Gene Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona, on July 11, 1922, and was
raised in Colton, California. He served in the Army during World War II
as a combat engineer, and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze
Star for bravery in action. He began his acting career there,
performing in a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. After the war, he
went to Hollywood, where he made his film debut in 1947's
Under Colorado Skies (1947).
The rugged, red-headed character actor was a familiar face in such
westerns as
Königin der Berge (1954),
Die Gewaltigen (1967),
Auch ein Sheriff braucht mal Hilfe (1969),
Abgerechnet wird zum Schluss (1970)
and
Pat Garrett jagt Billy the Kid (1973).
He also starred in the war films
Die Hölle von Korea (1951) and
Der letzte Angriff (1951) and
co-starred with future first lady
Nancy Reagan (before she became Nancy
Reagan) in
Donovans Hirn (1953). His other
major films include Park Row - Eine Zeitung für New York (1952),
Das Ungeheuer von Loch Ness (1959),
Unternehmen Petticoat (1959)
and Der Große aus dem Dunkeln (1973). He became
well known in the 1950s on television, playing the father in
Flicka (1955). He
remained active in films and television through the 1980s. Evans
subsequently retired to a farm near Jackson, Tennessee. He was a
popular guest at the Memphis Film Festival for the past decade.
