Forrest Tucker
Acting
Born: February 12, 1919 · Plainfield, Indiana, USA
Died: October 25, 1986 (aged 67)
Highest Rated
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
Little House on the Prairie
1974
Columbo
1971
Bonanza
1959
Murder, She Wrote
1984
The Bionic Woman
1976
La Classe américaine
1993
Chisum
1970
The Love Boat
1977
Sands of Iwo Jima
1950
Kojak
1973
The Westerner
1940
Fantasy Island
1978
Photos (2)
Movies (91)
Sands of Iwo Jima
PFC Al J. Thomas
Barquero
Mountain Phil
Chisum
Lawrence Murphy
Flaming Feather
Lt. Tom Blaine
Pony Express
James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
Auntie Mame
Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
The Yearling
Lem Forrester
Montana Belle
Mac
The Nevadan
Tom Tanner
Two Guys from Texas
'Tex' Bennett
Keeper of the Flame
Geoff Midford
Never Say Goodbye
Fenwick Lonkowski
Bugles in the Afternoon
Donavan
Oh! Susanna
Lt. Col. Unger
Gunsmoke in Tucson
John Brazos
The Plunderers
Whit Lacey
Warpath
Sgt. O'Hara
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Wagonmaster Callahan
California Passage
Mike Prescott
Three Violent People
Deputy Commissioner Cable
Fort Massacre
McGurney
Rage at Dawn
Frank Reno
The Abominable Snowman
Tom Friend
Ride the Man Down
Sam Danfelser
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Trim Houlihan
Jubilee Trail
John Ives
Gunfighters
Ben Orcutt
Hoodlum Empire
Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
Hurricane Smith
Dan McGuire
The Westerner
Wade Harper
Crosswinds
'Jumbo' Johnson
Laughing Anne
Jem Farrell
San Antone
Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
Finger Man
Dutch Becker
Renegades
Frank Dembrow
Rock Island Trail
Reed Loomis
Stagecoach To Fury
Frank Townsend
Thunder Run
Charlie Morrison
Cancel My Reservation
Reese
The Wild McCullochs
J. J. McCulloch
Timestalkers
Texas John Cody
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
Carl
Break in the Circle
Baron Keller
The Spirit of Stanford
Buzz Costello (uncredited)
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Whipper
The Wild Blue Yonder
Maj. Tom West
New Wine
Moritz
Canal Zone
Recruit Madigan
The Crawling Eye
Alan Brooks
The Deerslayer
Harry March
Adventures in Silverado
Zeke Butler
Brimstone
Sheriff Henry McIntyre
La Classe américaine
The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
Coroner Creek
Ernie Combs
Counter-Espionage
Anton Schugg
The Man Who Dared
Larry James
Talk About a Lady
Bart Manners
Shut My Big Mouth
Red
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Turkeyneck
Flight Nurse
Capt. Bill Eaton
Footsteps
Bradford Emmons
The Strange World of Planet X
Gil Graham
Honolulu Lu
Barney
Doc
Dr. Jason Fillmore
Hellfire
Marshall Bucky McLean
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Duke
The Quiet Gun
Sheriff Carl Brandon
Parachute Nurse
Lt. Tucker
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
Harry McMartin
Emergency Landing
Jerry Barton
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
Girl in the Woods
Steve Cory
My Sister Eileen
Sandhog (uncredited)
Cat Ballou
Kid Sheleen
The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
Mike Fink
The Vanishing American
Morgan
A Rare Breed
1984
Dangerous Business
Clayton Russell
Counterplot
Brock Miller
A Real American Hero
Carl Pusser
Fighting Coast Guard
Bill Rourk
Night Freight
Mike Peters
Blood Feud
Lyndon B. Johnson
Jarrett
Rev. Vocal Simpson
The Big Cat
Gil Hawks
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
Blond Bomber
Paris Follies of 1956
Dan Bradley
The Last Bandit
Jim Plummer
Trouble in the Glen
Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
Submarine Raider
Pulaski
The Big Moment
Uri
TV Shows (50)
Columbo
Bo Williamson · 1 eps
The Love Boat
Sam Zachary · 1 eps
The Love Boat
Tex · 1 eps
The Love Boat
Tom Preston · 1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
Tom Cassidy · 1 eps
Bonanza
Frank Ryan · 1 eps
Ironside
1 eps
Little House on the Prairie
Jim Tyler · 1 eps
Wagon Train
Rex Montana · 1 eps
The Virginian
Martin Evers · 1 eps
Love, American Style
John · 1 eps
Love, American Style
Horton · 1 eps
Fantasy Island
Jake Gordon · 1 eps
Dr. Kildare
Max Beemis · 1 eps
Climax!
Chips Murphy · 1 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
Bob Slater · 1 eps
Alice
1 eps
Police Woman
O'Malley · 1 eps
Medical Center
Ollie Wayne · 1 eps
Rawhide
Dan Carlock · 1 eps
Daniel Boone
Joe Snag · 2 eps
Kojak
Det. Paul Zachary · 1 eps
Night Gallery
Dr. Ernest Stringfellow · 1 eps
Burke's Law
Cyrus Smuts · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Brad McClain · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Adam Benteen · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
John Charron · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Sergeant Holly · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Sgt. Emmett Holly · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Will Donavan · 1 eps
Matt Houston
Buck Turley · 1 eps
The Ford Television Theatre
Red Healey · 1 eps
The Bionic Woman
1 eps
Alias Smith and Jones
Deputy Harker Wilkins · 1 eps
Ellery Queen
Clint McGraw · 1 eps
F Troop
Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke · 65 eps
Lux Video Theatre
William Patterson · 1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
Ken · 1 eps
Grizzly Adams
Ernie · 1 eps
S.W.A.T.
2 eps
Hondo
1 eps
Channing
Major Don Landon · 1 eps
Once an Eagle
Col. Avery · 7 eps
Flo
1 eps
Filthy Rich
2 eps
Dusty's Trail
Wagonmaster Callahan · 26 eps
The Ghost Busters
15 eps
General Electric Theater
Frank Marlowe · 1 eps
The Rebels
Angus Fletcher · 2 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Steve MacGregor · 1 eps
