Walter Darwin Coy (January 31, 1909 – December 11, 1974) was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, arguably most well known as the brother of John Wayne's character in The Searchers (1956).
Walter Coy
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Coy in Frontier, 1955.
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| Born | Walter Darrwin Coy (1909-01-31)January 31, 1909 |
| Died | December 11, 1974(1974-12-11) (aged 65) |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–1974 |
| Spouses |
Pamela Gillespie
(m. 1948; div. 1961)Ruth E. Harburger
(m. 1969; div. 1971) |
| Children | 3 |
Originally from Great Falls, Montana, Coy was the son of Theodore Coy, who had a furniture store. The family moved to Seattle, Washington, around 1923.[1] He played varsity football at the University of Washington[2] and majored in dramatics.[1]
Before Coy became an actor, he worked at salmon canneries in Alaska. In 1929, he moved to New York. During World War II, he served in the Army.[1]
Coy performed on Broadway from 1930 to 1948.[3] He appeared in several early Group Theatre productions.[4] He was the first actor to play Lone Wolf on the radio series of the same name.[5]
Of the 31 Frontier episodes, 16 are narrated by Coy:
Coy also appeared on Jim Davis' western anthology series, Stories of the Century in the role of Sam Clayton in the 1954 episode entitled "Tom Horn," an account of the western lawman-turned outlaw Tom Horn. He appeared on many other western television programs, including Cheyenne, Bronco, Cimarron City, The Lone Ranger, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (one episode as Ben Thompson), Shotgun Slade, The Deputy, Bonanza, Bat Masterson, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Trackdown, Tales of Wells Fargo, Yancy Derringer, Laramie, Two Faces West, Lawman, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Restless Gun, The Rough Riders, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, Pony Express, Rawhide, Mackenzie's Raiders, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Texan, The Man from Blackhawk, Hotel de Paree, Overland Trail, Maverick, The Virginian, The Big Valley, Bat Masterson, Laredo, The Outcasts, Wagon Train (five times), and Robert Conrad's The Wild Wild West.
Coy portrayed Jason Farrel in the ABC soap opera Flame in the Wind (1965),[6] King Zorvac in the syndicated science fiction series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1954)[7]: 905 and Jason in the ABC serial A Time for Us.[7]: 1085
Other guest-starring roles in drama include Crusader, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, Crossroads, Whirlybirds, U.S. Marshal, Rescue 8, The Lineup, East Side/West Side, Mr. Adams and Eve, Mike Hammer, The Defenders, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Navy Log, Tightrope, Lock-Up, Lassie, Ironside, M Squad, and I Spy. Coy also appeared in two comedies, McKeever and the Colonel and Hazel, and was cast in the automotive history movie, The Studebaker Story (1953-uncredited role)
Coy's last television role was as Chief Blackfish on the NBC series Daniel Boone[5] in the 1970 episode "How to Become a Goddess".
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Rawhide | Lem Trager | S3:E25, "Incident of the Running Man" |
