Forrest Tucker Biography

After leaving George Washington University, Forrest Tucker made his stage bow in Burlesque. He spent two years in the Army, then returned to performing. After appearing in his first film, 1940's The Westerner, Tucker signed with Columbia, then spent another two year hitch in uniform. Most of his postwar films cast Tucker as a bully or outlaw, but his roles took a heroic turn after a good supporting part in Republic's Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). After several years as Republic's answer to Gary Cooper, Tucker began appearing in TV and on stage (he starred in the Broadway production Fair Game for Lovers), developing a solid after-hours reputation as a champion golfer. Among Tucker's starring TV series were F Troop (1965-66), Dusty's Trail (1973) and Ghost Busters (1975). In his last years, Tucker fell victim to a serious liquor problem, which frequently resulted in bizarre, detached performances on stage and on the set. However, he never let his public down when starring on the straw-hat circuit in his favorite role -- Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi