Rory Calhoun was born Francis Timothy McCown in Los Angeles, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd McCown. Rory starred in
over 80 films and 1,000 television episodes. Before becoming an actor
he worked as a boxer, a lumberjack, a truck driver and a cowpuncher.
Tall and handsome, he benefited from a screen test at 20th Century-Fox,
arranged for him by Sue Carol, a Hollywood agent and the wife of actor
Alan Ladd, who is said to have spotted Calhoun while he was riding a
horse in a Los Angeles park. He debuted on screen in Something for the Boys (1944), with
Carmen Miranda, billed as "Frank McCown". David O. Selznick changed his name to Rory
Calhoun, and after playing small parts for a while, he graduated to
starring in western films, including Fluß ohne Wiederkehr (1954) with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum.
Calhoun's better-known pictures include Wie angelt man sich einen Millionär (1953) with Lauren Bacall, Monroe
and Betty Grable, and Mit einem Lied im Herzen (1952) with Susan Hayward.
From 1959 to 1960 he starred in the CBS television series Der Mann aus Texas (1958). More
than two decades later he returned to CBS for five years as Judge
Judson Tyler on the daytime serial Capitol (1982). His final appearance, 70
years old but handsome as ever, was as Ernest Tucker in Pure Country (1992).
Calhoun has two stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame: one for motion
pictures, and one for television.
