a costume party. He had rented revolvers from

Western Costume Western Costume Company is a costume company in North Hollywood, California which supplies costumes and costuming supplies to the film and TV industry. Founded in 1912 or 1913, it is one of the oldest businesses in the industry. History Before ...

, a motion-picture costume-rental company. By 1957, Hardin acquired the services of agent Henry Willson and made his way to Hollywood, where he was put under contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially billed as "Ty Hungerford", he made various minor appearances in several Paramount films, such as '' The Space Children'' (1958), ''

As Young as We Are ''As Young as We Are'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by Bernard Girard and written by Meyer Dolinsky. The film stars Robert Harland, Pippa Scott, Majel Barrett, Ty Hardin, Barry Atwater and Carla Hoffman. The film was released in ...

'' (1958) '' I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' (1958), '' The Buccaneer'' (1958), and '' Last Train from Gun Hill'' (1959).

Warner Bros. years – ''Bronco''

Hardin tried to obtain a support role in the 1959 film '' Rio Bravo'' that had been promised to singer

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

reportedly saw Hardin while visiting a film set at Paramount and was impressed with Hardin's appearance. Wayne introduced him to

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...

and William T. Orr at Warner Bros. Television; they bargained for his seven-year contract and he moved to Warner Bros., which changed his stage surname to "Hardin", reminiscent of the Texas

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers () or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslin ...

John Wesley Hardin. He attended actors' school at Warner Bros. and landed small parts in various Warner productions. When

Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne (TV series), Cheyenne Bodie in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre)#Film, western series ''Cheyenn ...

walked out on his ABC 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 ...

'' in 1958 during a contract dispute with Warner Bros., Hardin got his big break. Warner bought out Hardin's contract from Paramount Studios and installed him into ''Cheyenne'' for the remainder of the season, as the country cousin Bronco Layne. Walker and Warner Bros. came to terms after the season ended, but Hardin had made such a big hit on the show that

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-born American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's ca ...

gave him his own series, ''Bronco'', under the Cheyenne title. ''Bronco'' alternated weeks with ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and '' Bronco'' (both second and fo ...

'', starring Will Hutchins, and ''Cheyenne'' for four years. The series ran from 1958 to 1962. Hardin guest-starred on other Warner Bros. shows such as ''Maverick'' and ''

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 ...

''. Warner Bros. cast Hardin in some films such as ''

Merrill's Marauders Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit ''Galahad'', officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the South-E ...

'' (1962), where he was second-billed to Jeff Chandler; '' The Chapman Report'' (1962); the

spring break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...

film ''

Palm Springs Weekend ''Palm Springs Weekend'' is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre ( AIP's '' Beach Party'' became a smash hit in July, while Warner Bros. was still putting this film together) ...

'' (1963); '' PT 109''; and ''

Wall of Noise ''Wall of Noise'' is a 1963 American drama film directed by Richard Wilson, written by Joseph Landon, and starring Suzanne Pleshette, Ty Hardin, Dorothy Provine, Ralph Meeker, Simon Oakland and Jimmy Murphy. It was released by Warner Bros. o ...

'' (1963).

International films

When his contract expired, Hardin did ''Guys and Dolls'' in stock. He then left Hollywood to seek opportunity overseas as his series aired all over the world. Like many other American actors, Hardin traveled to Europe, where he made several spaghetti Westerns, including '' Man of the Cursed Valley'' (1964). He appeared in the war film ''

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

'' (1965) shot in Spain, and the Western '' Savage Pampas'' (1966). He had the lead in '' Death on the Run'' (1967). He supported

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

in '' Berserk!'' (1967) and played Captain Reno in '' Custer of the West'' (1967) shot in Spain. He had the lead in '' Ragan'' (1968) and '' One Step to Hell'' (1968).

''Riptide''

Hardin starred in the 1968–1969 Australian television series '' Riptide'', in which he played an American running a charter boat company along the eastern seaboard of Australia. During the making of the series he memorably told a journalist, "I'm really a very humble man. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for my looks, my stature and my talent." He returned to Europe to star in '' The Last Rampage'' (1970), '' Quel maledetto giorno della resa dei conti'' (1971), and '' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971). He was in a 1970 German television series called ''On the Trail of Johnny Hilling, Boor and Billy'', shown in the former

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. Hardin was in '' The Last Rebel'' (1971) '' Acquasanta Joe'' (1971), and '' You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento'' (1972) and a small role in ''

Avanti! ''Avanti!'' (; Italian interjection – 'come in!') is a 1972 comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's pla ...

'' (1972). In 1974, he was arrested in Spain for drug trafficking and spent time in prison.

Later career

Hardin's later appearances included '' Rooster: Spurs of Death!'' (1977), ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

'' (1977), and '' Image of the Beast'' (1980) as well as episodes of TV shows such as ''

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 ...

''. He was in '' The Zoo Gang'' (1985) and '' Red River'' (1988) and had a lead in '' Born Killer'' (1989). Hardin could be seen in ''Bad Jim'' (1992), and '' Rescue Me'' (1992).

Personal life

In 1958, Hardin had his name changed legally from Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr., to Ty Hardin. He ascribed the change to a matter of convenience. From 1962 to 1966, he was married to the 1961

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

, German beauty queen Marlene Schmidt, who later worked in the movie industry; they had one daughter. At the time of his death, Hardin lived with his eighth wife, Caroline, in

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...

. Hardin died on August 3, 2017, aged 87.

Arizona Patriots

After difficulties with the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

, Hardin founded a tax protest movement in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

. In 1982, the movement became known as the Arizona Patriots. The group first gained public notice by its efforts to clog the Arizona court system with lawsuits in the 1980s, a tactic also employed by

Posse Comitatus The ''posse comitatus'' (from Latin for "the ability to have a retinue or gang"), frequently shortened to posse, is in common law a group of people mobilized to suppress lawlessness, defend the people, or otherwise protect the place, property, ...

Partial filmography

*'' The Space Children'' (1958) (with

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's role in Charlie Chaplin's film ''The Kid (1921 film), The Kid'' (1921) made him one o ...

) as Sentry *''

'' (1958) as Roy Nielson *'' I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' (1958) (with Tom Tryon and

Gloria Talbott Gloria Maude Talbott (February 7, 1931 – September 19, 2000) was an American film and television actress. Early life and career Gloria Talbott was born in Glendale, California. Her great-grandfather Benjamin F. Patterson arrived from Ohi ...

) as Mac Brody *'' The Buccaneer'' (1958) as Soldier (uncredited) *'' Last Train from Gun Hill'' (1959) (with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

) as Cowboy Loafer (uncredited) *''

'' (1961, Episode: "Duel at Judas Basin") as Bronco Layne *''

'' (1962) (with

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

) as 2nd Lt. Lee Stockton *'' The Chapman Report'' (1962) (with

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

) as Ed Kraski *'' PT 109'' (1963) (with

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film ''PT 109 (film), PT 109'', a ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

) as Ensign Leonard J. Thom *''

'' (1963) (with

Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American actress. Pleshette was known for her roles in theatre, film, and television. She was nominated for three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. For her role as Emily Hart ...

and Dorothy Provine) as Joel Tarrant *''

'' (1963) as Doug 'Stretch' Fortune *'' Man of the Cursed Valley'' (1964) as Johnny Walscott *'' Savage Pampas'' (1965) (with Robert Taylor) as Miguel Carreras *''

'' (1965) (with

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

) as Lt. Schumacher *'' Death on the Run'' (1967) as Jason *'' Custer of the West'' (1967) (with Robert Shaw) as Maj. Marcus Reno *'' Berserk!'' (1967) (with

) as Frank Hawkins *'' Ragan'' (1968) as Lee Ragan *'' King of Africa'' (1968) as Lt. King Edwards *''Rekvijem'' (1970) as Major *'' Terrible Day of the Big Gundown'' (1971) as Jonathan Benton *'' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971) as The Stranger *'' The Last Rebel'' (1971) as The Sheriff *'' Holy Water Joe'' (1971) as Jeff Donovan *''Sei iellato, amico hai incontrato Sacramento'' (1972) as Jack Thompson 'Sacramento' *''

'' (1972) as Helicopter Pilot (uncredited) *''Arpad - Zwei Teufelskerle räumen auf'' (1975) *'' Fire!'' (1977, TV Movie) as Walt Fleming *''Rooster: Spurs of Death!'' (1977) as The Texan *'' Image of the Beast'' (1980) as The Missionary *'' The Zoo Gang'' (1985) as Dean Haskell *''Born Killer'' (1989) as Sheriff Stone *''Bad Jim'' (1990) as Tom Jefferd *'' Rescue Me'' (1992) as Sheriff Gilbert *''Head Over Spurs in Love'' (2011) as Colonel Sanders (final film role)

References

External links

*
Ty Hardin
at Brian's Drive-In Theater

interview with Joe Krein {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardin, Ty 1930 births 2017 deaths Male actors from Texas Lamar High School (Houston) alumni Blinn College alumni Blinn Buccaneers football players Texas A&M University alumni Texas A&M Aggies football players United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots American male television actors Male Spaghetti Western actors Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from New York City Military personnel from Houston Male actors from Huntington Beach, California Warner Bros. contract players Western (genre) television actors