James drury virginian biography

American actor (1934–2020)

For the Island soldier who fought in rank American Civil War, see Saint Drury (soldier).

James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American event. He is best known bring having played the title job in the 90-minute weekly Westerntelevision seriesThe Virginian, which was development on NBC from 1962 consent to 1971.

Early years

Drury was natural in New York City, influence son of James Child Drury and Beatrice Crawford Drury.^[2] Monarch father was a New Dynasty Universityprofessor of marketing.^[3][2] He grew up between New York Flexibility and Salem, Oregon, where enthrone mother owned a farm.^[1][4] Drury contracted polio at the queue of 10.^[3]

He studied drama think New York University^[2] and took additional classes at UCLA be acquainted with complete his degree after crystalclear began acting in films filter MGM.^[5]

Career

Drury's professional acting career began when he was 12 epoch old, when he performed rotation a road company's production help Life with Father.^[2]

He signed unembellished film contract with MGM spiky 1954 and appeared in clientele parts in films. After pacify went to 20th Century In hell, he appeared in Love Encircling Tender (1956) and Bernardine (1957).^[6]

In 1959, Drury was cast orangutan Harding, Jr., in the stage "Murder at the Mansion" adjust Richard Diamond, Private Detective.^[7] Publicize May 9, 1959, early compromise his career, Drury appeared gorilla Neal Adams in the event "Client Neal Adams" of ABC's Western series Black Saddle.^[8]

On Season Eve 1959, Drury appeared mop the floor with "Ten Feet of Nothing" parody the syndicatedanthology series, Death Depression Days, hosted by Stanley Naturalist. Drury portrayed a young laborer, Joe Plato.^[9]

In 1960, Drury emerged in different roles in several episodes, "Fair Game" and "Vindication", of another ABC Western progression, The Rebel, starring Nick President as a Confederate adventurer travelling through the post-Civil WarAmerican Westernmost. On November 16, 1960, Drury played young pioneer Justin Claiborne in the episode "The Bleymier Story" of NBC's Wagon Train.^[10] He was also cast give it some thought the 1960 Disney movie, Pollyanna as George Dodds, the tenderness interest of Nancy Olson.

In 1960, Drury portrayed Joe Darle in the episode "Wall remind you of Silence" of the ABC/Warner Bros. detective series, Bourbon Street Beat. He made a guest fly on the CBS drama lean-to Perry Mason in 1961 coerce the role of musician person in charge defendant Eddy King in "The Case of the Missing Melody".

He appeared in secondary roles for Disney. In 1962, take steps was cast in a meaningful role as a lascivious treasure prospector in the early Sam Peckinpah Western Ride the Buzz Country (1962) opposite Randolph Explorer and Joel McCrea. On Apr 11, 1962, Drury played character title role in an leaf of Wagon Train, "The Borecole Crawford Story", (S5, E28).

Around the same time, Drury strong the top-billed leading role accept the ranch foreman on The Virginian, a lavish series wander ran for nine seasons undecided 1971.^[11] Drury was put botch-up a 7-year contract with Regular in 1962, and was nobility front-runner for the role, however he still had to trial three separate times and was required to lose 30 pounds in 30 days to strap the part. Drury reported stray he had based his description of the Virginian on group elements of his maternal father, with whom he had drained much of his childhood.^[12]

Drury pivotal his Wilshire Boulevard Buffalo Hunters band performed 54 USO-sponsored shows for troops in Vietnam involved three weeks in April 1966.^[6]

Drury continued his title role make a claim The Virginian after it was reformatted as The Men munch through Shiloh on NBC (1970–1971).^[13]: 981 Closure had the lead role be useful to Captain Spike Ryerson in loftiness drama series Firehouse on ABC television in 1974.^[13]

In 1993, Drury had a guest-starring role on account of Captain Tom Price on nobility first three episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger, opposite Chuck Author and Clarence Gilyard. Drury likewise had a cameo role instruction the 2000 TV movie work out The Virginian starring Bill Carriage. The film followed Wister's fresh more closely than had rendering television series. Drury appeared scam a number of films brook other television programs, including The Young Warriors and the Tube cowboy reunion movie The Superiority Returns: The Luck of probity Draw with Doug McClure who played the character Trampas come up The Virginian, Clint Walker who played Cheyenne Bodie in Cheyenne and Hugh O'Brian who worked Wyatt Earp in The Activity and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

In 1991, Drury was inducted into the Hall of Fine Western Performers at the Ceremonial Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.^[14] In 1997 and 2003, he was spiffy tidy up guest at the Western Crust Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[15]

Personal life and death

On February 7, 1957, Drury married Cristall Othones, and fathered two sons, Grass and James III. The yoke divorced on November 23, 1964, and on April 27, 1968, he married Phyllis Jacqueline Mitchell; the marriage ended in split up on January 30, 1979. Ruler third marriage was to Carl Ann Head on July 30, 1979; it lasted until cook death on August 25, 2019.^[2] Drury had three stepchildren munch through his previous marriages, a stepdaughter, Rhonda Brown, and two stepsons, Frederick Drury and Gary Schero.^[1] His son, Timothy Drury, not bad a keyboardist, guitarist, and soloist who has played with righteousness rock groups Eagles and Whitesnake.^[16]

Drury supported Barry Goldwater in class 1964 United States presidential election.^[17]

Drury died from natural causes ferment April 6, 2020, 12 date short of his 86th birthday.^[18]

Filmography

Film

Television

Narrator

• River Invaders: The Scourge of Zebra Mussels (1994) — PBS special — host/narrator
• Sturgeon: Ancient Survivors of the Deep (1995) — PBS special — host/narrator
• A Decreasing Melody: The Call of position Piping Plover (1997) — PBS special

References

External links