John Pickard (American actor)
| John M. Pickard | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 25, 1913 Lascassas Rutherford County Tennessee, USA |
| Died | August 4, 1993 (aged 80) Rutherford County, Tennessee |
| Other names | Jack Pickard |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–1987 |
| Spouse | Ann M. Pickard |
John M. Pickard (June 25, 1913 – August 4, 1993)[1] was an American actor who appeared primarily in television Westerns.
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[edit] Early life and career
Pickard was born in Lascassas in Rutherford County, near Murfreesboro in central Tennessee. He graduated from the Nashville Conservatory in Nashville, Tennessee. His first acting roles were small parts in films, mostly uncredited, beginning in 1936 as a dueling soldier in the picture Mary of Scotland, based on the 16th century queen, Mary of Scotland.
From 1942 to 1946, Pickard served in the United States Navy, having been the model for naval recruitment posters during World War II. He returned to acting after the war and appeared in supporting roles in scores of Westerns and action dramas before landing the starring role in Boots and Saddles. His second role, also uncredited, came in John Wayne's Wake of the Red Witch (1948).
Pickard's first television guest-starring roles were in crime dramas in 1951 and 1952, respectively -- Racket Squad, with Reed Hadley, and Boston Blackie. In 1954, he guest starred on the legal drama, The Public Defender, again with Reed Hadley, on Stories of the Century, with Jim Davis, and on Hopalong Cassidy. In 1956, Pickard guest starred on on the CBS children’s Western My Friend Flicka. That same year he appeared in the anthology series Navy Log, and in an episode of Dragnet.
From 1957 to 1958, he filled the lead role of Captain Shank Adams of the syndicated series Boots and Saddles. After Boots and Saddles, Pickard guest-starred on many more Westerns including Yancy Derringer, Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Texan, The Rebel, Laramie, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Wild Wild West, and The Virginian. From 1960 to 1975, he appeared in twelve episodes of the long-running Western Gunsmoke.
In addition to roles in Westerns, Pickard also guest starred in several dramatic series including Lassie, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, Perry Mason, Ben Casey, Ironside, Mission: Impossible, and Cannon. In 1969, he appeared as Frank Ross in another John Wayne film, True Grit. Pickard's final on-screen appearances was in an episode of the detective series, Simon & Simon, in 1987.
[edit] Death
On August 4, 1993, Pickard was killed by a bull at the age of eighty on the family farm in Rutherford County, Tennessee. He was survived by his wife, Ann M. Pickard, and one adult child, three grand-children, and numerous great-grandchildren.
[edit] References
- ^ "Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?lastname=PICKARD&firstname=John&start=41. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
