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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
as Self (archive footage)(2 eps)
as The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Himself
as Texas John Cody
as Charlie Morrison
as Tom Cassidy(1 ep)
as Goliath
as Narrator
as Lyndon B. Johnson
as Buck Turley(1 ep)
as Angus Fletcher(2 eps)
as Carl Pusser
as Jake Gordon(1 ep)
as Mike Fink
as Sam Zachary(1 ep)
as Tex(1 ep)
as Tom Preston(1 ep)
as Carl
as Ernie(1 ep)
as Col. Avery(7 eps)
as Wagonmaster Callahan
as Clint McGraw(1 ep)
as J. J. McCulloch
as O'Malley(1 ep)
as Jim Tyler(1 ep)
as Det. Paul Zachary(1 ep)
as Wagonmaster Callahan(26 eps)
as Rev. Vocal Simpson
as Bradford Emmons
as Reese
as Harry McMartin
as Bo Williamson(1 ep)
as Kid Sheleen
as Deputy Harker Wilkins(1 ep)
as Dr. Ernest Stringfellow(1 ep)
as Mountain Phil
as Lawrence Murphy
as John(1 ep)
as Horton(1 ep)
as Ollie Wayne(1 ep)
as Dr. Jason Fillmore
as Trim Houlihan
as Self (uncredited)(2 eps)
as Turkeyneck
as Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
as Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke(65 eps)
as Joe Snag(2 eps)
as Cyrus Smuts(1 ep)
as Major Don Landon(1 ep)
as Self(2 eps)
as Martin Evers(1 ep)
as Self(2 eps)
as Max Beemis(1 ep)
as Brock Miller
as Frank Ryan(1 ep)
as Dan Carlock(1 ep)
as John Brazos
as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
as Alan Brooks
as Steve Cory
as McGurney
as Gil Graham
as Rex Montana(1 ep)
as Harry March
as Tom Friend
as Sheriff Carl Brandon
as Frank Townsend
as Deputy Commissioner Cable
as Dan Bradley
as Morgan
as Brad McClain(1 ep)
as Adam Benteen(1 ep)
as John Charron(1 ep)
as Sergeant Holly(1 ep)
as Sgt. Emmett Holly(1 ep)
as Will Donavan(1 ep)
as Mike Peters
as Dutch Becker
as Frank Reno
as Baron Keller
as Chips Murphy(1 ep)
as Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
as John Ives
as Uri
as Capt. Bill Eaton
as Jem Farrell
as James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
as Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
as Frank Marlowe(1 ep)
as Sam Danfelser
as Mac
as Dan McGuire
as Red Healey(1 ep)
as Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
as Donavan
as Lt. Tom Blaine
as Maj. Tom West
as Sgt. O'Hara
as Steve MacGregor(1 ep)
as 'Jumbo' Johnson
as Bill Rourk
as Lt. Col. Unger
as Mike Prescott
as William Patterson(1 ep)
as Ken(1 ep)
as Reed Loomis
as Bob Slater(1 ep)
as Tom Tanner
as PFC Al J. Thomas
as Sheriff Henry McIntyre
as Marshall Bucky McLean
as Gil Hawks
as Jim Plummer
as Whit Lacey
as 'Tex' Bennett
as Ernie Combs
as Self(1 ep)
as Zeke Butler
as Ben Orcutt
as Lem Forrester
as Fenwick Lonkowski
as Clayton Russell
as Frank Dembrow
as Larry James
as Bart Manners
as Geoff Midford
as Whipper
as Buzz Costello (uncredited)
as Sandhog (uncredited)
as Anton Schugg
as Lt. Tucker
as Pulaski
as Blond Bomber
as Recruit Madigan
as Red
as Barney
as Moritz
as Jerry Barton
as Wade Harper
