Rory Calhoun

Rory was married twice - first with Lita Baron with whom he had three daughters, and second with journalist Sue Rhodes with whom he had one daughter.

At the time of divorce, he was accused by his first wife, Lita Baron, that he had committed adultery with more than 70 women, including Betty Grable.

Rory died at 76 in Burbank, California on April 28, 1999. He died as a result of complications from emphysema and diabetes.

Rory was born Francis Timothy McCown in Los Angeles, California, on 8 August, 1922. He was born to an Irish gambler, James McCown and Elizabeth Cuthbert.

Rory spent his early childhood in Santa Cruz, California. His father died within ten months of his birth, and his mother remarried after that.

He used the last name of his step-father, and came to known as Frank Durgin. His childhood was a troubled one, and as a result, he indulged into robbery, stealing and other such activities.

At the age of 13, he stole a revolver, and was sent to ‘Preston School of Industry’ reformatory, California. He escaped from this adjustment centre.

At the age of 17, he ran away from home to escape his step-father’s torture and beating, and started hot-wiring cars with occasional stealing and robbing jewellery stores and cars. He was also sent to the prison for three years, after he stole a car and drove it around the state.

Sue Carol, a Hollywood agent, got Rory a screen test at the ‘20th Century-Fox’. He got really small roles in ‘Something for the Boys’ (1944), ‘Sunday Dinner for Soldiers’ (1944), ‘Laurel and Hardy’, until he got his first credited role (as Frank McCown) in ‘The Bullfighters (1945).

He was later signed by David O. Selznick’s employee, Henry Wilson, in Selznick’s company, his name to ‘Rory Calhoun’. However, in 1945, he was sent back to prison for hitting a detective.

In 1947, he had his first notable role in ‘The Red House’. He worked in two more movies, namely ‘Adventure Island’ and ‘That Hagen Girl’ in the same year.

In 1948, he worked in ‘Miraculous Journey’ which became a major hit. In 1949, he did two movies, ‘Massacre River’ and ‘Sand’.

He appeared in a negative role for the first time in ‘Return of Frontiersman’ (1950). He played the lead in ‘Country Fair’ in the same year.

He made his television debut in ‘The Texan’ in 1958. Around this time, Rory had also started screenwriting and production.

In 1959, he appeared in an episode of CBS show ‘December Bride’. The episode was named ‘Rory Calhoun the Texan’.

In 1960s, he appeared in several shows like ‘Death Valley Days’ (1963), ‘Bonanza’ (1964), ‘Gunsmoke’ (1965), ‘I Spy’ (1966), ‘Gilligan’s Island’ (1967), ‘Custer’ (1969), ‘Lancer’ (1971) etc.

From 1970 to 1980, he became a part of TV shows like ‘The Doris Day Show’ (1972), ‘Owen Marshall: Counsellor at Law’ (1972), ‘Hec Ramsey’ (1973), ‘Police Story’ (1973), ‘Movin’ On’ (1975), ‘Starsky and Hutch’ (1975), ‘Fantasy Land’ (1978) etc. In the 80s, he appeared in ‘The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo’ (1981), ‘Hart to Hart’ (1982), ‘The Blue and the Gray’ (1985), ‘Family Feud’ (1985), ‘The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ (1988) and many other shows.

In 1982, he became a regular on the American soap opera ‘Capitol’ and remained in the show until it ended in 1987. His last show appearance came in ‘Tales from the Crypt’ in 1993.