Actor Chuck Connors’s Bio: Children, Wife, Family Height, Net Worth & Death

• Chuck Connors was an actor, basketball player, and baseball player born in Brooklyn, New York
• He changed his birth name Kevin to the nickname Chuck while playing baseball
• He served in the Army during World War II and played basketball for the Boston Celtics
• His most famous role was Lucas McCain in the TV series ‘The Rifleman’
• He passed away in 1992 due to lung cancer, and established the Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation to give back to the community

Known for movies

The Rifleman (1958-1963)
as Lucas McCain / Earl Bantry

Soylent Green (1973)
as Tab Fielding

Branded (1965-1966)
as Jason McCord

Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
as The Sarge

Who was Chuck Connors?

Born as Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors on the 10th April 1921 in Brooklyn, New York USA, he was an actor, basketball player and baseball player. He came to prominence with a role of Lucas McCain in the TV series “The Rifleman” from 1958 to 1963. His acting career spanned over 40 years during which he secured more than 130 film and TV roles, but the role of Lucas has indeed become the hallmark of his career.

Early Life

His parents, Marcella and Alban Francis Connors were immigrants from Newfoundland and Labrador. Growing up in a devout Christian family, Chuck contributed to his family’s devotion by serving as an altar boy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in his hometown of Brooklyn.

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He attended Adelphi Academy from which he matriculated in 1939. Wanting to become a professional baseball player, Chuck received scholarship offers from various colleges and universities and eventually chose Seton Hal University. Once at the University, Chuck started playing baseball but also fell in love with basketball.

Name Change

Although his birth name was Kevin, he didn’t like it at all; it was during his Seton Hall University years that he changed the name to Chuck, which came from his phrase while playing baseball, when he would yell “Chuck it to me baby” to the pitcher. The nickname stuck, and he decided to adopt it as his real name.

Military Service

He spent only two years at Seton Hall University, as the US entered the World War II, and Chuck was needed in the Army. He was sent to Fort Campbell where he served as a tank-warfare instructor, and was later transferred to West Point, New York.

Basketball Career

Once discharged from the army, Chuck joined the Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. He spent two years in Boston, and in the first home game, he became the first basketball player to break the backboard. He threw the ball towards the rim and hit the glass of the backboard which immediately broke. However, it was the glass that was installed improperly which resulted in breaking at a tiny pressure. However, Chuck became a legend that day.

Baseball Career

He left Boston to play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but after playing in only one game in the major league and a couple of seasons in minor leagues, Chuck left the Dodgers and joined the Chicago Cubs. His playing time increased, but after only one season he was again sent to the minor leagues, this time to play for the Los Angeles Angels. This turned out to be a turning point in his life; while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, he was spotted by an MGM casting director, and in 1952 he became a full-time actor, leaving his career in sports behind him.

Acting Debut

He was cast in the film “Pat and Mike” in 1952, as a Police Captain; although it was only a minor role, Chuck got enough encouragement to seek other roles; he continued with minor roles, securing appearances in such projects as “Hold Back the Night”, “Death in Small Doses”, and “The Hired Gun”, among others.

Rise to Stardom

He came to prominence in the late ’50, with the role of Lucas McCain in the highly-acclaimed TV series “The Rifleman” (1958-1963), co-starring with Johnny Crawford in this particular series which celebrated both of them – the two remained good friends until Chuck’s death. He enjoyed success following the end of the series in 1963, continuing his career with the lead role in the adventure film “Flipper” (1963), then portraying Jason McCord in the TV series “Branded” (1965-1966), followed by the lead role in the adventure film “Captain Nemo and the Underwater City” in 1969.

Continuing Success

In the next two decades, Chuck became one of the most famed actors, with roles in such successful films as “Soylent Green” in 1973, “Tourist Trap” (1979), “Summer Camp Nightmare” (1987) among many others, which only further increased his net worth.

Last Years

Before Chuck passed away in 1992, he appeared in several more films such as “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw” in 1991, starring Kenny Rogers, Rick Rossovich and Reba McEntire, and in the action film “Three Days to a Kill” in 1992, his final on-screen appearance.

Do You Know How Rich Chuck Connors Was?

With more than 130 roles, Chuck earned himself quite a decent fortune – let’s just see exactly how much. According to sources, Chuck’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. Some of the most profitable films in which he appeared include “Move Over, Darling” (1963), and “Old Yeller” (1957), which contributed significantly to his net worth.

Marriages, Love Life and Death

Chuck married and divorced three times; his first wife was Elizabeth Jane Riddell from 1948 until the early ‘60s; the couple had four children together. In 1963 he married Indian actress Kamala Devi; their marriage lasted until 1972. Five years later he married actress Faith Quabius but their marriage lasted only for three years. At the time of his death, Chuck was in a relationship with Rose Mary Grumley.

Charitable Work

During his life Chuck had found numerous ways to give back to the community his share; he started the Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation, through which he organized numerous charity events, including the Golf Tournament, held at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs, California every year. All that would be raised would be given to Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation.

Russian Connection

The series “The Rifleman”, made Chuck popular around the world, including Russia. This opened the doors to the Soviet Union and developed a close friendship with Leonid Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time.

Heavy Smoker

Chuck took up smoking in the ‘40s, and would often smoke two packs of cigarettes per day. This led to a lung cancer, and ultimately his death on the 10th November 1992, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His remains were interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Marks

#	Marks / Signs
1	His rifle.
2	Brooklyn accent.
3	Deep commanding voice
4	Strong jawline and bold blue eyes
5	Towering height and athletic physique

Salary

Title	Salary
Cowboy in Africa (1967)	$25,000 /week (1967)
Branded (1965)	$12,000 /week + percentage
Arrest and Trial (1963)	$7,500 /week

Quotes

#	Quote
1	[About being a rugged sports player before he became a rugged leading man] I'm in about as good shape as when I quit baseball in 1952.
2	[In 1958] You're doing fine work. That pitch was right in there.
3	[of Barry Goldwater who suggested he try for the Senate in February 1967 during a conversation at the Tucson National Country Club] I was in the foursome in front of him and Arnold Palmer. We've met several times before and we were talking about Ronnie's [Ronald Reagan] election and politics in general when the senator said I should run for the Senate. I was flattered. I told him I didn't think it would be possible. He told me I might change my mind later on.
4	There were two things wrong with me. I had a crew cut and I've never been on a horse. I did something about it. I let my hair grow and I shopped around for a horse.
5	[on the cancellation of The Rifleman (1958)] I knew what [The Lucy Show (1962)] would do to our ratings and I didn't want to wait around until our show was dropped and I might be an actor nobody wanted. The show would have gone five years, and that's long enough. By that time, you have done everything possible with your characters. If you keep on going, you're just cheating the public.
6	[on his popularity while playing the 40-something Lucas McCain on The Rifleman (1958)] What did I find out? That the concept of "Rifleman" is sound. I asked if people wanted any changes. Most of them said to leave it as it is. I asked if they wanted Lucas McCain to marry. They said no.
7	[In 1961] I've been wanting to do a movie. I've had some offers, but they always wanted me to play the same kind of character as Lucas McCain [The Rifleman (1958)]. So I turned the pictures down, including The Alamo (1960). People see me for free every week as Lucas; why would they pay to see me in the same type of role?
8	[In 1953] I owe baseball all that I have and much of what I hope to have. Baseball made my entrance to the film industry immeasurably easier than I could have made it alone. To the greatest game in the world I shall be eternally in debt.
9	[on how he landed the starring role in South Sea Woman (1953)] I had done just a couple of pictures, and I was sitting outside a little dressing room at Warner Bros, and they were testing a lot of people [for the role of Pvt. Davie White] and I was sitting in my Marine uniform waiting to be called and I went out to get a breath of fresh air, when down the street comes Burt Lancaster in a Marine uniform. And in those days the stars never tested with the actors. So I said to him, "Mr. Lancaster what are you doing here?" And he was a baseball fan, so he just decided to come down and test with me. So he took me in the dressing room to, as he said, "run the lines", and I didn't even know what that expression meant then. Finally I figured him out and I said, "Oh, you mean you want to practice?" So anyhow we read the scene and man he looked at me and said, "Boy we've got to work on this!" About then my name is called on the loudspeaker to come in on stage and Burt goes to the door and yells out to the people, "Hey, I'm talking here, we'll be another 20 minutes, go ahead and test somebody else". Well he went over that scene, seven pages long, to give me some semblance of approaching it proper. And then I went in and did it and got the part. But Burt took that time on his own and I gotta give him credit.
10	[on working in Pat and Mike (1952)] They paid me $500 for my week's work in that movie. I figured they'd made some mistake on the adding machine, but I stuck the check in my pocket and shut up. Baseball, I told myself, just lost a first baseman.
11	I'm more than satisfied to stay put in Los Angeles. The Coast League is one of the best leagues in baseball and the living and playing conditions are superior.
12	I have only five days to win the job. So I can't take time out for injuries.
13	[regarding his baseball career] I was a switch-hitter, remember? At most things, I'm a good with one hand as the other.
14	[In 1988] Somebody would like to have that [my agent]. He'll take that instead of commission.
15	[comparing his baseball and acting careers] So why not be a switch hitter with the rifle, too? Let's learn both ways.
16	[In 1960] What's cost? This is insurance. At what we pay Connors, what will it cost if he's crippled?
17	[on his first introduction to Johnny Crawford, who was auditioning to play his son Mark in The Rifleman (1958)] I remember the first time I saw him, I was sitting there with the producer and we were interviewing kids to play Mark. We must have interviewed 20 or 30, then Johnny came in and before we even talked to him I said, "That's him, that's The Rifleman's son".
18	[In 1987 about playing the lead in Werewolf (1987)] It's played very straight and dramatically, but with a tinge of black humor, I play evil incarnate, a 1,600-year-old man in full control of his werewolfism. Janos will kill and eat anybody and anything. Eric, on the other hand, kills only bad people in defense of his own life or those of innocent victims.
19	[In 1992, about being typecasted because of The Rifleman (1958)] If you're ever being typecasted--as most of us are-- that's a great way to be typecasted. So, "The Rifleman" is still popular with a lot of people, and I'm proud to be associated.
20	[In 1989] I was a bum of a hitter just not cut out for the majors. But, I will never forget Stan's kindness. When he finished watching me cut away at the ball, Stan slapped me on the back and told me to keep swinging.
21	[About the character he was best-known for] I can never get rid of The Rifleman (1958), and I don't want to. It's a good image. Basically, [the show] was the simplicity of the love between the father and the son. That was the foundation. The rifle was for show, but the relationship was for real. There was some violence, but at the end, I would explain to the boy that the violence was not something we wanted to do, but had to do.
22	Now who goes to the games in LA? Producers, directors, writers, casting directors. So because of the good year, I became a kind of favorite of the show business people, unbeknownst to myself.
23	[on his Lucas McCain character] Lucas was a righteous character, despite all the violence. We had the benefit of the father-son relationship, so I could have a little scene at the end of the show where I would explain to Mark, essentially, that sometimes violence is necessary, but it isn't good. And there was a lot of violence on The Rifleman (1958). We once figured out that I killed on the average of two and a half people per show. That's a lot of violence, but it was always covered by the scene with the little boy. And he would say, in essence, "Gee, you won Pa". And I would say, "Wait a minute son. You never win when you kill someone. It demeans you, it takes something away. People have got to learn to do away with violence and guns, and to love each other". And the viewers would forget the fact that I had killed three people during the show, because of the tender epilogue with Mark [Johnny's favorite scenes]. The warm father-son relationship was the heart of the program, and not only did we perform it, but Johnny and I became very close friends.
24	[Of Johnny Crawford] When Johnny came on the set in 1958, he was a little 12-year-old boy. He called everyone in the cast or crew "Sir" or "Ma'am". During the course of the five years of our run, he had two hit records, and he was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. And yet, when the show was finished after five seasons, Johnny went around and thanked everyone in the cast and crew, and he still called them "Sir" or "Ma'am".
25	Well, it isn't because I'm the fidgety guy, seriously, I have to sit there like a mummy you can't move. Regular makeup you can turn around and I sit there like that, and the worst part of it is, after working 14 hours, I can't just take it off, I have to sit for another hour because of the way they made these appliances, and they have to be taken out very slowly.
26	[on The Rifleman (1958)'s theme song] I hear the same thing everywhere I go.
27	[In 1973] The President gave me about two dozen presidential tie clips and ladies' pins, with instructions to spread them around when I thought it appropriate, Brezhnev [Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev] will get more than a tie clip. I've ordered two engraved Colt revolvers for the General Secretary, Brezhnev is quite a western buff.
28	I don't want my kids growing up believing that there is nothing destructive in the world. I want them to know that there is good and bad in the world, that you can be hurt physically, that guns can kill you, that drugs are bad for you, that not everyone means well.

Facts

#	Fact
1	He was most widely known to be a social butterfly.
2	On The Rifleman (1958), his character had used a lot of rifles, in real-life, he owned rifles.
3	Connors wasn't the only baseball star to appear on The Rifleman (1958), a couple of former baseball stars appeared on that show were: Duke Snider and Don Drysdale.
4	He smoked three packs of Camel cigarettes a day until the 1970s.
5	Took part in a parade in New York in support of the Vietnam War in 1967, and campaigned for his friend Ronald Reagan.
6	Was a Boy Scout.
7	Was a member of the Sheriff's Advisory Board of Orange County, California.
8	He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949.
9	Connors was one of only twelve athletes in history to have played for both Major League Baseball and in the NBA.
10	Appeared on the front cover of TV Guide five times.
11	Acting mentor and friend of Johnny Crawford.
12	His father was born in Dunville and his mother in St. Marys, Placentia Bay, both in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now Canada). They were both of Irish descent.
13	Almost one year before his death, his first wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Connors, died on February 27, 1992, after a long illness.
14	Chuck Connors died on November 10, 1992, at 71. A couple of years before his death, he was devastated to hear about Burt Lancaster's stroke. He tried calling his office one day, but his office wasn't releasing any information at that time. Connors sent a letter in support of David Fury's nomination of Lancaster to the Cowboy Hall of Fame and signed the petition David sent to the American film Institute nominating Burt for the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.
15	Future The Rifleman (1958) co-star, longtime friend and devoted fan, Johnny Crawford, had once said in an interview that when he was just a little boy, he too was an avid baseball fan, like Connors was, and would bring his baseball equipment whenever both he and Connors would be on location, during filming.
16	Future comedians, Bill Rafferty and Vicki Lawrence, announcers Burton Richardson and Randy West, actors David Cassidy, Kathy Garver, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Bill Mumy, and talk show hostess, Oprah Winfrey describes him as one of their childhood television heroes.
17	Future actor LeVar Burton was also said to be a huge fan of Connors' series The Rifleman (1958), as a little boy.
18	Before he was an actor, he was a professional basketball and baseball player.
19	After he won a scholarship attending a private high school, he played basketball, football & baseball.
20	Had won numerous scholarships while in high school, but chose to attend Seton Hall College (now Seton Hall University).
21	His college studies were interrupted when he was enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
22	Resumed his sports career after the war had ended. Connors had no choice other than to play professional basketball, when he continued to play baseball.
23	He had 10 hobbies: golfing, riding horses, reading, swimming, fishing, poetry writing, spending time with his family, baseball, philanthropy and politics.
24	Was best friends with: James Drury, Doug McClure, John Smith, Adam West, Jerry Lewis, Angela Lansbury, Joey Bishop, Regis Philbin, Paul Fix, Fess Parker, Gregory Peck, Alex Cord, James Arness, Peter Graves, Michael Landon, Robert Reed, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Alvy Moore, Dabbs Greer, Richard Anderson, Gene Barry, Bill Quinn, Charlton Heston, Aaron Spelling, Tom Helmore, Richard Nixon, Burt Lancaster, James Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Julie Adams, Jeff York, Aldo Ray, Gerald Ford and Leonid Brezhnev.
25	His parents were Allan Connors, who was a longshoreman and Marcella Lundrigan Connors, a housewife.
26	Before he was an actor, he spent most of the war as a tank-warfare instructor in Camp Campbell, Kentucky, before West Point, New York.
27	Future talk show hosts - his friend, Regis Philbin and Arsenio Hall, were once said to be their admirable television heroes. Philbin was a young adult while Hall was just a child.
28	He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on July 18, 1984.
29	At age 13, he remembered he was a lousy first baseman, and the man who made the biggest impact on his life was his coach on a team called the Celtics, a diminutive gent named John Flynn.
30	Years after The Rifleman (1958), he was a spokesperson for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the early 1970s.
31	His father, Allan died in 1966, followed by his mother, Marcella, who died in 1971.
32	Graduated from Adelphi Academy - a private high school in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940.
33	His series The Rifleman (1958) was canceled at the end of the fifth season, because both the actor himself and co-star Johnny Crawford had decided to move on to other projects.
34	Remained good friends with Johnny Crawford during and after The Rifleman (1958).
35	Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Lucas McCain on The Rifleman (1958).
36	Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume 3, 1991-1993, pp. 116-118. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001.
37	Was a film "enemy" of Charlton Heston at least twice -- as Buck Hannesey in The Big Country (1958) and as Tab Fielding in Soylent Green (1973).
38	In June 1973, he befriended Soviet Secretary General Leonid Brezhnev in a meeting at the White House. Connors traveled to the Soviet Union in December 1973, and presented Brezhnev with two Colt revolvers. In 1982, he asked his friend President Ronald Reagan if he could attend Brezhnev's funeral service, but he was not allowed to be part of the official US delegation.
39	A longtime smoker, he was hospitalized with pneumonia three weeks before his death.
40	He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party as well as a frequent guest at the White House during the administration of his close friend President Richard Nixon.
41	Was an altar boy and parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
42	Before the 1940 baseball season, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent.
43	On October 10, 1950, he was traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers - with whom he had appeared with in one game in 1949 - with Dee Fondy to the Chicago Cubs for Hank Edwards and cash. He spent part of the 1951 season with the Cubs.
44	Accepted the role of Mr. Slausen in Tourist Trap (1979) because he wanted to "become the Boris Karloff of the '80s".
45	He was the first NBA player to shatter a backboard; he did it while playing for the Boston Celtics in 1946.
46	Lucas McCain, Connors' character on The Rifleman (1958), was ranked #32 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
47	Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1991.
48	In a 1997 biography titled "The Man Behind the Rifle", author David Fury says that "Chuck" Connors acquired his nickname while an athlete playing first base. He had a habit of calling to the pitcher: "Chuck it to me, baby, chuck it to me!".
49	Was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1991.
50	Very likely the only guest commentator on Monday Night Baseball to use the F-word.
51	Almost suffered the same fate in each of his two television westerns. On a 10-2-61 episode of The Rifleman (1958) called "The Vaqueros", he was stripped to the waist, tied to a tree and left to die under a scorching sun by a group of Mexican bandits. On an 11-14-65 episode of Branded (1965) called "Fill No Glass for Me", he was stripped to the waist, tied to a tree and left to die under a scorching sun by a group of Indian warriors (in both cases he survived).
52	According to an article on television westerns in Time Magazine (March 30, 1959), Connors stood 6'5" tall, weighed 215 pounds, and had chest-waist-hips measurements of 45-34-41.
53	Chuck Person, an NBA Player, is named after him.
54	Four sons; Mike Connors, Jeff Connors, Steve Connors, Kevin Connors.
55	Connors also played professional basketball with the Boston Celtics.
56	Played major league baseball (for the Chicago Cubs) in 1951.

Pictures

All pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
Fast Backwards	2001	Short	The Star
A Man Who Fell from the Sky	2001		Narrator and host
Three Days to a Kill	1992		Capt. Damian Wright
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw	1991	TV Movie	Lucas McCain
Salmonberries	1991		Bingo Chuck
Face the Edge	1990		Buddy
Guns of Paradise	1989-1990	TV Series	Gideon McKay
Last Flight to Hell	1990		Red Farley
High Desert Kill	1989	TV Movie	Stan Brown
Wolf	1989	TV Series
Skinheads	1989		Mr. Huston
Trained to Kill	1989		Ed Cooper
Taxi Killer	1988
Murder, She Wrote	1985-1988	TV Series	Tyler Morgan / FBI Agt. Fred Keller
Terror Squad	1988		Chief Rawlings
Once Upon a Texas Train	1988	TV Movie	Nash Crawford
Maniac Killer	1987		Professor Roger Osborne
Werewolf	1987	TV Series	Janos Skorzeny Captain Janos Skorzeny
Summer Camp Nightmare	1987		Mr. Warren
Sakura Killers	1987		The Colonel (as Chuck Conners)
Eroi dell'inferno	1987		Senator Morris
The All American Cowboy	1985	TV Movie
Spenser: For Hire	1985	TV Series	King Powers
The Yellow Rose	1983-1984	TV Series	Jeb Hollister
Afghanistan pourquoi?	1983		Soviet colonel
The Love Boat	1983	TV Series	Roy
Kelsey's Son	1983	TV Movie	Boone Kelsey
Balboa	1983		Alabama Dern
Matt Houston	1983	TV Series	Castanos
Lone Star	1983	TV Movie	Jake Farrell
The Vals	1983		Trish's Father - 'Boom-Boom Girls' Producer
There Was a Little Girl	1982
Airplane II: The Sequel	1982		The Sarge
Hit Man	1982		Sam Fisher
Fantasy Island	1982	TV Series	Frank Barton
The Capture of Grizzly Adams	1982	TV Movie	Frank Briggs
Best of the West	1982	TV Series
Bordello	1981		Jonathan
Walking Tall	1981	TV Series	Theo Brewster
Day of Resurrection	1980		Capt. McCloud - HMS Nereid
Stone	1980	TV Series	Tom Lettleman
Day of the Assassin	1979		Fleming
Tourist Trap	1979		Mr. Slausen
Standing Tall	1978	TV Movie	Major Roland Hartline
The Night They Took Miss Beautiful	1977	TV Movie	Mike O'Toole
Roots	1977	TV Mini-Series	Tom Moore
Police Story	1973-1976	TV Series	Lt. Lew Randle / Sergeant Ed 'Bugs' Pebbles / Sergeant Barrett / ...
Nightmare in Badham County	1976	TV Movie	Sheriff Danen
Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free	1976	TV Movie	Sam Ivory
The Six Million Dollar Man	1975	TV Series	Niles Lingstrom
Il lupo dei mari	1975		Wolf-Larsen
99 and 44/100% Dead	1974		Claw Zuckerman
Here's Lucy	1973	TV Series	Chuck Connors
Soylent Green	1973		Tab Fielding
The Mad Bomber	1973		William Dorn
The Horror at 37,000 Feet	1973	TV Movie	Captain Ernie Slade
Set This Town on Fire	1973	TV Movie	Buddy Bates
Night Gallery	1972	TV Series	Roderick Blanco
Pancho Villa	1972		Col. Wilcox
Night of Terror	1972	TV Movie	Brian DiPaulo
The Proud and Damned	1972		Will Hansen
Embassy	1972		Kesten
The Birdmen	1971	TV Movie	Colonel Morgan Crawford
Support Your Local Gunfighter	1971		'Swifty' Morgan (uncredited)
The Devil's Backbone	1971		Reynolds
The Name of the Game	1971	TV Series	Governor Brill
The Virginian	1971	TV Series	Gustaveson
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City	1969		Senator Robert Fraser
Kill Them All and Come Back Alone	1968		Clyde McKay
Cowboy in Africa	1967-1968	TV Series	Jim Sinclair
Branded	1965-1966	TV Series	Jason McCord
Ride Beyond Vengeance	1966		Jonas Trapp, the Tiger
Synanon	1965		Ben
Arrest and Trial	1963-1964	TV Series	John Egan
Move Over, Darling	1963		Stephen 'Adam' Burkett
Flipper	1963		Porter Ricks
The Rifleman	1958-1963	TV Series	Lucas McCain / Earl Bantry
Geronimo	1962		Geronimo
The DuPont Show with June Allyson	1960	TV Series	George Aswell
The Big Country	1958		Buck Hannassey
The Adventures of Jim Bowie	1958	TV Series	Cephas K. Ham
Zane Grey Theater	1958	TV Series	Lucas McCain
Love That Jill	1958	TV Series	Cliff
Date with the Angels	1958	TV Series	Stacey L. Stacey
Hey, Jeannie!	1958	TV Series	Buck Matthews
Old Yeller	1957		Burn Sanderson
The Restless Gun	1957	TV Series	Toby Yeager
The Lady Takes a Flyer	1957		Phil Donahoe
Wagon Train	1957	TV Series	Private John Sumter
General Electric Theater	1954-1957	TV Series	Long Jack / Soldier
The Silent Service	1957	TV Series	Liddell
The Hired Gun	1957		Judd Farrow
Death in Small Doses	1957		Mink Reynolds
Tales of Wells Fargo	1957	TV Series	Sam Bass / Button Smith / Pete Johnson
Designing Woman	1957		Johnnie 'O'
The Millionaire	1957	TV Series	Hub Grimes
Tomahawk Trail	1957		Sgt. Wade McCoy
Big-Foot Wallace	1957	TV Movie	Big Foot Wallace
The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna	1956	TV Series	Ooma
West Point	1956	TV Series	Maj. Neilson / Maj. Nielson
Crossroads	1956	TV Series	Lou Brissie
The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial	1956	TV Series	Andy
Hold Back the Night	1956		Sgt. Ekland
Climax!	1956	TV Series
Hot Rod Girl	1956		Det. Ben Merrill
Gunsmoke	1956	TV Series	Sam Keeler
Walk the Dark Street	1956		Frank Garrick
The Star and the Story	1955-1956	TV Series	Attendant / Harry Frazier
Frontier	1956	TV Series	Thorpe Henderson
Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre	1956	TV Series	Officer Handley
Cavalcade of America	1955	TV Series	Harry
Matinee Theatre	1955	TV Series
Good Morning, Miss Dove	1955		Bill Holloway
Screen Directors Playhouse	1955	TV Series	Art Shirley
Three Stripes in the Sun	1955		Idaho Johnson
Target Zero	1955		Pvt. Moose
Adventures of Superman	1955	TV Series	Sylvester J. Superman
Schlitz Playhouse	1955	TV Series	Stanley O'Connor
Private Secretary	1955	TV Series	Mr. Neanderthal
TV Reader's Digest	1955	TV Series	Charlie Masters
City Detective	1955	TV Series	Sam
Four Star Playhouse	1954-1955	TV Series	Stan / Mervyn
The Loretta Young Show	1955	TV Series	Jess Hayes
Big Town	1954	TV Series
Naked Alibi	1954		Capt. Owen Kincaide
The Human Jungle	1954		Earl Swados
Dear Phoebe	1954	TV Series	Rocky
Dragonfly Squadron	1954		Capt. Warnowski
South Sea Woman	1953		Pvt. Davey White
Code Two	1953		Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
Trouble Along the Way	1953		Stan Schwegler
The Silver Whip	1953		Minor Role (uncredited)
Your Jeweler's Showcase	1953	TV Series
Pat and Mike	1952		Police Captain
Wake Island	1942		Soldier in meal queue (uncredited)

Writer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Branded	1966	TV Series story - 2 episodes
The Rifleman		TV Series story - 3 episodes, 1959 - 1961 story idea - 1 episode, 1959

Director

Title	Year	Status	Character
There Was a Little Girl	1982	as Martin Herbert

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
Later with Bob Costas	1989	TV Series	Himself
The Pat Sajak Show	1989	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The Late Show	1987	TV Series	Himself - Guest
All-Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan	1985	TV Special	Himself
Our Time	1985	TV Series	Himself
The Steel Collar Man	1985	TV Special	J.G. Willis
The Great Mysteries of Hollywood	1981	TV Series documentary	Himself - Host
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion	1979	TV Movie documentary	Himself
ABC's Silver Anniversary Celebration	1978	TV Special	Himself
NBC Special Treat	1976	TV Series	Himself - Host
The Dean Martin Show	1974	TV Series	Himself
Chuck Connors in the U.S.S.R.	1973	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour	1973	TV Series	Himself / Various Characters
Thrill Seekers	1973	TV Series	Himself - Host
The David Frost Show	1971	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Once Upon a Wheel	1971	Documentary	Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	1971	TV Series	Himself
The Don Knotts Show	1970	TV Series	Himself
The Merv Griffin Show	1967-1970	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The Joey Bishop Show	1967-1969	TV Series	Himself / Himself - Guest Host
The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show	1968	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The Don Rickles Show	1968	TV Series	Himself
The Jackie Gleason Show	1968	TV Series	Himself
Western, Italian Style	1968	TV Short documentary	Himself
Dateline: Hollywood	1967	TV Series	Himself
The Mike Douglas Show	1966	TV Series	Himself - Guest Host
The Hero	1966	TV Series	Himself
76th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade	1965	TV Movie	Himself
Here's Hollywood	1961-1962	TV Series	Himself
Password All-Stars	1961	TV Series	Himself
Person to Person	1961	TV Series documentary	Himself
The Chevy Show	1960	TV Series	Himself
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show	1960	TV Series	Himself
What's My Line?	1959-1960	TV Series	Himself - Guest Panelist
The 12th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards	1960	TV Special	Himself
The Big Party	1959	TV Series	Himself
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show	1958	TV Series	Himself
The Ed Sullivan Show	1957	TV Series	Himself
Boy with a Knife	1956	Documentary short	Bud Williams (uncredited)

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Longhorns	2011		Lucas McCain (uncredited)
Here's Harry: Remembering Gale Gordon	2011	Video documentary short	Clip from 'Here's Lucy'
Pioneers of Television	2011	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself / Lucas McCain from Rifleman
The Western World of Ferdinando Baldi	2005	Video documentary	Himself
Images of Indians: How Hollywood Stereotyped the Native American	2003	TV Movie documentary	Himself / Sgt. Wade McCoy (from Tomahawk Trail (1957)) (uncredited)
K.D. Lang Talks with Percy Adlon About 'Percy Adlon's Salmonberries': 11 Years Later	2001	Video documentary short	Bingo Chuck (uncredited)
Television: The First Fifty Years	1999	Video documentary	Lucas McCain
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter	1982	TV Movie documentary	Actor - 'Move Over Darling' (uncredited)
The Best of Sex and Violence	1982	Documentary uncredited
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	1980	TV Series	Burn Sanderson
Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations	1966		Jason McCord
Broken Sabre	1965		Jason McCord

Awards

Won Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
1984	Golden Boot	Golden Boot Awards
1984	Star on the Walk of Fame	Walk of Fame	Television	On 18 July 1984. At 6838 Hollywood Blvd.