Wayde Preston
Encyclopedia
Wayde Preston or William Erskine Strange was a television actor noted for the series Colt .45
(1957-1960) and for his appearance as Waco Williams in a 1958 episode of Maverick
(1957) entitled "The Saga of Waco Williams". Tom Selleck
's recurring comical character of Lance White in The Rockford Files
was loosely based by writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell
upon Waco Williams (Selleck and Preston also resembled each other.) Selleck immediately got his own series, Magnum, P.I.
(1980) after these appearances. "The Saga of Waco Williams," a critical favorite which paired Preston with James Garner
, drew more viewers than any other episode of Maverick and remains a career milestone for Preston.
In Colt .45, Preston played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent masquerading as a pistol salesman traveling through the Old West. The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner
and Clint Walker
during the same period, ran afoul of the Warner Bros.
studio. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960, playing Colt's cousin Sam Colt, Jr.
Preston played roughly twenty roles in TV and movies between 1957 and 1991. Following his departure from Colt .45 Preston went to Europe, where he appeared in numerous spaghetti western
s, including Vic Morrow
's A Man Called Sledge
opposite James Garner
as well as a film about the battle of Anzio
. Preston's last effort was a supporting role in the 1991 movie version of Captain America.
Colt .45 (TV series)
Colt .45 is an American Western television series shown on ABC between 1957 and 1960. The half-hour show derives from the 1950 Warner Brothers film of the same name starring Randolph Scott and formed part of the William T...
(1957-1960) and for his appearance as Waco Williams in a 1958 episode of 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...
(1957) entitled "The Saga of Waco Williams". Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
's recurring comical character of Lance White in The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
was loosely based by writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
upon Waco Williams (Selleck and Preston also resembled each other.) Selleck immediately got his own series, Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
(1980) after these appearances. "The Saga of Waco Williams," a critical favorite which paired Preston with James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
, drew more viewers than any other episode of Maverick and remains a career milestone for Preston.
In Colt .45, Preston played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent masquerading as a pistol salesman traveling through the Old West. The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
and 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:...
during the same period, ran afoul of the 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,...
studio. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960, playing Colt's cousin Sam Colt, Jr.
Preston played roughly twenty roles in TV and movies between 1957 and 1991. Following his departure from Colt .45 Preston went to Europe, where he appeared in numerous spaghetti western
Spaghetti 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, including Vic Morrow
Vic Morrow
Victor "Vic" Morrow was an American actor whose credits include a starring role in the 1960s TV series Combat!, prominent roles in a handful of other television and cinema dramas, and numerous guest roles on television...
's A Man Called Sledge
A Man Called Sledge
A 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...
opposite James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
as well as a film about the battle of Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
. Preston's last effort was a supporting role in the 1991 movie version of Captain America.