Dennis Weaver
Encyclopedia
William Dennis Weaver was an American actor, best known for his work in television
, including roles on Gunsmoke
, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC
police
drama
McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel.
, son of Walter Weaver and his wife Lena Prather. His father was of Irish, Scottish, English, Cherokee
and Osage
ancestry. Weaver wanted to be an actor from childhood. He studied at Joplin Junior College, now Missouri Southern State University
and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma
at Norman
, where he studied drama
and was a track
star, setting records in several events. During World War II
he served as a pilot in the United States Navy
. At the war's end, married Gerry Stowell, by whom he had three children - Richard, Robert and Rustin Weaver. He tried out for the U.S. Olympic
team in the decathlon
. He finished sixth and only the top three were chosen for the team. Weaver later said, "I did so poorly [in the Olympic Trials], I decided [to]... stay in New York and try acting."
came as an understudy
to Lonny Chapman as Turk Fisher in Come Back, Little Sheba
. He eventually took over the role from Chapman in the national touring company. Solidifying his choice to become an actor, Weaver enrolled in The Actors Studio, where he met Shelley Winters
. In the beginning of his acting career, he supported his family by doing a number of odd jobs, including selling vacuum cleaner
s, tricycle
s and women's hosiery
.
In 1952, Winters aided him in getting a contract from Universal Studios
. He made his film debut that same year in the movie The Redhead from Wyoming
. Over the next three years, he played roles in a series of movies, but still had to work odd jobs to support his family. It was while delivering flowers that he heard he had landed his biggest break — the role of Chester Goode on the new television series Gunsmoke
— which would go on to become the highest-rated and longest-running series in US television history (1955 to 1975). He received an Emmy Award
in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
.
Having become famous as Chester, he was cast in an offbeat supporting role in the 1958 Orson Welles
film Touch of Evil
, in which he nervously repeated, "I'm the night man." In 1961 he did an episode of The Twilight Zone
called "Shadow Play" where he was trapped inside his own dream.
From 1964 to 1965, he portrayed a friendly veterinarian
in NBC's comedy-drama Kentucky Jones
. His next substantial role was as Tom Wedloe on the CBS series Gentle Ben
, with co-star Clint Howard
, between 1967 and 1969.
He began appearing on the series McCloud in 1970, for which he received two Emmy Award
nominations. In 1974, he was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series and in 1975, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. His frequent use of the affirming Southernism, "There you go," became a catchphrase for the show. During the series, in 1971, he appeared in Duel, a television movie directed by Steven Spielberg
. From 1973 to 1975, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild
.
Later series during the 1980s (both of which lasted only one season) were Stone in which Weaver played a Joseph Wambaugh-esque police sergeant turned crime novelist, and Buck James, in which he played a Texas-based surgeon and rancher (Buck James was loosely based on real-life Texas doctor Red Duke).
In 1978, Weaver played the trail boss R.J. Poteet in the television miniseries
Centennial
on the episode titled "The Longhorns." Weaver also appeared in many acclaimed television films. In 1980, he played Dr. Samuel Mudd
, who was imprisoned for involvement in the Lincoln
assassination
, in The Ordeal Of Doctor Mudd. Also in 1980 he starred with his real life son Robby Weaver in the short lived NBC
police series Stone
. In 1983, he played a real estate
agent addicted to cocaine
in Cocaine: One Man's Seduction. Weaver received probably the best reviews of his career when he starred in the 1987 film Bluffing It, in which he played a man who is illiterate. In February 2002, he appeared on the animated series The Simpsons
(episode DABF07, "The Lastest Gun in the West
") as the voice of aging Hollywood cowboy
legend Buck McCoy.
For his contribution to the television industry, Dennis Weaver was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6822 Hollywood Blvd, and on the Dodge City (KS) Trail of Fame. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame with the Wrangler Award at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
.
In the 1980s and 90s Dennis Weaver as McCloud
was used to promote a rock show in NYC.
Weaver's last work was done on an ABC Family cable television show called Wildfire
, where he played Henry, the father of Jean Ritter and the co-owner of Raintree Ranch. His role on the show was cut short due to his death.
's WindStar Foundation. He founded an organization called L.I.F.E. (Love is Feeding Everyone) which provided food for 150,000 needy people a week in Los Angeles.
Weaver was active in liberal political causes. He used his celebrity status in instrumental roles as a fundraiser and organizer for George McGovern
's campaign for president in 1972
.
In July 2003, Weaver lost a daughter-in-law, Lynne Ann Weaver (who was married to his son, Robby Weaver), in Santa Monica, California, when a car, being driven at high speed by an elderly driver, plowed through shoppers at an outdoor bazaar that was being held on a closed off section of the street. Ten people were killed.
In 2004, he led a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles across America in order to raise awareness about America's dependence on oil.
The “Earth Ship
,” the personal home he commissioned architect Michael Reynolds
to design and build in Ridgway, Colorado
during the late 1980s, incorporated recycled materials in its construction and featured advanced eco-technologies.
Weaver was consistently involved with the annual Genesis Awards
, which were created by The Ark Trust to honor those in the media who bring attention to the plight and suffering of animals.
Weaver died of complications of cancer at his home in Ridgway, Colorado on February 24, 2006.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, including roles on Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel.
Early life
Weaver was born in Joplin, MissouriJoplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
, son of Walter Weaver and his wife Lena Prather. His father was of Irish, Scottish, English, Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
ancestry. Weaver wanted to be an actor from childhood. He studied at Joplin Junior College, now Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...
and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
at Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
, where he studied drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and was a track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
star, setting records in several events. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as a pilot in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. At the war's end, married Gerry Stowell, by whom he had three children - Richard, Robert and Rustin Weaver. He tried out for the U.S. Olympic
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
team in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. He finished sixth and only the top three were chosen for the team. Weaver later said, "I did so poorly [in the Olympic Trials], I decided [to]... stay in New York and try acting."
Career
Weaver's first role on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
came as an understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
to Lonny Chapman as Turk Fisher in Come Back, Little Sheba
Come Back, Little Sheba (play)
Come Back, Little Sheba is a 1950 play by the American dramatist William Inge. The play was Inge's first, written while he was a teacher at Washington University in St...
. He eventually took over the role from Chapman in the national touring company. Solidifying his choice to become an actor, Weaver enrolled in The Actors Studio, where he met Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
. In the beginning of his acting career, he supported his family by doing a number of odd jobs, including selling vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
s, tricycle
Tricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
s and women's hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
.
In 1952, Winters aided him in getting a contract from Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He made his film debut that same year in the movie The Redhead from Wyoming
The Redhead from Wyoming
The Redhead from Wyoming is a 1953 American western drama film produced by Leonard Goldstein and directed by Lee Sholem. It stars Maureen O'Hara as a saloon proprietress who becomes embroiled in a cattle war and Alex Nicol as the sheriff who tries to prevent it...
. Over the next three years, he played roles in a series of movies, but still had to work odd jobs to support his family. It was while delivering flowers that he heard he had landed his biggest break — the role of Chester Goode on the new television series Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
— which would go on to become the highest-rated and longest-running series in US television history (1955 to 1975). He received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series
This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.-1960s:*1960: no award*1961: Roddy McDowall – Not Without Honor*1962: no award*1963: no award...
.
Having become famous as Chester, he was cast in an offbeat supporting role in the 1958 Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
film Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
, in which he nervously repeated, "I'm the night man." In 1961 he did an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
called "Shadow Play" where he was trapped inside his own dream.
From 1964 to 1965, he portrayed a friendly veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
in NBC's comedy-drama Kentucky Jones
Kentucky Jones
Kentucky Jones is a half-hour comedy/drama starring Dennis Weaver as Kenneth Yarborough "K.Y. or Kentucky" Jones, D.V.M., a recently widowed former horse trainer and active rancher, who becomes the guardian of Dwight Eisenhower "Ike" "Wong, a 10-year-old Chinese orphan, played by Ricky Der...
. His next substantial role was as Tom Wedloe on the CBS series Gentle Ben
Gentle Ben
Gentle Ben is a children's novel by author Walt Morey, first published in 1965. The book concerns the friendship between the title character, a bear, and a young boy named Mark...
, with co-star Clint Howard
Clint Howard
Clinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
, between 1967 and 1969.
He began appearing on the series McCloud in 1970, for which he received two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations. In 1974, he was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series and in 1975, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. His frequent use of the affirming Southernism, "There you go," became a catchphrase for the show. During the series, in 1971, he appeared in Duel, a television movie directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. From 1973 to 1975, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
.
Later series during the 1980s (both of which lasted only one season) were Stone in which Weaver played a Joseph Wambaugh-esque police sergeant turned crime novelist, and Buck James, in which he played a Texas-based surgeon and rancher (Buck James was loosely based on real-life Texas doctor Red Duke).
In 1978, Weaver played the trail boss R.J. Poteet in the television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Centennial
Centennial (miniseries)
Centennial is a 12-episode American television miniseriesthat aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. It was based on the novel of the same name by James A. Michener. The miniseries was produced by John Wilder....
on the episode titled "The Longhorns." Weaver also appeared in many acclaimed television films. In 1980, he played Dr. Samuel Mudd
Samuel Mudd
Samuel Alexander Mudd I, M.D. was an American physician who was convicted and imprisoned for aiding and conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released from prison in 1869...
, who was imprisoned for involvement in the Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, in The Ordeal Of Doctor Mudd. Also in 1980 he starred with his real life son Robby Weaver in the short lived NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
police series Stone
STONe
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
. In 1983, he played a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent addicted to cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in Cocaine: One Man's Seduction. Weaver received probably the best reviews of his career when he starred in the 1987 film Bluffing It, in which he played a man who is illiterate. In February 2002, he appeared on the animated series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(episode DABF07, "The Lastest Gun in the West
The Lastest Gun in the West
"The Lastest Gun in the West" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network on February 24, 2002. In the episode, Bart, after being chased by a vicious dog, runs into a retired Western star named Buck McCoy, who soon becomes Bart's idol...
") as the voice of aging Hollywood cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
legend Buck McCoy.
For his contribution to the television industry, Dennis Weaver was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6822 Hollywood Blvd, and on the Dodge City (KS) Trail of Fame. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame with the Wrangler Award at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
.
In the 1980s and 90s Dennis Weaver as McCloud
McCloud
McCloud is an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1977. The title role was played by Dennis Weaver as Marshal Sam McCloud, a law officer from Taos, New Mexico on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.-History:The first choice for...
was used to promote a rock show in NYC.
Weaver's last work was done on an ABC Family cable television show called Wildfire
Wildfire (TV series)
Wildfire is a US television series that aired on ABC Family, which was produced by Lions Gate Television, Piller2 and The Segan Company . The show premiered June 20, 2005; its fourth and final season ended May 16, 2008 due to low ratings...
, where he played Henry, the father of Jean Ritter and the co-owner of Raintree Ranch. His role on the show was cut short due to his death.
Personal life
Weaver had been a vegetarian since 1958 and student of yoga and meditation since the 1960s and a devoted follower of Paramahansa Yogananda the great Indian guru who established the Self Realization Fellowship in the United States. He was also renowned as an environmentalist, promoting eating lower on the food chain, alternate fuels such as hydrogen and wind power through an educational organization he founded, The Institute of Ecolonomics (a neologism formed by combining "ecology" and "economics"). He was also involved with John DenverJohn Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's WindStar Foundation. He founded an organization called L.I.F.E. (Love is Feeding Everyone) which provided food for 150,000 needy people a week in Los Angeles.
Weaver was active in liberal political causes. He used his celebrity status in instrumental roles as a fundraiser and organizer for George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's campaign for president in 1972
George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972
George McGovern, a United States Senator from South Dakota, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 1972 presidential election.-Leading up to the announcement:...
.
In July 2003, Weaver lost a daughter-in-law, Lynne Ann Weaver (who was married to his son, Robby Weaver), in Santa Monica, California, when a car, being driven at high speed by an elderly driver, plowed through shoppers at an outdoor bazaar that was being held on a closed off section of the street. Ten people were killed.
In 2004, he led a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles across America in order to raise awareness about America's dependence on oil.
The “Earth Ship
Earthship
An earthship is a type of passive solar house made of natural and recycled materials. Designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico, the homes are primarily constructed to work as autonomous buildings and are generally made of earth-filled tires, using thermal mass...
,” the personal home he commissioned architect Michael Reynolds
Mike Reynolds (architect)
Michael E. "Mike" Reynolds is an American architect based in New Mexico and a proponent of "radically sustainable living". He has been a critic of the profession of architecture for its failure to deal with the amount of waste that building design creates....
to design and build in Ridgway, Colorado
Ridgway, Colorado
The Town of Ridgway, coined Gateway to the San Juans, is a Home Rule Municipality in Ouray County, in the southwestern portion of the U.S. State of Colorado. The town is a former railroad stop on the Uncompaghre River in the northern San Juan Mountains...
during the late 1980s, incorporated recycled materials in its construction and featured advanced eco-technologies.
Weaver was consistently involved with the annual Genesis Awards
Genesis Awards
The Genesis Awards are awarded annually to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by The Humane Society of the United States, the awards show takes place every March in California...
, which were created by The Ark Trust to honor those in the media who bring attention to the plight and suffering of animals.
There will come a time … when civilized people will look back in horror on our generation and the ones that preceded it: the idea that we should eat other living things running around on four legs, that we should raise them just for the purpose of killing them! The people of the future will say “meat-eaters!” in disgust and regard us in the same way we regard cannibals and cannibalism – Dennis Weaver
Weaver died of complications of cancer at his home in Ridgway, Colorado on February 24, 2006.
Selected filmography
- The Lawless BreedThe Lawless BreedThe Lawless Breed is a 1953 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson. The film is based on the life of outlaw John Wesley Hardin.-Plot synopsis:...
(1953) - War ArrowWar ArrowWar Arrow is a 1953 western film directed by George Sherman and starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara.-Plot synopsis:Major Howell Brady , a cavalry officer, is sent to Fort Clark, Texas, to subdue a Kiowa uprising that has been raiding villages on Seminole reservations...
(1953) - Dangerous MissionDangerous MissionDangerous Mission is a 1954 American dramatic color film noir thriller starring Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, Vincent Price and William Bendix. The movie was produced by Irwin Allen, directed by Louis King and released by RKO Pictures...
(1954) - Dragnet (1954)
- Ten Wanted Men (1955)
- Seven Angry Men (1955)
- Chief Crazy HorseChief Crazy Horse (1955 film)Chief Crazy Horse is a 1955 western film released by Universal Pictures and directed by George Sherman, starring Victor Mature. The film is a fictionalized biography of the Lakota Sioux Chief Crazy Horse that, unusually for the time, portrays the Native American Indians in a more sympathetic...
(1955) - Navy WifeNavy WifeNavy Wife is a 1956 comedy film directed by Edward Bernds , and starring Joan Bennett, Gary Merrill, Shirley Yamaguchi...
(1956) - Touch of EvilTouch of EvilTouch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
(1958) - The Gallant HoursThe Gallant HoursThe Gallant Hours is a 1960 American biopic docu-drama about Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey and his efforts in fighting against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the forces of Imperial Japan in the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II....
(1960) - Duel at DiabloDuel at DiabloDuel at Diablo is a 1966 western film starring James Garner in his first Western since leaving Maverick and Sidney Poitier in his first Western. Based on Marvin H. Albert's 1957 novel Apache Rising, the film was written by Albert and Michael M. Grilikhes and directed by Ralph Nelson who had...
(1966) - Gentle Giant (1967)
- Gentle BenGentle BenGentle Ben is a children's novel by author Walt Morey, first published in 1965. The book concerns the friendship between the title character, a bear, and a young boy named Mark...
(1967–1969) (TV) - Mission Batangas (1968)
- McCloud:Who Killed Miss U.S.A? (1970) (TV)
- A Man Called SledgeA Man Called SledgeA Man Called Sledge is a 1970 spaghetti western starring James Garner in an extremely offbeat role as a grimly evil thief, and featuring Dennis Weaver, Claude Akins, and Wayde Preston...
(1970) - Duel (1971)
- Cry For Justice (1977)
- Dont Go To Sleep(1982)
- Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983)
- Two Bits & Pepper (1995)
- Escape from Wildcat Canyon (1998)
- Submerged (2000) with CoolioCoolioArtis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
, Maxwell CaulfieldMaxwell CaulfieldMaxwell Caulfield is a British film, stage, and television actor who is based in the United States, known for his roles as Michael Carrington in Grease 2 and as Miles Colby in The Colbys and its parent show Dynasty . He has more than 70 film, stage and television credits. He starred in Ronald F...
, Brent HuffBrent HuffBrent Huff is a former male model and actor, writer and film director.- Career :He studied on University of Missouri.Brent begin his career as a model after signing with Ford Models in New York and Nina Blanchard in Los Angeles...
and Nicole EggertNicole EggertNicole Elizabeth Eggert is an American actress. Notable roles include Jamie Powell in the television series Charles in Charge and Summer Quinn in the TV Series Baywatch. She was most recently a contestant on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club.-Early life:Eggert was born in Glendale,... - Home on the Range (2004)
External links
- Archive of American Television 2½ hour career-wide interview with Dennis Weaver
- Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary 2005 from Dodge City, Kansas
- Animal Planet Genesis Awards, commentary on going Vegetarian in 1958 (information on his ancestry)