Actor Dennis Weaver, a regular on the television series
Gunsmoke and
McCloud, has died at age 81.
Weaver died of cancer last Friday at his home in Ridgway, Colo., his publicist, Julian Myers, said on Monday.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=614 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=396><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=396 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=story>The actor played slow-witted Deputy Chester Goode in the long-running western
Gunsmoke, as well a cowboy detective in New York City in
McCloud.
Weaver was born in June 1924 in Joplin, Mo., where he performed in high school productions. He served in the U.S. navy during the Second World War and then enrolled at the University of Oklahoma. A gifted athlete, he placed sixth in the decathlon at the 1948 U.S. Olympic trials.
The budding performer studied at the Actors Studio in New York City and appeared in plays such as
A Streetcar Named Desire,
Stone and
Buck James.
He headed to Hollywood during the 1950s, delivering flowers in order to survive before he was offered the
Gunsmoke spot on CBS.
Weaver found the Chester role "inane," he revealed in his 2001 autobiography.
"With all my Actors Studio training, I'll correct this character by using my own experiences and drawing from myself," said Weaver, who gave his character a bad leg and a limp.
The role, which he played for nine years, won him an Emmy in the 1958/1959 season.
In 1966, Weaver starred in another series,
Gentle Ben, about a family that adopts a black bear as a pet. It lasted two seasons.
He was later offered the character of Sam McCloud, calling it "the most satisfying role of my career."
McCloud ran from 1970 to 1977, with Weaver playing the fish-out-of-water role of a New Mexico detective who brings his unique crime-fighting tactics to the streets of New York.
His film credits include
Dragnet (1954),
Seven Angry Men (1955),
Touch of Evil (1958), and
Way ... Way Out (1966). He has more than 100 film and TV credits, making TV appearances until 2005.
Weaver also was a committed environmentalist and combated world hunger. He headed Love is Feeding Everyone, which served meals to 150,000 needy people every week in Los Angeles. He also founded the Institute of Econolonomics, focusing on solutions to economic and environmental problems.
Weaver and his wife Gerry once built a solar-powered home out of recycled tires and cans dubbed "Earthship."
Weaver is survived by his wife, three sons and three grandchildren.
CBC.com
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