Russell Hayden
Russell "Lucky" Hayden (June 12, 1912, Chico, California-June 9, 1981, Palm Springs, California) was an American film and television actor.
He was born as Pate Lucid, son of Francis J. and Minnie Harvey Lucid, but later took the name Russell Hayden in honor of his friend, cameraman Russell Harlan.
Early life
Hayden worked behind the scenes in films in jobs such as sound recorder, film cutter, and assistant cameraman before he became an actor in the mid-1930s. In the beginning of his acting career, he mainly starred in westerns and was voted one of the Top Ten cowboy stars.
He played Lucky Jenkins, one of a trio of heroes in the Hopalong Cassidy westerns starring William Boyd, then co-starred with Charles Starrett in other westerns. In 1947, he played both the main hero and villain in the film Trail of the Mounties. In 1950, Hayden appeared as "Marshal #1" in several episodes of the live-broadcast and short-lived ABC series The Marshal of Gunsight Pass. In the 1952-1953 season, Hayden teamed with Jackie Coogan (1914–1984), a former child actor in the 39-episode syndicated series Cowboy G-Men. In the late 1950s, he produced and directed two syndicated western series, 26 Men, starring Tristram Coffin, and Judge Roy Bean, with Edgar Buchanan and Jack Buetel. Hayden also appeared as Steve, a Texas Ranger, in Judge Roy Bean.
Hayden and fellow western actor Dick Curtis helped to develop Pioneertown, a western movie set near Palm Springs, which has been used in many western films and television episodes. He is buried in Chatsworth, California's Oakwood Memorial Park.
