Forrest Tucker
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
TV Shows(45)
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
1994
Murder, She Wrote
Tom Cassidy
1984
Matt Houston
Buck Turley
1982
Filthy Rich
1982
Flo
1980
The Rebels
Angus Fletcher
1979
The Love Boat
Sam Zachary
1977
Grizzly Adams
Ernie
1977
Once an Eagle
Col. Avery
1976
Alice
1976
The Bionic Woman
1976
Ellery Queen
Clint McGraw
1975
The Ghost Busters
1975
S.W.A.T.
1975
Police Woman
O'Malley
1974
Little House on the Prairie
Jim Tyler
1974
Kojak
Det. Paul Zachary
1973
Dusty's Trail
Wagonmaster Callahan
1973
Columbo
Bo Williamson
1971
Alias Smith and Jones
Deputy Harker Wilkins
1971
Night Gallery
Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
1970
Love, American Style
John
1969
Medical Center
Ollie Wayne
1969
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited)
1968
Hondo
1967
Ironside
1967
F Troop
Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
1965
Daniel Boone
Joe Snag
1964
Burke's Law
Cyrus Smuts
1963
Channing
Major Don Landon
1963
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
The Virginian
Martin Evers
1962
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Dr. Kildare
Max Beemis
1961
Bonanza
Frank Ryan
1959
Rawhide
Dan Carlock
1959
Wagon Train
Rex Montana
1957
Gunsmoke
Brad McClain
1955
Climax!
Chips Murphy
1954
General Electric Theater
Frank Marlowe
1953
The Ford Television Theatre
Red Healey
1952
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Steve MacGregor
1951
Lux Video Theatre
William Patterson
1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
Bob Slater
1950
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Movies(93)
La Classe américaine
The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
1993
Outtakes
Himself
1987
Timestalkers
Texas John Cody
1987
Thunder Run
Charlie Morrison
1985
Rare Breed
1984
Ringstealer
Narrator
1984
Blood Feud
Lyndon B. Johnson
1983
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Duke
1981
A Real American Hero
Carl Pusser
1978
The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
Mike Fink
1977
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
Carl
1977
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Wagonmaster Callahan
1976
The Wild McCullochs
J. J. McCulloch
1975
Jarrett
Rev. Vocal Simpson
1973
Footsteps
Bradford Emmons
1972
Cancel My Reservation
Reese
1972
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
Harry McMartin
1972
Cat Ballou
Kid Sheleen
1971
Barquero
Mountain Phil
1970
Chisum
Lawrence Murphy
1970
Doc
Dr. Jason Fillmore
1969
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Trim Houlihan
1968
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Turkeyneck
1967
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
1966
Counterplot
Brock Miller
1959
Gunsmoke in Tucson
John Brazos
1958
Auntie Mame
Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
1958
The Crawling Eye
Alan Brooks
1958
Girl in the Woods
Steve Cory
1958
Fort Massacre
McGurney
1958
The Strange World of Planet X
Gil Graham
1958
The Deerslayer
Harry March
1957
The Abominable Snowman
Tom Friend
1957
The Quiet Gun
Sheriff Carl Brandon
1957
Stagecoach To Fury
Frank Townsend
1956
Three Violent People
Deputy Commissioner Cable
1956
Paris Follies of 1956
Dan Bradley
1955
The Vanishing American
Morgan
1955
Night Freight
Mike Peters
1955
Finger Man
Dutch Becker
1955
Rage at Dawn
Frank Reno
1955
Break in the Circle
Baron Keller
1955
Trouble in the Glen
Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
1954
Jubilee Trail
John Ives
1954
The Big Moment
Uri
1954
Flight Nurse
Capt. Bill Eaton
1953
Laughing Anne
Jem Farrell
1953
Pony Express
James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
1953
San Antone
Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
1953
Ride the Man Down
Sam Danfelser
1952
Montana Belle
Mac
1952
Hurricane Smith
Dan McGuire
1952
Hoodlum Empire
Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
1952
Bugles in the Afternoon
Donavan
1952
Flaming Feather
Lt. Tom Blaine
1952
The Wild Blue Yonder
Maj. Tom West
1951
Warpath
Sgt. O'Hara
1951
Crosswinds
'Jumbo' Johnson
1951
Fighting Coast Guard
Bill Rourk
1951
Oh! Susanna
Lt. Col. Unger
1951
California Passage
Mike Prescott
1950
Rock Island Trail
Reed Loomis
1950
The Nevadan
Tom Tanner
1950
Sands of Iwo Jima
PFC Al J. Thomas
1950
Brimstone
Sheriff Henry McIntyre
1949
Hellfire
Marshall Bucky McLean
1949
The Big Cat
Gil Hawks
1949
The Last Bandit
Jim Plummer
1949
The Plunderers
Whit Lacey
1948
Two Guys from Texas
'Tex' Bennett
1948
Coroner Creek
Ernie Combs
1948
Adventures in Silverado
Zeke Butler
1948
Gunfighters
Ben Orcutt
1947
The Yearling
Lem Forrester
1946
Never Say Goodbye
Fenwick Lonkowski
1946
Dangerous Business
Clayton Russell
1946
Renegades
Frank Dembrow
1946
The Man Who Dared
Larry James
1946
Talk About a Lady
Bart Manners
1946
Keeper of the Flame
Geoff Midford
1943
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Whipper
1942
The Spirit of Stanford
Buzz Costello (uncredited)
1942
My Sister Eileen
Sandhog (uncredited)
1942
Counter-Espionage
Anton Schugg
1942
Parachute Nurse
Lt. Tucker
1942
Submarine Raider
Pulaski
1942
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
Blond Bomber
1942
Canal Zone
Recruit Madigan
1942
Shut My Big Mouth
Red
1942
Honolulu Lu
Barney
1941
New Wine
Moritz
1941
Emergency Landing
Jerry Barton
1941
The Westerner
Wade Harper
1940