Ty Hardin
Encyclopedia
Ty Hardin, born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr., (born January 1, 1930) is a former American
actor
best known as the star of the 1950s ABC
western
television series Bronco
.
and attended Lamar High School
. He served in the U.S. Army
in the Korean War
where he was commissioned from Officer Candidate School
, and became a pilot of O-1 Bird Dog liaison aircraft
. After his return from service, he began taking college courses at Texas A&M University
in College Station
.
Working as an engineer in California, Hardin was planning on attending a costume party as a cowboy and heard that the Western Costume
company on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood rented out stage weapons. While there, he was discovered by a Paramount Pictures
talent scout. By 1957, Hardin acquired the services of agent Henry Willson
and made his way to Hollywood where he was put under contract by Paramount
. Initially billed as "Ty Hungerford," he made minor appearances in several Paramount films such as I Married a Monster from Outer Space
, The Space Children
and Last Train from Gun Hill
. The "Ty" came from a childhood nickname of "Typhoon".
. John Wayne
reportedly saw him and was impressed by his appearance. Wayne introduced him to Howard Hawks
and William T. Orr
of Warner Bros. Television
who changed his stage surname to "Hardin" after gunfighter John Wesley Hardin
.
When Clint Walker
walked out on his ABC
series Cheyenne in 1958 during a contract dispute with Warner Bros.
, Ty Hardin got his big break. Warner Bros. bought out Hardin's Paramount contract and installed him as Cheyenne's country cousin Bronco Layne for one season. Walker and Warner Bros.
came to terms after the season ended, but Hardin had been such a big hit that the studio gave him his own series, Bronco
. Since it was difficult to produce an hour-long western every week in which the star appeared in every episode and virtually every scene (whereas a series like Bonanza
or Maverick
would feature one or another of the main characters in a given episode and could thus be filmed weekly), Bronco alternated weeks with Sugarfoot
; Bronco
ran from 1958-62. Hardin soon found himself in leading roles in Warner Brothers films such as Merrill's Marauders
, Palm Springs Weekend
, The Chapman Report
and PT 109
.
s though he turned down the lead of A Fistful of Dollars
. He then appeared in Cinerama
epic film
s such as Battle of the Bulge
and Custer of the West
.
Later Hardin starred in a 1967-68 Australian television series Riptide
where he sponsored an Australian motorcycle racing team and a 1970 German television series called On the Trail of Johnny Hilling, Boor and Billy which was immensely successful in West Germany
.
known as the Arizona Patriots. He formed the Common Law Institute which taught that the sovereignty of the people was supreme and sovereign citizens were not bound by any rules or regulations of the government. He published a monthly tabloid called the Arizona Patriot which printed anti-United States government articles. The Federal Reserve System
and the Internal Revenue Service
were among targets the group felt should be abolished. As the group advocated stockpiling weapons and ammunition to protect the people from government, an FBI investigation was triggered which lasted for two years. As a result, federal agents raided a Patriot camp confiscating a cache of weapons and several members of the group were arrested for conspiracy against the U.S. government. Hardin left Arizona soon after and the group ceased to function. Hardin fled to Costa Rica
, a country with no active extradition
treaties and reportedly had become involved with the local ecology
and rain forest movements. He has since returned to the United States.
, German beauty queen Marlene Schmidt
, who later involved herself in the movie industry; they had one daughter. As of 2009, Hardin lives with his eighth wife in Huntington Beach, California
; he has 10 children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known as the star of the 1950s ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
.
Early life
Hardin was raised in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and attended Lamar High School
Lamar High School (Houston)
Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School is a secondary school located at 3325 Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas, United States, with a zip code of 77098...
. He served in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
where he was commissioned from Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
, and became a pilot of O-1 Bird Dog liaison aircraft
Liaison aircraft
A liaison aircraft is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and included also battlefield reconnaissance, air ambulance, column control, light cargo delivery...
. After his return from service, he began taking college courses at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
.
Working as an engineer in California, Hardin was planning on attending a costume party as a cowboy and heard that the Western Costume
Western Costume
Western Costume is a costume warehouse in Hollywood, California which supplies costumes and costuming supplies to the film and TV industry. One of the oldest businesses in the industry, the company outdates any studio or production company currently in operation.The company was founded in 1912 by...
company on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood rented out stage weapons. While there, he was discovered by a Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
talent scout. By 1957, Hardin acquired the services of agent Henry Willson
Henry Willson
Henry Willson was an American Hollywood talent agent who played a large role in popularizing the beefcake craze of the 1950s. He was known for his stable of young, attractive clients, including Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Robert Wagner, Nick Adams, Guy Madison, Troy Donahue, Rory Calhoun, Clint...
and made his way to Hollywood where he was put under contract by Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. Initially billed as "Ty Hungerford," he made minor appearances in several Paramount films such as I Married a Monster from Outer Space
I Married a Monster from Outer Space
I Married a Monster from Outer Space is a 1958 science fiction film, directed by Gene Fowler Jr. and starring Tom Tryon and Gloria Talbott....
, The Space Children
The Space Children
The Space Children is a 1958 film directed by Jack Arnold. The movie was mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1998 during season 9....
and Last Train from Gun Hill
Last Train from Gun Hill
Last Train from Gun Hill is a 1959 Western by action director John Sturges. It stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones and Earl Holliman. Douglas and Holliman had previously appeared together in Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which used much of the same crew.The script is by James...
. The "Ty" came from a childhood nickname of "Typhoon".
Warner Brothers years
Hardin stated that he had tried for a role in Rio Bravo that he did not know had been promised to Ricky NelsonRicky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
. John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
reportedly saw him and was impressed by his appearance. Wayne introduced him to Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
and William T. Orr
William T. Orr
William T. Orr was an American television producer associated with a series of western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s....
of Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
who changed his stage surname to "Hardin" after gunfighter John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas. Hardin found himself in trouble with the law at an early age, and spent the majority of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops of the...
.
When Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
walked out on his ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Cheyenne in 1958 during a contract dispute with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, Ty Hardin got his big break. Warner Bros. bought out Hardin's Paramount contract and installed him as Cheyenne's country cousin Bronco Layne for one season. Walker and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
came to terms after the season ended, but Hardin had been such a big hit that the studio gave him his own series, Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
. Since it was difficult to produce an hour-long western every week in which the star appeared in every episode and virtually every scene (whereas a series like Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
or Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
would feature one or another of the main characters in a given episode and could thus be filmed weekly), Bronco alternated weeks with Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson...
; Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
ran from 1958-62. Hardin soon found himself in leading roles in Warner Brothers films such as Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders (film)
Merrill's Marauders is a 1962 Cinemascope war film directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller based on the exploits of the jungle warfare unit of the same name in the Burma Campaign. The source is the non-fiction book The Marauders, written by Charlton Ogburn Jr., a communications officer who served...
, Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre and has been called “a sort of Westernized version of Where the Boys Are" by Billboard Magazine...
, The Chapman Report
The Chapman Report
The Chapman Report is a 1962 film made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Richard D. Zanuck, from a screenplay by Wyatt Cooper and Don Mankiewicz, adapted by Gene Allen and Grant Stuart from Irving...
and PT 109
PT 109 (film)
PT 109 is a 1963 biographical film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 as an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. The movie was adapted by Vincent Flaherty and Howard Sheehan from the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by...
.
International films
Like many American actors, Hardin travelled to Europe where he made several spaghetti westernSpaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s though he turned down the lead of A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. Released in Italy in 1964 then in the United States in...
. He then appeared in Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
epic film
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
s such as Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge (film)
Battle of the Bulge is a widescreen war film produced in Spain that was released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson...
and Custer of the West
Custer of the West
Custer of the West is a 1967 American Western film directed by Robert Siodmak. It tells a highly fictionalised version of the life and death of George Armstrong Custer. It was directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Robert Shaw as Custer, Robert Ryan and Mary Ure...
.
Later Hardin starred in a 1967-68 Australian television series Riptide
Riptide (Australian TV series)
Riptide is a TV series that is often considered "very Australian", but like The Outsiders, it was mainly an endeavor brought to fruition by a foreign producer and foreign principal actors...
where he sponsored an Australian motorcycle racing team and a 1970 German television series called On the Trail of Johnny Hilling, Boor and Billy which was immensely successful in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Political career
In the 1980s, Ty Hardin organized a militia group in Prescott, ArizonaPrescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
known as the Arizona Patriots. He formed the Common Law Institute which taught that the sovereignty of the people was supreme and sovereign citizens were not bound by any rules or regulations of the government. He published a monthly tabloid called the Arizona Patriot which printed anti-United States government articles. The Federal Reserve System
Federal Reserve System
The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913 with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, largely in response to a series of financial panics, particularly a severe panic in 1907...
and the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
were among targets the group felt should be abolished. As the group advocated stockpiling weapons and ammunition to protect the people from government, an FBI investigation was triggered which lasted for two years. As a result, federal agents raided a Patriot camp confiscating a cache of weapons and several members of the group were arrested for conspiracy against the U.S. government. Hardin left Arizona soon after and the group ceased to function. Hardin fled to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, a country with no active extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
treaties and reportedly had become involved with the local ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and rain forest movements. He has since returned to the United States.
Personal life
From 1962 to 1966 Hardin was married to the 1961 Miss UniverseMiss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
, German beauty queen Marlene Schmidt
Marlene Schmidt
Marlene Schmidt , a professional Engineer, came to fame as winner of the 1961 Miss Universe pageant. Later she had a career in the movie industry....
, who later involved herself in the movie industry; they had one daughter. As of 2009, Hardin lives with his eighth wife in Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
; he has 10 children.