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Walter Coy

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Walter Coy
Coy inFrontier,1955.
Born
Walter Darrwin Coy

(1909-01-31)January 31, 1909
Great Falls,Cascade County
Montana,U.S.
DiedDecember 11, 1974(1974-12-11)(aged 65)
Santa Maria
Santa Barbara County
California,U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Washington
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1974
Spouses
  • Anne Burr
    (m.1942;div.194?)
Pamela Gillespie
​
​
(m.1948;div.1961)​
Ruth E. Harburger
​
​
(m.1969;div.1971)​
Children3

Walter Darwin Coy(January 31, 1909 – December 11, 1974) was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, arguably most well known as the brother ofJohn Wayne's character inThe Searchers(1956).

Early years[edit]

Originally fromGreat Falls, Montana,Coy was the son of Theodore Coy, who had a furniture store. The family moved to Seattle, Washington, around 1923.[1]He played varsity football at theUniversity of Washington[2]and majored in dramatics.[1]

Before Coy became an actor, he worked at salmon canneries in Alaska. In 1929, he moved to New York. During World War II, he served in the Army.[1]

Career[edit]

Coy performed onBroadwayfrom 1930 to 1948.[3]He appeared in several earlyGroup Theatreproductions.[4]He was the first actor to playLone Wolfon the radio series of the same name.[5]

Broadway roles[edit]

Western programs[edit]

Of the 31Frontierepisodes, 16 are narrated by Coy:

  1. "Paper Gunman" (September 25, 1955)
  2. "Tomas and the Widow" (October 2)
  3. "A Stillness in Wyoming" (October 16)
  4. "The Shame of a Nation" (October 23)
  5. "In Nebraska" (October 30)
  6. "The Suspects" (November 6)
  7. "King of the Dakotas" (2 parts, November 8 and 20)
  8. "Cattle Drive to Casper" (November 27)
  9. "The Texicans" (January 8, 1956)
  10. "Mother of the Brave" (January 15)
  11. "The Ten Days of John Leslie" (January 22)
  12. "The Devil and Dr. O'Hara" (February 5)
  13. "Assassin" (March 4)
  14. "The Hanging at Thunder Butte Creek (March 18)
  15. "The Hostage" (September 9, 1956)


Coy also appeared onJim Davis' western anthology series,Stories of the Centuryin the role of Sam Clayton in the 1954 episode entitled "Tom Horn," an account of the western lawman-turned outlawTom Horn.He appeared on many other western television programs, includingCheyenne,Bronco,Cimarron City,The Lone Ranger,The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp(one episode asBen Thompson),Shotgun Slade,The Deputy,Bonanza,Bat Masterson,The Adventures of Jim Bowie,Trackdown,Tales of Wells Fargo,Yancy Derringer,Laramie,Two Faces West,Lawman,Wanted: Dead or Alive,The Restless Gun,The Rough Riders,Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre,Pony Express,Rawhide,Mackenzie's Raiders,Have Gun – Will Travel,The Texan,The Man from Blackhawk,Hotel de Paree,Overland Trail,Maverick,The Virginian,The Big Valley,Bat Masterson,Laredo,The Outcasts,Wagon Train(five times), andRobert Conrad'sThe Wild Wild West.

Other television roles[edit]

Coy portrayed Jason Farrel in the ABC soap operaFlame in the Wind(1965),[6]King Zorvac in the syndicated science fiction seriesRocky Jones, Space Ranger(1954)[7]: 905 and Jason in the ABC serialA Time for Us.[7]: 1085 

Other guest-starring roles in drama includeCrusader,The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse,Crossroads,Whirlybirds,U.S. Marshal,Rescue 8,The Lineup,East Side/West Side,Mr. Adams and Eve,Mike Hammer,The Defenders,The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,Navy Log,Tightrope,Lock-Up,Lassie,Ironside,M Squad,andI Spy.Coy also appeared in two comedies,McKeever and the ColonelandHazel,and was cast in the automotive history movie,The Studebaker Story(1953-uncredited role)

Coy's last television role was asChief Blackfishon the NBC seriesDaniel Boone[5]in the 1970 episode "How to Become a Goddess".

Selected filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Rawhide Lem Trager S3:E25, "Incident of the Running Man"

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Walter Coy, TV Actor, Falls Native".Great Falls Tribune.Montana, Great Falls. April 12, 1956. p. 10.RetrievedMay 17,2020– viaNewspapers.com.
  2. ^"Authors and Actors Are Familiar: The Play is New".The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.New York, Brooklyn. December 8, 1935. p. 54.RetrievedMay 17,2020– viaNewspapers.com.
  3. ^"Walter Coy".Internet Broadway Database.The Broadway League. Archived fromthe originalon May 17, 2020.RetrievedMay 17,2020.
  4. ^Smith, Wendy (2013).Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940.Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 165.ISBN978-0-307-83098-2.RetrievedMay 17,2020.
  5. ^abBrode, Douglas (2010).Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present.University of Texas Press. p. 98.ISBN978-0-292-78331-7.RetrievedMay 17,2020.
  6. ^Royal, Don (March 21, 1965)."Flame In The Wind, New ABC Soap Opera".Daily Press.Virginia, Newport News. p. TV-2.RetrievedMay 17,2020– viaNewspapers.com.
  7. ^abTerrace, Vincent (2011).Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010(2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 370.ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_Coy&oldid=1230479266"