Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/Warner Bros. western series Cheyenne from 1955 to 1963.
Early life
Clint Walker was born in Hartford, Illinois. His mother was Czech. He was a twin. Walker left school to work at a factory and on a riverboat, then joined the United States Merchant Marine at the age of 17.
After leaving the Merchant Marine, he did odd jobs in Brownwood, Texas; Long Beach, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a doorman at the Sands Hotel before reuniting with the Merchant Marine to fight in the Korean War.
Career
Early films
Walker became a client of Henry Willson, who renamed him "Jett Norman".
Cheyenne
Walker's good looks and imposing physique (he stood 6 ft 6 in tall with a 48 in chest and a 32 in waist) helped him land an audition where he won the lead role in the TV series Cheyenne.
Billed as "Clint Walker", he was cast as Cheyenne Bodie, a roaming cowboy hero in the post-American Civil War era. His casting was announced in June 1955.
Cheyenne originally appeared as part of Warner Bros. Presents rotating with adaptations of Kings Row and Casablanca. Cheyenne turned out to be the breakout hit.
While the series regularly capitalized on Walker's rugged frame with frequent bare-chested scenes, it was also well-written and acted. It proved hugely popular for eight seasons. Walker's pleasant baritone singing voice was also occasionally utilized on the series and led Warner Brothers to produce an album of Walker performing traditional songs and ballads.
Early in the series run, Warners announced they would star Walker in a feature, The Story of Sam Houston. It was not made.
In April 1956 Walker said "I don't think I'd want any other roles ... Westerns keep me outdoors and active."
Warners cast Walker in the lead of a Western feature film, Fort Dobbs (1958), directed by Gordon Douglas. Howard Thompson described the actor as "the biggest, finest-looking Western hero ever to sag a horse, with a pair of shoulders rivaling King Kong's".
Box office returns were modest. Warners tried him in another Douglas-directed Western, Yellowstone Kelly (1959), co-starring Edd Byrnes from another Warners TV show, 77 Sunset Strip. It was a minor success.
A number of Cheyenne episodes were cut into feature films and released theatrically in some markets, and a brief clip of Walker galloping on horseback as Bodie was featured in an episode of Maverick starring Jack Kelly. He also guest starred on an episode of 77 Sunset Strip. Warners tried Walker in a third Western feature directed by Douglas, Gold of the Seven Saints (1961), this time co-starring Roger Moore, who was also under contract to Warners.
Personal life and death
Walker had three marriages, each of which lasted approximately twenty years. Walker married Verna Garver in 1948. The marriage produced one daughter, Valerie (born 1950) before ending in divorce in 1968. Valerie became one of the first female airline pilots. Walker was a pesce pollotarian, stating, "we don't eat beef, but we eat chicken and salmon."
Walker supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.
In May 1971, Walker narrowly escaped death in a skiing accident at Mammoth Mountain, California. While following the contours of the twisting, irregular terrain Walker began tumbling out of control before coming to an abrupt, violent stop in which he was pierced through the heart with a ski pole. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. However, a doctor detected faint signs of life and rushed Walker to surgery, where his damaged heart was repaired. Within two months, Walker was working again.
Walker died of congestive heart failure in Grass Valley, California, on May 21, 2018, nine days before his 91st birthday.
If you want to read more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Walker
- SERVES
- 6
- COOK TIME
- 35 Min
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- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
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- 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
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1937 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and director
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