Dennis Weaver was one of television’s best known faces. Having starred in popular series like Gunsmoke, McCloud, and Lonesome Dome: The Series, he truly has made his mark on the world of television. Here are some things you may not have known about Dennis Weaver.

-Dennis Weaver starred in Steven Spielberg’s film debut, 1971’s “Duel”.

-Dennis Weaver appeared in five different episodes of the series “Dragnet” in 1954 and 1955, each time playing a different character.

-Dennis Weaver was a vegetarian from 1958 up until he passed away in 2006.

-In 2004, at the age of 79, Dennis Weaver led a group of vehicles powered by alternative fuel across the entire United States as a way to raise awareness about America’s dependence on foreign oil.

-Dennis Weaver was inducted into the Western Performers Hall-of-Fame at the National Cowboy & Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1981.

With many movie and television credits on his resume, Dennis Weaver will go down as one of TV’s favorite faces. He will especially be remembered for the wide variety of western and outdoors roles he played. Dennis Weaver was truly one of our treasured actors.

He broke into film in 1952, after a brief stage career in New York and some time spent at The Actor’s Studio, through his friendship with fellow actor Shelly Winters. Three years later he got his first signature role as Chester Goode in the incredibly popular Gunsmoke. Weaver’s Goode proved to be one of the more popular characters on the show, but he left Gunsmoke in 1964 to star in his own series “Kentucky Jones”. “Kentucky Jones” didn’t last long and Weaver moved on to continue acting in both movies and television.

After a few years of guest starring on others’ shows and doing movies, Weaver landed a second series of his own. He starred from 1970 to 1977 in the television drama “McCloud”. “McCloud” left him plenty of time to continue off and on in movies as it was a limited production series, only filming 45 episodes in eight years. During this time, one of the movies Weaver starred in was a made for television movie titled “Duel”. “Duel” was Steven Spielberg’s first film.

Following “McCloud”, Weaver went back to his guest starring roles and occasional movies as well, this time throwing in a couple of mini-series roles too. He would appear regularly in three more series, though shortlived. From 1983-1984 he was Rear Admiral Thomas Mallory in “Emerald Point N.A.S.”, in 1987 he was given a starring role in the series “Buck James” that lasted just one season, and then from 1994-1995 he was Buffalo Bill Cody in “Lonesome Dove: The Series”. Weaver died in 2006 at the age of 81 but kept acting right up to near the end, getting credits in such varied shows as “The Simpsons” and “Touched By An Angel”, along with a number television movies.

Some of the notable television shows featuring Dennis Weaver:

Dragnet
The Lone Ranger
Gunsmoke
Kentucky Jones
Dr. Kildare
Combat!
Gentle Ben
Judd For The Defense
The Name of the Game
That Girl
The Virginian
The Flip Wilson Show
McCloud
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
Police Story
Emerald Point, N.A.S.
Magnum P.I.
Buck James
Lonesome Dove: The Series
The Beast
Family Law
The Simpsons
Touched By An Angel
Wildfire

Dennis Weaver made his mark on the acting industry with his performance as the popular Chester Goode in “Gunsmoke”, but he left his mark by being an incredibly talented and versatile actor.

Michael Landon appeared on Bonanza for 14 seasons, Little House On The Prairie for 8 seasons, and then Highway to Heaven for 6 seasons. Highly unusual that with 28 seasons of popular TV shows under his belt he never won an Emmy Award.

Michael Landon was 25 years old when he contributed his first script to Bonanza, six years later at the age of 31 he would direct an episode of the long running western.

Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura Ingalls on Little House On The Prairie) named her son Michael after Michael Landon.

Michael Landon’s given name at birth was: Eugene Maurice Orowitz

Michael Landon had nine children during his three marriages.

Michael Landon will forever be remembered as one of the most loved performers in the world of television. His family friendly roles, writing, and television series’ continue to make him one of the best remembered Hollywood personalities.

Long before Barbara Stanwyck walked proudly through the scenes of The Big Valley as matriarch of the Barkley family Victoria Barkley, she had built a film career that most female actors would be envious of. In fact, though she is still widely known as the matriarch of the Barkley family, Victoria Barkley, she is ranked as the American Film Institutes’ 11th Greatest Female Star of All Time.

Barbara Stanwyck was born Ruby Stevens in 1907 and made her film debut in 1927. She received four Academy Award nominations and won three Emmy Awards during her a career that lasted until 1986. Stanwyck caught the eye of early directors and producers who became big believers in her acting ability. She was also widely known as one of the nicest actresses in all of Hollywood.

Some of Barbara Stanwyck’s most notable films include:
Annie Oakley
Stella Dallas
Union Pacific
Golden Boy
The Lady Eve
Meet John Doe
Double Indemnity
Titanic
Cattle Queen Of Montana (costarring Ronald Reagan)

But, it was The Big Valley which ran from 1965 to 1969 that put Miss Stanwyck in the hearts of TV Western fans for life. Her role as Victoria Barkley cast her as the female version of Lorne Greene’s Ben Cartwright on Bonanza, another western of that era. She excelled greatly at playing the proud female lead in a show set in such a manly world. Though the show itself only lasted five years, it is remembered fondly and she was eventually inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame.

Barbara Stanwyck finished her career with an Emmy winning role in the TV mini series The Thorn Birds followed by playing the matriarch on the 1980s Dynasty spin-off The Colbys for one season before settling into retirement. Miss Stanwyck passed away on January 20th, 1990 due to congestive heart disease.

Cheyenne
Sheriff of Cochise
Tales of Wells Fargo
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
Colt .45
Zane Grey Theater
Wagon Train
Sugarfoot
Have Gun, Will Travel
Jefferson Drum
Gunsmoke
Zorro
Cimarron City
Maverick
The Rifleman
The Restless Gun
The Rebel
Troubleshooters
and of course… Bonanza

When you appear in 19 different TV western series, it would be hard to say you hadn’t made your mark on the genre.

Keep in mind that this is also just looking at Dan Blocker’s acting career… he was also at different times a teacher and rodeo performer.

Dan Blocker, one of the greats.