John Davis Chandler
Known for: Acting
John Davis Chandler (1935–2010) was an American character actor renowned for his distinctive, intense onscreen presence and his prolific career playing villains, outlaws, and shady miscreants. Born in Hinton, West Virginia, and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, he broke into film in 1961 by landing the title role of real-life 1930s gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll in the biopic Mad Dog Coll. That breakout performance cemented his niche as an exceptional on-screen heavy, enabling him to carve out a nearly 40-year career spanning more than a hundred film and television credits. Throughout his career, Chandler became a familiar face in classic Westerns and gritty crime dramas, notably collaborating multiple times with director Sam Peckinpah in films such as Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Mainstream audiences also recognize him for playing the sneering gang leader Bleak in the 1987 action-comedy Adventures in Babysitting, alongside feature work in Capone, Only the Lonely, and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. In addition to his extensive film resume, he was a ubiquitous television guest star, appearing on classic programs ranging from The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Adam-12, and Columbo to Murder, She Wrote. Science fiction fans also remember him for his appearance as the Orion character Flith in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine sixth-season episode "Honor Among Thieves". He passed away on February 16, 2010, at the age of 75 in Toluca Lake, California, due to cancer.
Filmography
Series
Columbo
Eddie Kane
1971
Series
ER
Thornberg
1994
Series
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Flith
1993
Series
Murder, She Wrote
John Detweiler
1984
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Gilbert Stoner
1984
Series
Chicago Hope
Mr. Ray
1994
Series
The Fugitive
Kenny
1963
Series
The Fugitive
Quimby
1963
Series
Adam-12
Wally Barstow
1968
Series
Adam-12
Robin Saydo
1968
Series
Adam-12
Steve Deal
1968
Series
Quincy, M.E.
Robert Gideon
1976
Series
Hill Street Blues
1981
Series
The Virginian
Dog
1962
Series
The Incredible Hulk
1977
Series
The Rifleman
Brooks
1958
Series
Renegade
Captain at Base
1992
Series
T. J. Hooker
Waylon Gilbert
1982
Series
Cannon
1971
Series
Simon & Simon
1981
Series
Hart to Hart
1979
Series
Airwolf
Gentry
1984
Series
Walker, Texas Ranger
Homeless Man
1993
Series
Fantasy Island
Ed Larson
1978
Series
Route 66
Frank Lauderbeck
1960
Series
Police Woman
Nolan
1974
Series
Hunter
Paul Hammond
1984
Series
The Rookies
1972
Series
Run for Your Life
Dr. Walker
1965
Series
Matt Houston
Hank
1982
Series
Matt Houston
Roman Petrovich
1982
Series
The High Chaparral
Kid Curry
1967
Series
Gunsmoke
Rogers
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Willie Tomsen
1955
Series
The Detectives
Starr
1959
Series
Police Story
1973
Series
Judd, for the Defense
1967
Series
Felony Squad
1966
Series
B. J. and the Bear
Marsh
1979
Film
Adventures in Babysitting
Bleak
1987
Series
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
Dick McBride
1963
Film
The Outlaw Josey Wales
First Bounty Hunter
1976
Series
Cassie & Co.
Gillian
1982
Series
Straightaway
1961
Film
Body of Evidence
Dr. Novaro
1993
The Partners
1971
Film
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Norris
1973
Series
Lucan
1977
Series
Spencer's Pilots
1976
Film
Only the Lonely
Duane Earl Tyrone
1991
Empire
Aflen
1962
Film
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
Deuce
1969
Film
Ride the High Country
Jimmy Hammond
1962
Film
Major Dundee
Jimmy Lee Benteen
1965
Film
The Sword and the Sorcerer
Guard 1
1982
Film
Shoot Out
Skeeter (as John Chandler)
1971
Film
Return of the Gunfighter
Sundance
1967
Film
Those Calloways
Ollie Gibbons
1964
Film
Moon of the Wolf
Tom Jr.
1972
Film
Love Among Thieves
San Francisco Desk Clerk
1987
Film
Capone
Hymie Weiss
1975
Film
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
Henry
1994
Film
Crash and Burn
Bud
1990
Film
Walking Tall Part II
Ray Henry
1975
Film
Once a Thief
James Arthur Sargatanas, Walter's Henchman
1965
Film
Barquero
Fair
1970
Film
Mako: The Jaws of Death
Charlie
1976
Film
Triumphs of a Man Called Horse
Mason
1983
Film
The Young Savages
Arthur Reardon
1961
Film
Mad Dog Coll
Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll
1961
Film
The Shadow of Chikara
Rafe
1977
Film
Inside Out 2
1992
Film
Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy
Dr. Cheech
1976
Film
Ricochet
Kelso
1961
Film
Sharon's Secret
Stan
1995
Film
O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
Al Garver, the Henchman
1971
Film
Confessions of the D.A. Man
Robin Saydo (as John Chandler)
1978
Film
The Ultimate Thrill
Evans
1974
Film
The Little Dragons
Carl
1980
Film
Doc Hooker's Bunch
Roy
1978
Film
They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefé
Himself
2016
Film
The Desperate Miles
Truck Driver
1975
Film
Chase
Thomas L. Traylor
1973
Film
Double Revenge
Big Charlie
1988
Film
Scorchy
Nicky
1976
Film
Whiskey Mountain
Rudy
1977
Film
Hitched
Jannis
1973
Film
The Hooked Generation
Acid
1968
Film
Drag Racer
Dave
1972