Tim McCoy
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 10, 1891
- Died
- January 29, 1978 (aged 86)
- Birthplace
- Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Biography
One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86. Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France. Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death) Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Hollywood
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Movie · as (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Requiem for a Gunfighter
Movie · as Judge Irving Short
Run of the Arrow
Movie · as Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Around the World in 80 Days
Movie · as Colonel
Injun Talk
Movie · as Himself
Below the Border
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
Riders of the West
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
Ghost Town Law
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
Down Texas Way
Movie · as U. S. Marshal Tim McCall
West of the Law
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
Forbidden Trails
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
Arizona Bound
Movie · as Tim McCall
The Gunman From Bodie
Movie · as Marshal Tim McCall
The Texas Marshal
Movie · as Marshal Trigger Tim Rand
Outlaws of the Rio Grande
Movie · as Tim Barton
Frontier Crusader
Movie · as Trigger Tim Rand
Riders of Black Mountain
Movie · as Marshal Tim Donovan
Gun Code
Movie · as Marshal Tim Hammond posing as Tim Hays
Arizona Gang Busters
Movie · as Trigger Tim Rand
Texas Renegades
Movie · as 'Silent' Tim Smith
Straight Shooter
Movie · as "Lightning" Bill Carson
Outlaws' Paradise
Movie · as William Carson / Trigger Mallory
Code of the Cactus
Movie · as Bill Carson
Trigger Fingers
Movie · as 'Lightning' Bill Carson
The Fighting Renegade
Movie · as Bill Carson posing as El Puma
Texas Wildcats
Movie · as 'Lightning' Bill Carson
West of Rainbow's End
Movie · as Tim Hart
Phantom Ranger
Movie · as Tim Hayes
Six-Gun Trail
Movie · as Captain William Carson
Lightning Carson Rides Again
Movie · as Lightning Bill Carson / Jose
Code of the Rangers
Movie · as Tim Strong
Two Gun Justice
Movie · as Tim
Aces and Eights
Movie · as Tim Madigan
Roarin' Guns
Movie · as Tim Corwin
Ghost Patrol
Movie · as Tim Caverly
Lightnin' Bill Carson
Movie · as Marshal Lightnin' Bill Carson
Border Caballero
Movie · as Tim Ross
The Traitor
Movie · as Tim McCoy: Sergeant Tim Vallance - Texas Ranger
The Lion's Den
Movie · as Tim Barton
Bulldog Courage
Movie · as Slim Braddock / Tim Braddock
The Man from Guntown
Movie · as Tim Hanlon
The Outlaw Deputy
Movie · as Tim Mallory
Justice of the Range
Movie · as Tim Condon
Fighting Shadows
Movie · as Constable Tim O'Hara
Square Shooter
Movie · as Tim Baxter
The Revenge Rider
Movie · as Tim O'Neil
Law Beyond the Range
Movie · as Tim McDonald
Riding Wild
Movie · as Tim Malloy / Tex Ravelle
Voice in the Night
Movie · as Tim Dale
Hell Bent for Love
Movie · as Police Captain Tim Daley
Speed Wings
Movie · as Tim
A Man's Game
Movie · as Tim Bradley
The Prescott Kid
Movie · as Tim Hamlin
Beyond the Law
Movie · as Tim Weston
The Westerner
Movie · as Tim Addison
Straightaway
Movie · as Tim Dawson
Hold the Press
Movie · as Tim Collins
The Whirlwind
Movie · as Tim Reynolds
Silent Men
Movie · as Tim Richards
Rusty Rides Alone
Movie · as Tim Burke
Man Of Action
Movie · as Ranger Tim Barlow
Police Car 17
Movie · as Tim Conlon
Two-Fisted Law
Movie · as Tim Clark
Texas Cyclone
Movie · as Texas Grant
Hollywood on Parade
Movie · as Self
The Western Code
Movie · as Tim Barrett
Cornered
Movie · as Sheriff Tim Laramie
The Riding Tornado
Movie · as Tim Torrant
End of the Trail
Movie · as Captain Tim Travers
Fighting for Justice
Movie · as Tim Keene
Daring Danger
Movie · as Tim Madigan
The Fighting Fool
Movie · as Sheriff Tim Collins
The Fighting Marshal
Movie · as Tim Benton
The One Way Trail
Movie · as Tim Allen
Shotgun Pass
Movie · as Tim Walker
Heroes of the Flames
Movie · as Bob Darrow
The Indians Are Coming
Movie · as Jack Manning
Sioux Blood
Movie · as Flood
The Overland Telegraph
Movie · as Captain Allen
The Desert Rider
Movie · as Jed Tyler
Morgan's Last Raid
Movie · as Capt. Daniel Clairbourne
The Law of the Range
Movie · as Jim Lockhart
The Adventurer
Movie · as Jim McClellan
Beyond the Sierras
Movie · as The Masked Stranger
The Bushranger
Movie · as Edward
Riders of the Dark
Movie · as Lt. Crane
Wyoming
Movie · as Lt. Jack Colton
Winners of the Wilderness
Movie · as Col. Sir Dennis O'Hara
Foreign Devils
Movie · as Capt. Robert Kelly
The Frontiersman
Movie · as John Dale
Spoilers of the West
Movie · as Lieutenant Lang
California
Movie · as Capt. Archibald Gillespie
War Paint
Movie · as Lt. Tim Marshall
The Thundering Herd
Movie · as Burn Hudnall
The Man Who Would Not Die
Movie