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Gene Evans (1922-1998)

Gene Evans

Snow Train (Part One), October 19, 1970 Written by Preston Wood, Directed by Gunnar Hellstrom, Guest Cast: Clifton James, Gene Evans, Ken Lynch, Roy Engel, Pamela Dunlap, Richard Lapp, Loretta Swit, Doreen Long, Tim Considine, Richard D. Kelton, John Milford, Dana Elcar, Ron Hayes, Ann Seymour, Eddie Applegate, X Brands

Snow Train (Part Two), October 26, 1970 Written by Preston Wood, Directed by Gunnar Hellstrom, Guest Cast: Clifton James, Gene Evans, Ken Lynch, Roy Engel, Pamela Dunlap, Richard Lapp, Loretta Swit, Doreen Long, Tim Considine, Richard D. Kelton, John Milford, Dana Elcar, Ron Hayes, Ann Seymour, Eddie Applegate, X Brands

Phoenix, September 20, 1971 Written by Anthony Lawrence, Directed by Paul Stanley, Guest Cast: Glenn Corbett, Mariette Hartley, Gene Evans, Ramon Bieri, Frank Corsetino

Tatum, November 13, 1972 Written by Jim Byrnes, Directed by Gunnar Hellstrom, Assistant Director Robert R. Shue, Guest Cast: Gene Evans, Sandra Smith, Sheila Larken, Jay MacIntosh, Jeff Pomerantz, Ana Korita, Ken Tobey, Lloyd Nelson, Neil Summers, Robert Tindall, Duncan Inches

The Iron Blood Of Courage, February 18, 1974 Written by Ron Bishop, Directed by Gunnar Hellstrom; Guest Cast: Eric Braeden, Gene Evans, Lloyd Bochner, Miriam Colon, Mariette Hartley, Patti Cohoon, John Milford, Bing Russell, Robert Karnes, John Baer

Big, burly and red-haired with sharp features, a heavy brow with bushy eyebrows and a gruff voice he was one of filmdom's perennial tough guys. Whether in westerns, war dramas or adventure films he was a tough guy and sometime heavy, but he could be soft and warm-hearted too as in his role as the father on the "My Friend Flicka" TV series. Born Eugene Barton Evans on July 11, 1922 in Holbrook, Arizona and raised in Colton, California where his parents ran a grocery store, he joined a stock theatre right out of high school. He started at the famed Pasadena Playhouse, a mecca for prospective character actors, painting scenery and eased into acting. He also worked at the Penthouse Theatre in Altadena, California where he started as a stagehand. Like many other actors he worked at varied occupations, including: midget auto racer, a carpenter, a bouncer and a dishwasher, between acting jobs. He served in the military as a sergeant in World War II, where he met director Sam Fuller who would later use him in many films throughout his career. His films include: "Under Colorado Skies" (1947) as Red, his film debut; "Larceny" (1947) as Horace; "Storm Warning" (1951) as Ku Klux Klansman; "The Steel Helmet" (1951) as Sgt. Zack; "Fixed Bayonets" (1951) as Sgt. Rock; "The Big Carnival" (1951) as Deputy Sheriff; "Thunderbirds" (1952) as Mike Braggart; "Donovan's Brain" (1953) as Dr. Frank Schratt; "Cattle Queen of Montana" (1954) as Tom McCord; "Hell and High Water" (1954) as Chief Holter; "The Sad Sack" (1957) with Jerry Lewis, as Sgt. Pulley; "Operation Petticoat" (1959) with Cary Grant, as Molumphry; "Nevada Smith" (1966) as Sam Sand; "The War Wagon" (1967) as Hoag; "Walking Tall" (1973) as Sheriff Al Thurman and "The Magic of Lassie" (1978) as Sheriff Andrews, his last theatrical film. He appeared in many made for TV movies including: "The Macahans" (1976); "The Shadow Riders" (1982) and "Once Upon a Texas Train" (1988) his last appearance. He was a regular on "My Friend Flicka" (1956-57) as Rob McLaughlin; "Matt Helm" (1975-76) as Sgt. Hanrahan and "Spencer's Pilots" (1976) as Spencer Parish. He also guest starred on scores of series including: "Gunsmoke"; "Bonanza"; "The Virginian"; "The A-Team" and "Murder She Wrote." He died of natural causes on April 1, 1998 in Jackson, Tennessee at age 75.

Many Biographies are courtesy of GREAT CHARACTER ACTORS