Forrest Tucker
Known for: Acting
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
Filmography
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Columbo
Bo Williamson
1971
Series
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
Series
Bonanza
Frank Ryan
1959
Series
The Love Boat
Sam Zachary
1977
Series
The Love Boat
Tex
1977
Series
The Love Boat
Tom Preston
1977
Series
Ironside
1967
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Tom Cassidy
1984
Series
Wagon Train
Rex Montana
1957
Series
Little House on the Prairie
Jim Tyler
1974
Series
Love, American Style
John
1969
Series
Love, American Style
Horton
1969
Series
Climax!
Chips Murphy
1954
Series
Dr. Kildare
Max Beemis
1961
Series
Robert Montgomery Presents
Bob Slater
1950
Series
The Virginian
Martin Evers
1962
Series
Alice
1976
Series
Daniel Boone
Joe Snag
1964
Series
Rawhide
Dan Carlock
1959
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
Burke's Law
Cyrus Smuts
1963
Series
Fantasy Island
Jake Gordon
1978
Series
Police Woman
O'Malley
1974
Series
Night Gallery
Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
1970
Series
Medical Center
Ollie Wayne
1969
Series
Gunsmoke
Brad McClain
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Adam Benteen
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
John Charron
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Sergeant Holly
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Sgt. Emmett Holly
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Will Donavan
1955
Series
Kojak
Det. Paul Zachary
1973
Series
Matt Houston
Buck Turley
1982
Series
The Bionic Woman
1976
Series
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited)
1968
Series
The Ford Television Theatre
Red Healey
1952
Series
Alias Smith and Jones
Deputy Harker Wilkins
1971
Series
Ellery Queen
Clint McGraw
1975
Lux Video Theatre
William Patterson
1950
Lux Video Theatre
Ken
1950
Series
F Troop
Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
1965
Series
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
1994
Series
Grizzly Adams
Ernie
1977
Series
S.W.A.T.
1975
Series
Hondo
1967
Film
Chisum
Lawrence Murphy
1970
Series
Filthy Rich
1982
Series
Once an Eagle
Col. Avery
1976
Series
Channing
Major Don Landon
1963
Series
Flo
1980
Series
General Electric Theater
Frank Marlowe
1953
Series
Dusty's Trail
Wagonmaster Callahan
1973
Series
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Steve MacGregor
1951
Series
The Rebels
Angus Fletcher
1979
Film
Sands of Iwo Jima
PFC Al J. Thomas
1950
Series
The Ghost Busters
1975
Film
Auntie Mame
Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
1958
Film
Keeper of the Flame
Geoff Midford
1943
Film
The Yearling
Lem Forrester
1946
Film
The Abominable Snowman
Tom Friend
1957
Film
The Westerner
Wade Harper
1940
Film
Pony Express
James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
1953
Film
Three Violent People
Deputy Commissioner Cable
1956
Film
The Crawling Eye
Alan Brooks
1958
Film
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Trim Houlihan
1968
Film
Barquero
Mountain Phil
1970
Film
La Classe américaine
The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
1993
Film
Gunfighters
Ben Orcutt
1947
Film
Canal Zone
Recruit Madigan
1942
Film
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
Carl
1977
Film
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Wagonmaster Callahan
1976
Film
Flaming Feather
Lt. Tom Blaine
1952
Film
Bugles in the Afternoon
Donavan
1952
Film
Warpath
Sgt. O'Hara
1951
Film
Doc
Dr. Jason Fillmore
1969
Film
Talk About a Lady
Bart Manners
1946
Film
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
Harry McMartin
1972
Film
The Spirit of Stanford
Buzz Costello (uncredited)
1942
Film
Oh! Susanna
Lt. Col. Unger
1951
Film
Rock Island Trail
Reed Loomis
1950
Film
Two Guys from Texas
'Tex' Bennett
1948
Film
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Whipper
1942
Film
Timestalkers
Texas John Cody
1987
Film
Never Say Goodbye
Fenwick Lonkowski
1946
Film
Girl in the Woods
Steve Cory
1958
Film
The Strange World of Planet X
Gil Graham
1958
Film
Brimstone
Sheriff Henry McIntyre
1949
Film
The Deerslayer
Harry March
1957
Film
California Passage
Mike Prescott
1950
Film
Rage at Dawn
Frank Reno
1955
Film
A Real American Hero
Carl Pusser
1978
Film
The Wild Blue Yonder
Maj. Tom West
1951
Film
The Nevadan
Tom Tanner
1950
Film
Fighting Coast Guard
Bill Rourk
1951
Film
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
1966
Film
The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
Mike Fink
1977
Film
Shut My Big Mouth
Red
1942
Film
Trouble in the Glen
Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
1954
Film
Ride the Man Down
Sam Danfelser
1952
Film
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Duke
1981
Film
My Sister Eileen
Sandhog (uncredited)
1942
Film
Thunder Run
Charlie Morrison
1985
Film
Fort Massacre
McGurney
1958
Film
A Rare Breed
1984
Film
Gunsmoke in Tucson
John Brazos
1958
Film
The Man Who Dared
Larry James
1946
Film
Outtakes
Himself
1987
Film
Break in the Circle
Baron Keller
1955
Film
Jubilee Trail
John Ives
1954
Film
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Turkeyneck
1967
Film
Hurricane Smith
Dan McGuire
1952
Film
The Vanishing American
Morgan
1955
Film
Coroner Creek
Ernie Combs
1948
Film
Footsteps
Bradford Emmons
1972
Film
Hoodlum Empire
Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
1952
Film
Montana Belle
Mac
1952
Film
Cancel My Reservation
Reese
1972
Film
Paris Follies of 1956
Dan Bradley
1955
Film
The Plunderers
Whit Lacey
1948
Film
The Wild McCullochs
J. J. McCulloch
1975
Film
Renegades
Frank Dembrow
1946
Film
Hellfire
Marshall Bucky McLean
1949
Film
The Quiet Gun
Sheriff Carl Brandon
1957
Film
Adventures in Silverado
Zeke Butler
1948
Film
Jarrett
Rev. Vocal Simpson
1973
Film
Stagecoach To Fury
Frank Townsend
1956
Film
New Wine
Moritz
1941
Film
The Big Cat
Gil Hawks
1949
Film
Counter-Espionage
Anton Schugg
1942
Film
San Antone
Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
1953
Film
Crosswinds
'Jumbo' Johnson
1951
Film
Dangerous Business
Clayton Russell
1946
Film
Flight Nurse
Capt. Bill Eaton
1953
Film
Blood Feud
Lyndon B. Johnson
1983
Film
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
Blond Bomber
1942
Film
Night Freight
Mike Peters
1955
Film
Laughing Anne
Jem Farrell
1953
Film
Parachute Nurse
Lt. Tucker
1942
Film
The Big Moment
Uri
1954
Film
Finger Man
Dutch Becker
1955
Film
Cat Ballou
Kid Sheleen
1971
Film
Honolulu Lu
Barney
1941
Film
Submarine Raider
Pulaski
1942
Film
The Last Bandit
Jim Plummer
1949
Film
Counterplot
Brock Miller
1959
Film
Emergency Landing
Jerry Barton
1941
Ringstealer
Narrator
1984