This page uses content from the Clint Walker biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (born May 30, 1927 in Hartford, Illinois) is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.

Walker,a strapping young man of 1/4 Cherokee descent; he stood 6' 6" and according to a Time magazine article in its 3-30-59 issue, had measurements of 48-32-36. He left school to join the United States Merchant Marine at the tail end of World War II then worked at odd jobs in California and Las Vegas where he worked as a doorman at the Sands Hotel. In Los Angeles, he was hired by Cecil B. DeMille to appear in The Ten Commandments." A friend in the film business helped get him a few bit parts that brought him to the attention of Warner Bros. who were in the process of developing a western style television series. Walker's good looks and physique landed him an audition and he won the lead role. Billed as "Clint" Walker, he was cast as "Cheyenne Bodie," a cowboy hero set in the post American Civil War era.

Although the series regularly capitalized on Walker's rugged frame with frequent bare-chested scenes, it was well written and acted and proved hugely popular for eight seasons on the ABC television network. Walker then played roles in several big screen films including a trio of modest but satisfying westerns for Gordon Douglas -- "Fort Dobbs" in 1958, "Yellowstone Kelly" in 1959, and "Gold of the Seven Saints" in 1961 -- as well as The Night of the Grizzly in 1966 and, in the following year, the very successful war drama, The Dirty Dozen. During the 1970s he returned to television, starring in a number of made-for-TV western films as well as a short-lived series in 1974 called Kodiak. Approaching the age of sixty, during the ensuing two decades Walker appeared infrequently in minor roles but still maintained a loyal following from his Cheyenne days and is a popular guest star at Western film festivals and the like. When Walker took a break from acting, it was reported that he had purchased a huge cattle ranch in Madagascar. If this was factual or a publicist's invention is not known at this time. He did however, return to small roles in television in the mid 1980's. (see IMDb list of roles).

For his contribution to the television industry, Clint Walker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1501 Vine Street. In 2004, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

External links

• Clint Walker at Brian's Drive-In Theater

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