Acting · Plainfield, Indiana, USA · Born February 12, 1919
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker described himself as a farm boy. He was born in Plainfield, Indiana, on February 12, 1919, a son of Forrest A. Tucker and his wife, Doris Heringlake. His mother has been described as an alcoholic. Tucker began his performing career at age 14 at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, pushing the big wicker tourist chairs by day and singing "Throw Money" at night. After his family moved to Washington, D.C., Tucker attracted the attention of Jimmy Lake, the owner of the Old Gaiety Burlesque Theater, by winning its Saturday night amateur contest on consecutive weeks. After his second win, Tucker was hired there at full time as Master of Ceremonies, but left when it was soon discovered that he was underage. He graduated from Washington-Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., in 1938, and, joining the United States Cavalry, was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, but discharged for, once again, being underage. He returned to work at the Old Gaiety after his 18th birthday. When Lake's theatre closed for the summer in 1939, Tucker was helped by a wealthy mentor to travel to California and try to break into film acting. He made a successful screen test, and began auditioning for movie roles. In his own estimation, Tucker was in the mold of large "ugly guys" such as Wallace Beery, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen, rather than a matinee idol. His debut was as a powerfully built farmer who clashes with the hero in The Westerner (1940), which starred Gary Cooper. Like many other movie actors at the time, Tucker enlisted in the United States Army during World War II; he earned a commission as a second lieutenant. Tucker married four times: Sandra Jolley (1919–1986) in 1940, divorced in 1950, daughter of the character actor I. Stanford Jolley (who also died of emphysema) and the sister of the Academy Award-winning art director Stan Jolley. They had a daughter, Pamela "Brooke" Tucker. Marilyn Johnson on March 28, 1950 (died on July 19, 1960). Marilyn Fisk on October 23, 1961. They had a daughter, Cindy Tucker, and son, Forrest Sean Tucker. Sheila Forbes on April 15, 1986. Tucker, who had battled lung cancer for more than a year, as well as having a series of minor illnesses, collapsed and was hospitalized, for the second time in a week, on his way to the ceremony for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1986. He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on October 25, 1986, a few months after the theatrical release of Thunder Run and Outtakes. He was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. CLR
TVThe World of Hammer
1994
as Self (archive footage)
MovieLa Classe américaine
1993
as The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieOuttakes
1987
as Himself
MovieTimestalkers
1987
as Texas John Cody
MovieThunder Run
1985
as Charlie Morrison
MovieA Rare Breed
1984
TVMurder, She Wrote
1984
as Tom Cassidy
Ringstealer
1984
as Narrator
MovieBlood Feud
1983
as Lyndon B. Johnson
TVMatt Houston
1982
as Buck Turley
TVFilthy Rich
1982
MovieThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1981
as Duke
TVFlo
1980
TVThe Rebels
1979
as Angus Fletcher
MovieA Real American Hero
1978
as Carl Pusser
TVFantasy Island
1978
as Jake Gordon
MovieThe Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
1977
as Mike Fink
TVThe Love Boat
1977
as Sam Zachary
MovieFinal Chapter: Walking Tall
1977
as Carl
TVGrizzly Adams
1977
as Ernie
TVOnce an Eagle
1976
as Col. Avery
TVAlice
1976
MovieThe Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
1976
as Wagonmaster Callahan
TVThe Bionic Woman
1976
TVEllery Queen
1975
as Clint McGraw
TVThe Ghost Busters
1975
MovieThe Wild McCullochs
1975
as J. J. McCulloch
TVS.W.A.T.
1975
TVPolice Woman
1974
as O'Malley
TVLittle House on the Prairie
1974
as Jim Tyler
TVKojak
1973
as Det. Paul Zachary
TVDusty's Trail
1973
as Wagonmaster Callahan
MovieJarrett
1973
as Rev. Vocal Simpson
MovieFootsteps
1972
as Bradford Emmons
MovieCancel My Reservation
1972
as Reese
MovieWelcome Home, Johnny Bristol
1972
as Harry McMartin
TVColumbo
1971
as Bo Williamson
MovieCat Ballou
1971
as Kid Sheleen
TVAlias Smith and Jones
1971
as Deputy Harker Wilkins
TVNight Gallery
1970
as Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
MovieBarquero
1970
as Mountain Phil
MovieChisum
1970
as Lawrence Murphy
TVLove, American Style
1969
as John
TVMedical Center
1969
as Ollie Wayne
MovieDoc
1969
as Dr. Jason Fillmore
MovieThe Night They Raided Minsky's
1968
as Trim Houlihan
TVRowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968
as Self (uncredited)
MovieA Boy Called Nuthin’
1967
as Turkeyneck
TVHondo
1967
TVIronside
1967
MovieDon't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
1966
as Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
TVF Troop
1965
as Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
TVDaniel Boone
1964
as Joe Snag
TVBurke's Law
1963
as Cyrus Smuts
TVChanning
1963
as Major Don Landon
TVThe Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
TVThe Virginian
1962
as Martin Evers
TVThe Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
TVDr. Kildare
1961
as Max Beemis
MovieCounterplot
1959
as Brock Miller
TVBonanza
1959
as Frank Ryan
TVRawhide
1959
as Dan Carlock
MovieGunsmoke in Tucson
1958
as John Brazos
MovieAuntie Mame
1958
as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
MovieThe Crawling Eye
1958
as Alan Brooks
MovieGirl in the Woods
1958
as Steve Cory
MovieFort Massacre
1958
as McGurney
MovieThe Strange World of Planet X
1958
as Gil Graham
TVWagon Train
1957
as Rex Montana
MovieThe Deerslayer
1957
as Harry March
MovieThe Abominable Snowman
1957
as Tom Friend
MovieThe Quiet Gun
1957
as Sheriff Carl Brandon
MovieStagecoach To Fury
1956
as Frank Townsend
MovieThree Violent People
1956
as Deputy Commissioner Cable
MovieParis Follies of 1956
1955
as Dan Bradley
MovieThe Vanishing American
1955
as Morgan
TVGunsmoke
1955
as Brad McClain
MovieNight Freight
1955
as Mike Peters
MovieFinger Man
1955
as Dutch Becker
MovieRage at Dawn
1955
as Frank Reno
MovieBreak in the Circle
1955
as Baron Keller
TVClimax!
1954
as Chips Murphy
MovieTrouble in the Glen
1954
as Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
MovieJubilee Trail
1954
as John Ives
MovieThe Big Moment
1954
as Uri
MovieFlight Nurse
1953
as Capt. Bill Eaton
MovieLaughing Anne
1953
as Jem Farrell
MoviePony Express
1953
as James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
MovieSan Antone
1953
as Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
TVGeneral Electric Theater
1953
as Frank Marlowe
MovieRide the Man Down
1952
as Sam Danfelser
MovieMontana Belle
1952
as Mac
MovieHurricane Smith
1952
as Dan McGuire
TVThe Ford Television Theatre
1952
as Red Healey
MovieHoodlum Empire
1952
as Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
MovieBugles in the Afternoon
1952
as Donavan
MovieFlaming Feather
1952
as Lt. Tom Blaine
MovieThe Wild Blue Yonder
1951
as Maj. Tom West
MovieWarpath
1951
as Sgt. O'Hara
TVSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Steve MacGregor
MovieCrosswinds
1951
as 'Jumbo' Johnson
MovieFighting Coast Guard
1951
as Bill Rourk
MovieOh! Susanna
1951
as Lt. Col. Unger
MovieCalifornia Passage
1950
as Mike Prescott
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as William Patterson
MovieRock Island Trail
1950
as Reed Loomis
TVRobert Montgomery Presents
1950
as Bob Slater
MovieThe Nevadan
1950
as Tom Tanner
MovieSands of Iwo Jima
1950
as PFC Al J. Thomas
MovieBrimstone
1949
as Sheriff Henry McIntyre
MovieHellfire
1949
as Marshall Bucky McLean
MovieThe Big Cat
1949
as Gil Hawks
MovieThe Last Bandit
1949
as Jim Plummer
MovieThe Plunderers
1948
as Whit Lacey
MovieTwo Guys from Texas
1948
as 'Tex' Bennett
MovieCoroner Creek
1948
as Ernie Combs
TVThe Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
MovieAdventures in Silverado
1948
as Zeke Butler
MovieGunfighters
1947
as Ben Orcutt
MovieThe Yearling
1946
as Lem Forrester
MovieNever Say Goodbye
1946
as Fenwick Lonkowski
MovieDangerous Business
1946
as Clayton Russell
MovieRenegades
1946
as Frank Dembrow
MovieThe Man Who Dared
1946
as Larry James
MovieTalk About a Lady
1946
as Bart Manners
MovieKeeper of the Flame
1943
as Geoff Midford
MovieBoston Blackie Goes Hollywood
1942
as Whipper
MovieThe Spirit of Stanford
1942
as Buzz Costello (uncredited)
MovieMy Sister Eileen
1942
as Sandhog (uncredited)
MovieCounter-Espionage
1942
as Anton Schugg
MovieParachute Nurse
1942
as Lt. Tucker
MovieSubmarine Raider
1942
as Pulaski
MovieTramp, Tramp, Tramp!
1942
as Blond Bomber
MovieCanal Zone
1942
as Recruit Madigan
MovieShut My Big Mouth
1942
as Red
MovieHonolulu Lu
1941
as Barney
MovieNew Wine
1941
as Moritz
MovieEmergency Landing
1941
as Jerry Barton
MovieThe Westerner
1940
as Wade Harper
