Forrest Tucker
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 12, 1919
- Died
- October 25, 1986 (aged 67)
- Birthplace
- Plainfield, Indiana, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker described himself as a farm boy. He was born in Plainfield, Indiana, on February 12, 1919, a son of Forrest A. Tucker and his wife, Doris Heringlake. His mother has been described as an alcoholic. Tucker began his performing career at age 14 at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, pushing the big wicker tourist chairs by day and singing "Throw Money" at night. After his family moved to Washington, D.C., Tucker attracted the attention of Jimmy Lake, the owner of the Old Gaiety Burlesque Theater, by winning its Saturday night amateur contest on consecutive weeks. After his second win, Tucker was hired there at full time as Master of Ceremonies, but left when it was soon discovered that he was underage. He graduated from Washington-Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., in 1938, and, joining the United States Cavalry, was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, but discharged for, once again, being underage. He returned to work at the Old Gaiety after his 18th birthday. When Lake's theatre closed for the summer in 1939, Tucker was helped by a wealthy mentor to travel to California and try to break into film acting. He made a successful screen test, and began auditioning for movie roles. In his own estimation, Tucker was in the mold of large "ugly guys" such as Wallace Beery, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen, rather than a matinee idol. His debut was as a powerfully built farmer who clashes with the hero in The Westerner (1940), which starred Gary Cooper. Like many other movie actors at the time, Tucker enlisted in the United States Army during World War II; he earned a commission as a second lieutenant. Tucker married four times: Sandra Jolley (1919–1986) in 1940, divorced in 1950, daughter of the character actor I. Stanford Jolley (who also died of emphysema) and the sister of the Academy Award-winning art director Stan Jolley. They had a daughter, Pamela "Brooke" Tucker. Marilyn Johnson on March 28, 1950 (died on July 19, 1960). Marilyn Fisk on October 23, 1961. They had a daughter, Cindy Tucker, and son, Forrest Sean Tucker. Sheila Forbes on April 15, 1986. Tucker, who had battled lung cancer for more than a year, as well as having a series of minor illnesses, collapsed and was hospitalized, for the second time in a week, on his way to the ceremony for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1986. He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on October 25, 1986, a few months after the theatrical release of Thunder Run and Outtakes. He was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. CLR
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The World of Hammer
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 2 eps
La Classe américaine
Movie · as The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
Timestalkers
Movie · as Texas John Cody
Outtakes
Movie · as Himself
Thunder Run
Movie · as Charlie Morrison
A Rare Breed
Movie
Ringstealer
Movie · as Narrator
Katy Caterpillar
Movie · as Goliath
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Tom Cassidy · 1 ep
Blood Feud
Movie · as Lyndon B. Johnson
Filthy Rich
TV · 2 eps
Matt Houston
TV · as Buck Turley · 1 ep
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Movie · as Duke
Flo
TV · 1 ep
The Rebels
TV · as Angus Fletcher · 2 eps
A Real American Hero
Movie · as Carl Pusser
Fantasy Island
TV · as Jake Gordon · 1 ep
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
Movie · as Carl
The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
Movie · as Mike Fink
Grizzly Adams
TV · as Ernie · 1 ep
The Love Boat
TV · as Sam Zachary, Tex, Tom Preston · 1 ep
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Movie · as Wagonmaster Callahan
Alice
TV · 1 ep
The Bionic Woman
TV · 1 ep
Once an Eagle
TV · as Col. Avery · 7 eps
The Wild McCullochs
Movie · as J. J. McCulloch
The Ghost Busters
TV · 15 eps
S.W.A.T.
TV · 2 eps
Ellery Queen
TV · as Clint McGraw · 1 ep
Little House on the Prairie
TV · as Jim Tyler · 1 ep
Police Woman
TV · as O'Malley · 1 ep
Jarrett
Movie · as Rev. Vocal Simpson
Kojak
TV · as Det. Paul Zachary · 1 ep
Dusty's Trail
TV · as Wagonmaster Callahan · 26 eps
Cancel My Reservation
Movie · as Reese
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
Movie · as Harry McMartin
Footsteps
Movie · as Bradford Emmons
Cat Ballou
Movie · as Kid Sheleen
Columbo
TV · as Bo Williamson · 1 ep
Alias Smith and Jones
TV · as Deputy Harker Wilkins · 1 ep
Barquero
Movie · as Mountain Phil
Chisum
Movie · as Lawrence Murphy
Night Gallery
TV · as Dr. Ernest Stringfellow · 1 ep
Doc
Movie · as Dr. Jason Fillmore
Medical Center
TV · as Ollie Wayne · 1 ep
Love, American Style
TV · as John, Horton · 1 ep
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Movie · as Trim Houlihan
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
TV · as Self (uncredited) · 2 eps
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Movie · as Turkeyneck
Ironside
TV · 1 ep
Hondo
TV · 1 ep
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Movie · as Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
F Troop
TV · as Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke · 65 eps
Daniel Boone
TV · as Joe Snag · 2 eps
Burke's Law
TV · as Cyrus Smuts · 1 ep
Channing
TV · as Major Don Landon · 1 ep
The Virginian
TV · as Martin Evers · 1 ep
The Merv Griffin Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Max Beemis · 1 ep
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Counterplot
Movie · as Brock Miller
Rawhide
TV · as Dan Carlock · 1 ep
Bonanza
TV · as Frank Ryan · 1 ep
The Trollenberg Terror
Movie · as Alan Brooks
Auntie Mame
Movie · as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
The Strange World of Planet X
Movie · as Gil Graham
Fort Massacre
Movie · as McGurney
Gunsmoke in Tucson
Movie · as John Brazos
Girl in the Woods
Movie · as Steve Cory
The Abominable Snowman
Movie · as Tom Friend
The Deerslayer
Movie · as Harry March
The Quiet Gun
Movie · as Sheriff Carl Brandon
Wagon Train
TV · as Rex Montana · 1 ep
Stagecoach to Fury
Movie · as Frank Townsend
Three Violent People
Movie · as Deputy Commissioner Cable
Rage at Dawn
Movie · as Frank Reno
Finger Man
Movie · as Dutch Becker
The Vanishing American
Movie · as Morgan
Break in the Circle
Movie · as Baron Keller
Night Freight
Movie · as Mike Peters
Paris Follies of 1956
Movie · as Dan Bradley
Gunsmoke
TV · as Brad McClain, Adam Benteen, John Charron, Sergeant Holly, Sgt. Emmett Holly, Will Donavan · 1 ep
Trouble in the Glen
Movie · as Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
Jubilee Trail
Movie · as John Ives
The Big Moment
Movie · as Uri
Climax!
TV · as Chips Murphy · 1 ep
Pony Express
Movie · as James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
Laughing Anne
Movie · as Jem Farrell
Flight Nurse
Movie · as Capt. Bill Eaton
San Antone
Movie · as Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
General Electric Theater
TV · as Frank Marlowe · 1 ep
Hoodlum Empire
Movie · as Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
Bugles in the Afternoon
Movie · as Donavan
Montana Belle
Movie · as Mac
Hurricane Smith
Movie · as Dan McGuire
Flaming Feather
Movie · as Lt. Tom Blaine
Ride the Man Down
Movie · as Sam Danfelser
The Ford Television Theatre
TV · as Red Healey · 1 ep
Crosswinds
Movie · as 'Jumbo' Johnson
The Wild Blue Yonder
Movie · as Maj. Tom West
Warpath
Movie · as Sgt. O'Hara
Oh! Susanna
Movie · as Lt. Col. Unger
Fighting Coast Guard
Movie · as Bill Rourk
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · as Steve MacGregor · 1 ep
The Nevadan
Movie · as Tom Tanner
Sands of Iwo Jima
Movie · as PFC Al J. Thomas
Rock Island Trail
Movie · as Reed Loomis
California Passage
Movie · as Mike Prescott
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as William Patterson, Ken · 1 ep
Robert Montgomery Presents
TV · as Bob Slater · 1 ep
The Big Cat
Movie · as Gil Hawks
Brimstone
Movie · as Sheriff Henry McIntyre
Hellfire
Movie · as Marshall Bucky McLean
The Last Bandit
Movie · as Jim Plummer
Coroner Creek
Movie · as Ernie Combs
The Plunderers
Movie · as Whit Lacey
Two Guys from Texas
Movie · as 'Tex' Bennett
Adventures in Silverado
Movie · as Zeke Butler
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Gunfighters
Movie · as Ben Orcutt
Never Say Goodbye
Movie · as Fenwick Lonkowski
The Yearling
Movie · as Lem Forrester
Renegades
Movie · as Frank Dembrow
The Man Who Dared
Movie · as Larry James
Talk About a Lady
Movie · as Bart Manners
Dangerous Business
Movie · as Clayton Russell
Keeper of the Flame
Movie · as Geoff Midford
My Sister Eileen
Movie · as Sandhog (uncredited)
The Spirit of Stanford
Movie · as Buzz Costello (uncredited)
Submarine Raider
Movie · as Pulaski
Parachute Nurse
Movie · as Lt. Tucker
Shut My Big Mouth
Movie · as Red
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
Movie · as Blond Bomber
Counter-Espionage
Movie · as Anton Schugg
Canal Zone
Movie · as Recruit Madigan
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Movie · as Whipper
Emergency Landing
Movie · as Jerry Barton
Honolulu Lu
Movie · as Barney
New Wine
Movie · as Moritz
The Westerner
Movie · as Wade Harper