Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).
Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown, a professional gambler. He spent his early years in Santa Cruz, California. He was of Irish ancestry. At age 13, he stole a revolver, for which he was sent to the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory at Ione, California. He escaped while in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).
He left home at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.
After robbing several jewelry stores, he stole a car and drove it across state lines. This was a federal offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He served his sentence at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. He remained there until he was paroled shortly before his 21st birthday.
Calhoun worked at a number of odd jobs, including as a mechanic, logger in California's redwoods, hard-rock miner in Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisherman, truck driver, crane operator, and forest firefighter.
In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in the Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him to his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to have a screen test at 20th Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944). He had a one-line role in a Laurel and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the name Frank McCown.
He also appeared in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), The Great John L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).
"I liked the money it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go back to forestry with a neat bank roll when these fellows found me out. I never had any feeling I'd make good."
Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by David O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was known for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a contract with Selznick's company Vanguard and his name was soon changed to Rory Calhoun. According to Calhoun, Selznick told him his first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a surname, and he picked Calhoun. (In another account of the story, Selznick named him "Rory" because he helped put out roaring fire blazes when a firefighter and "Calhoun" because it sounded Irish.)
Calhoun was under contract with Selznick's company Vanguard, being used to do screen tests and make public appearances. His first public appearance in the film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The glamorous blonde and her handsome companion attracted the paparazzi, and photos appeared in newspapers and fan magazines.
In 1945, Calhoun returned to prison after punching a detective.
Calhoun did not appear in a film for a year before being lent to producer Sol Lesser for The Red House (1947) with Edward G. Robinson. He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomas second feature studio to play the lead in Adventure Island (1947) with fellow Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.
Calhoun was announced for a film called Jet Pilot with Fleming, Guy Madison, and other Selznick contract players, but it was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.
Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Guy Madison and he were in Massacre River (1949). At Fox, Calhoun played a second lead in Sand (1949)
In February 1949, Selznick did a deal with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, including Calhoun; they took over half his pictures for the rest of his contract with Selznick.[14] He played the villain in Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).
After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred in Thunder in Carolina (1960). He appeared on TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.
Calhoun went to Spain for The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.
) He did The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961) in Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.
He returned to the U.S. to make several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Young and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as other films such as Face in the Rain (1963).
Calhoun was considered for the lead of James West in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Wild West, but the producers were not impressed with his screen test and instead chose Robert Conrad. He returned to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald of Artatama (1969).
Calhoun continued to appear in both television and film throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man From Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).
Calhoun was married three times, once to his first wife and twice to his second wife. He had three daughters with first wife Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she named Betty Grable as one of 79 women with whom he had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half of them". Calhoun settled a paternity suit by actress Vitina Marcus. He had one daughter, Rory, with second wife (m. 1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.
Calhoun died on April 28, 1999, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, of emphysema and diabetes. He was aged 76.
If you want to read more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Calhoun
- SERVES
- 4
- COOK TIME
- 10 Min
This Mexican restaurant favorite is a cinch to make at home. Flank Steak Fajitas are a family-friendly weeknight meal, you'll want to make again and again.
- 1 (1- to 1-1/2-pound) skirt or flank steak
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 scallions (green onions), sliced
- 2 avocados, seeded, peeled and sliced
- sour cream for topping (optional)
- Bottled salsa for topping (optional)
- Partially freeze the steak for easier slicing. Slice steak across the grain into 1/2-inch strips. In a large bowl, mix the lime juice, olive oil, and garlic. Add meat; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally (overnight is best.)
- In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil; fry meat quickly over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from heat.
- Fill each tortilla with about 3/4 cup meat. Divide cheese, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, scallions and avocado slices among the tortillas. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.
1933 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor and evangelist (d. 2007)
