He first became known for his work in television, appearing in the co-starring role of William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid) in the 19601962 NBC television series The Tall Man and as Emmett Ryker in another NBC Western series, The Virginian. William Martin Gulager was born on Nov. 16, 1928, in Holdenville, a woodsy town about 75 miles outside of Oklahoma City. So I tried to go along with that.. But they left that on because they thought that show was historically accurate.. The Killers was intended to be one of the early made-for-TV movies as part of a Project 120 series of films that did not reach the airwaves,[11] but NBC cited it too violent for broadcast; Universal released the film theatrically instead. So I tried to go along with that.. The Virginian. He appeared in more than 100 episodes from 1963 to 1968. Gulager is one of several "Oklahoma Walk of Fame" members represented on medallions in front of Tulsa's Circle Cinema. We need to laugh, we need to be scared, we need to hug our girl in the He first became known for his work in television, appearing in the co-starring role of William H. Bonney (BillytheKid) in the 19601962 NBC televisionseries TheTallMan and as Emmett Ryker in another NBC Western series, TheVirginian. Dune: Part Two: An Exclusive First Look at the Sagas Epic Conclusion, Why Tucker Carlsons Exit From Fox News Looks Like an Execution, Prince Harry and Prince William Reportedly Still Havent Talked After Spare, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now, From the Archive: Seduced and Abandoned (2014), 2023 Cond Nast. Gulager directed the short film A Day with the Boys, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. William Martin Gulager (/ulr/; November 16, 1928 August 5, 2022), better known as Clu Gulager, was an American television and film actor and director Gulager was married to singer-actress Miriam Byrd-Nethery until her death in 2003. I played a character on that called Mad Dog Coll [in 1959] where I shot a horse in a horse race, killed a little boy in Brooklyn and cut off a bartenders fingers. Born William Martin Gulager in 1928, in Holdenville, Oklahoma, the actor racked up more than 165 credits during his storied career of nearly seven decades. In 1981, he co-starred as Angela Channing's long-suffering nephew Chase Gioberti, opposite Oscar Award-winner Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, William R. Moses, and Jamie Rose, in the pilot episode of The Vintage Years, which was later retooled as the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest. Gulager died of natural causes at the LosAngeles home of his son John on August 5, 2022. In 2005, he appeared in the horror film Feast, as well as its sequels. Thanks for contacting us. They wed in 1952 and had two children: John (born 1957) and Tom (born 1965) The couple was married for more than 50 years until her death in 2003 from cancer. He also appeared several times on NBC's Bonanza. Clu Gulager, a prominent actor in classic Westerns, horror films, and other genres in television and film since the 1950s, has died from natural causes surrounded by family at the age of 93. I rode the fences [around cattle] in the winter, and in the summer, I was out in the field, watching out for rattlesnakes, Gulager said in a 2019 interview. We've received your submission. I was broke when I stepped onto [that show], he said in 2014. He directed A Day With the Boys (1969), which was nominated for the Palme dOr for best short film at Cannes and lensed by the great Lszl Kovcs and taught acting from a workshop in Hollywood. By Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images The Oklahoma native appeared in television's Golden Age, and last worked with Quentin Tarantino. Clu Gulager, a much-beloved character actor with a career lasting over sixty years, has died, according to the social media arm of the New Beverly Cinema, an organization with which he was closely affiliated. He grew up on his uncle's ranch as a cowhand and when he was old enough he joined the United States Marine Corps for a stint from 1946-1948. I thought I was kind of above that. [4][5], His Cherokee nickname was given to him by his father for the clu-clu birds (known in English as martins,[4] like his middle name) that were nesting at the Gulager home at the time of his birth. From celebrity gossips and facts to movie updates, we aspire to accustom audiences to better content around the world. Gulager was born in Holdenville,Oklahoma, on November 16, 1928, the son of John Delancy Gulager, who had been an actor before settling down to practice law in nearby Muskogee. Later, he played a shotgun-toting bartender in the horror film Feast (2005) and its two straight-to-video sequels, then worked in Piranha 3DD (2012). He later had a second career as a horror film actor, including a lead part in Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead (1985). His father, John, was a Broadway actor who became a county judge, and his mother, Hazel, worked for the Veterans Administration. The Oklahoma cowboy portrayed Billy the Kid as a nice guy It lightens the load of this crummy life. There's not much happiness in In the fall of 1959, he appeared in the episode "The Temple of the Swinging Doll" of NBC's short-lived espionage drama FiveFingers, starring DavidHedison.[10]. He was winemaker Chase Gioberti in the 1981 pilot for Falcon Crest but replaced by Robert Foxworth when the show was picked up by CBS. In 2005 he started acting in his son's horror films the Feasts films and Piranha 3DD in his 80s. Well, I could play a cowboy, and it was easy for me to ride a pony and wear a hat., Future Universal and Columbia Pictures boss Frank Price, who had produced and wrote for The Tall Man, hired Gulager for The Virginian. Clu Gulager, a veteran character actor for nearly 70 years and 165 credits, has died. Indeed, that theaters owner, Quentin Tarantino cast him in his final performance, as the clerk who gives Margot Robbies Sharon Tate the copy of Tess of the dUrbevilles. [7] After attending NortheasternStateUniversity in Tahlequah,Oklahoma, Gulager transferred to the Baptist-affiliated BaylorUniversity in Waco,Texas, where he graduated. My Nightmare on Elm Street, Michener, Judith "Gulager, William Martin (1928 ),", "THE TALL MAN - getTV Interview with Clu Gulager", "Celebrating Seniors Clu Gulager is 88, Part 1", "Clu Gulager was insecure once, but not uncertain", "www.falconcrest.org Deutscher FALCON CREST Fanclub / German FALCON CREST Fan Club", "Why Tangerine Is the Most Unlikely Hit of the Year", "Clu Gulager, Actor in 'The Virginian,' 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Return of the Living Dead,' Dies at 93", "Clu Gulager, 'The Virginian' and 'Return of the Living Dead' Actor, Dies at 93", "Clu Gulager Dies: Veteran Horror Film Actor In 'Return Of The Living Dead' Was 93", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Gulager, Clu, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clu_Gulager&oldid=1152161249, Articles needing additional references from August 2022, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest from February 2019, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles needing additional references from February 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Frank Clinton / D.W. Donnelly / Jack Brody, Father Terrence Devlin / Captain Thomas G. Horton. Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? I had to ask Frank Price, who ran it, for a job. In 1961, Gulager guest-starred in another NBC Western, WhisperingSmith, AudieMurphy's only attempt at series television. But they left that on because they thought that show was historically accurate.. fun during a picture but there's also a great deal of creative pain Gulager got his start in Hollywood after he was cast as an extra in a variety of television shows in the late '50s before he eventually secured a regular roles on TV westerns as Billy the Kid in The Tall Man (1960-1962) and Sheriff Emmett Ryker in The Virginian (1963-1968). They Refused to Fight for Russia. Gulager also played the boss of Susan Sarandon in a 1977 film drama, The Other Side of Midnight. I didnt especially want to do it, herecalledin a 2017 interview with Tulsa World. There may be those joy boys and joy girls who claim that Clu Gulager, a veteran actor known for his roles in films like The Last Picture Show and multiple television Westerns, has died. Gulager's first major film role was in Don Siegel's The Killers (1964) with Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan in his only movie role as a villain, followed by a supporting part in the racing film Winning (1969) opposite Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; in Peter Bogdanovich's drama The Last Picture Show (1971); and opposite John Wayne in McQ (1974). [2][3] He was Cherokee, having been an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Clu Gulager attends The Hollywood Show 2014 held at Westin LAX Hotel on April 12, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. In 2005 he started acting in his son's horror films the Feasts films and Piranha 3DD in his 80s. On The Untouchables, he played the role of real-life vicious mob killer Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll. His father John Delancy Gulager, who practiced law, was also a former actor. On October 11, 1959, Gulager appeared as a U.S.Navy sailor in the "Appointment at Eleven" episode of AlfredHitchcockPresents and again as an escaped convict in "Pen Pal" on November 1, 1960. He was good-humored, an avid reader, tender and kind. I don't enjoy acting. Gulager also appeared on such shows as Dr. Kildare; Bonanza; Mannix; Hawaii Five-0; Murder, She Wrote; Walker, Texas Ranger; and The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove and in films including The Other Side of Midnight (1977), A Force of One (1979), Into the Night (1985), Im Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), The Willies (1990) and My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1991). ArtAnd Lots of It, The actor, who plays a Bob Rossesque character in the new comedy. New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy, (June 21, 1952 - January 6, 2003) (her death, 2 children), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. acting is the stuff of life, but I think most artists find that their ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. In 1952, he returned to Baylor. Two seasons later, the series was canceled in part because Congress objected to the notorious outlaw Billy inaccurately being portrayed as a hero to young viewers. All Rights Reserved. The episodes portray Billy as a sympathetic character without resorting to the "misunderstood young man" theme used in such films as TheOutlaw (1943) and TheLeftHandedGun (1958). The couple had two sons, John and Tom, and remained married until her death in 2003.[2]. Equally comfortable chasing outlaws on horseback and slaying zombies, versatile character actor, Clu Gulager left his mark on An enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, William Martin "Clu" Gulager was born Nov. 16, 1928, in Gulager stated, "LewWasserman saw me on a Playhouse90 episode where I played an ElvisPresley-type character. Well, I could play a cowboy, and it was easy for me to ride a pony and wear a hat., Future Universal and Columbia Pictures boss Frank Price, who had produced and wrote for The Tall Man, hired Gulager for The Virginian. He starred opposite Barry Sullivan, playing Sheriff Pat Garrett. Those with a compulsion to make During this time he met his wife, actress Miriam Byrd-Nethery. Both men found new careers in B-movies and late night horror films. Clu Gulager, a multifaceted actor known for his roles in The Virginian and The Last Picture Show, has died of natural causes. [7] In the spring of 1959, he signed with MCA-TV, where he appeared as Tommy Pavlock in the episode "The Immigrant" of NBC's series TheLawlessYears, a 1920s crime drama. actor/wr/producer/di/cp. Gulagers performance in The Killers convinced Peter Bogdanovich to cast him as Abilene, the caddish oil-field foreman who made love to Ellen Burstyns character and seduced Cybill Shepherds Jacy Farrow in a deserted pool hall, in The Last Picture Show (1971). WebClu Gulager, a veteran actor known for his roles in the NBC series "The Virginian" and the 1985 horror-comedy "The Return of the Living Dead," has died of natural causes. In the mid-1980s he appeared in The Return of the Living Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddys Revenge. In the 80s, Gulager appeared in several horror films, such as The Initiation (1984) and the zombie comedy The Return of the Living Dead (1985). He grew up an only child on his alcoholic uncle's farm near Tahlequah, OK. Clu (the nickname means "Red Bird") is part Cherokee and is, His father, John Gulager, was a Broadway actor-vaudevillian who worked with. I don't have fun acting. One of the actor's sons, John Gulager, confirmed his death to multiple outlets this morning, includingThe Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times. In 2005, he appeared in the horror film Feast, as well as its sequels. He was 93. John Gulager confirmed the death. He said his fathers health had been in decline since he suffered a back injury several years ago. Mr. Gulagers rough-hewed good looks and Southwestern upbringing made him a natural for the westerns that proliferated on television in the 1950s and 60s. One of the actor's sons, John Gulager, confirmed his death to multiple outlets this morning, including The The Oklahoma native appeared in television's Golden Age, and last worked with Quentin Tarantino. He was also a featured player in director JohnLandis' darkly comedic 1985 film noir satire, IntotheNight, a film rife with insider Hollywood cameos, as an FBI agent who is a courier of a cache of clandestine funds, which he grudgingly delivers to secure the safety of the film's two romantic leads (MichellePfeiffer and JeffGoldblum). I was broke when I stepped onto [that show], he said in 2014. To install click the Add extension button. Gulager directed the short film A Day with the Boys, which was nominated for the Palmed'Or for Best Short Film at the 1969 CannesFilmFestival. With news of his passing, he was fondly remembered by cinephiles. He was 93. April 6, 2020. In 1952, he returned to Baylor. the end. She modified into as soon as a singer and an actor. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 15:48. He fired an actor off the set and hired me. The episode is a tale of intrigue involving the TexasRevolution. I was a cowboy from Oklahoma. He was married to singer-actress Miriam Byrd-Nethery from 1952 until her 2003 death. Had I known he had fired someone, I would not have accepted the job.. I rode the fences [around cattle] in the winter, and in the summer, I was out in the field, watching out for rattlesnakes, Gulager said in a 2019 interview. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. Clu Gulager, the real-life cowboy from Oklahoma known for his turns on The Tall Man, The Virginian, The Last Picture Show and horror movies including The Return Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter, The Oklahoma cowboy portrayed Billy the Kid as a nice guy in 'The Tall Man' and was bumped off by Ronald Reagan in 'The Killers.'. He was winemaker Chase Gioberti in the 1981 pilot for Falcon Crest but replaced by Robert Foxworth when the show was picked up by CBS. And it turned out, if Im remembered at all, thats what I will be remembered for I killed 18 zombies and then they came back and nuked me!. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly, Smith, Cecil. And then later on, you move on and something comes over you, and you want to be an actor. Gulagers performance in The Killers convinced Peter Bogdanovich to cast him as Abilene, the caddish oil-field foreman who made love to Ellen Burstyns character and seduced Cybill Shepherds Jacy Farrow in a deserted pool hall, in The Last Picture Show (1971). The Killers was intended to be one of the early made-for-TVmovies as part of a Project 120 series of films that did not reach the airwaves,[11] but NBC cited it too violent for broadcast; Universal released the film theatrically instead. Gulager was hailed for his utterly chilling performance as the psychopathic Coll. It was a job he was hesitant to accept, he said. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. In 1965, McClure appeared in Shenandoah, a film on which starred Rosemary Forsyth, Katharine Ross, Patrick Wayne, Glenn Corbett, and James Stewart. WebSee Clu Gulager full list of movies and tv shows from their career. best of circumstances, almost a killing kind of process. On June 19, 1952, he married fellow actor MiriamByrd-Nethery. Clu Gulager, a multifaceted actor known for his roles in The Virginian and The Last Picture Show, has died of natural causes. In 2005, Gulager appeared as a shotgun-toting bartender in Feast, followed by the film's two sequels, Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (2008), and Feast III: The Happy Finish (2009), all of which were directed by his son, John. He worked in live television in New York on such programs as Omnibus, The United States Steel Hour and Goodyear Playhouse before moving to Los Angeles in 1959. Congratulations on this excellent venture what a great idea! The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. In the eyes of not just Beholders, it is a Critical Hit! 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. In 1977, long after his role on The Virginian, he appeared in Rod Taylor's unsuccessful NBC Western series, The Oregon Trail, in the episode "The Army Deserter". And then later on, you move on and something comes over you, and you want to be an actor. William Martin Gulager was born on Nov. 16, 1928, in Holdenville, a woodsy town about 75 miles outside of Oklahoma City. He fired an actor off the set and hired me. Gulager portrayed Deputy Sheriff Emmett Ryker from 1964 to 1968 on The Virginian, the 90-minute Western series in which he starred with James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, Roberta Shore, Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, and Diane Roter. The news was confirmed by Diane Goldner, Gulagers daughter-in-law, in a family statement posted on Facebook on Saturday. It was a job he was hesitant to accept, he said. Late in 1959, he was cast as Beau Chandler in the episode "Jessie Quinn" of the NBC Western series Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds. In 1958 he appeared as Roy Carter in the episode "The Return of Roy Carter" (written by Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek) in the Western television series Have Gun Will Travel starring Richard Boone. He appeared with James Drury and Doug McClure on more than 50 episodes before departing in 1968. In the fall of 1959, he appeared in the episode "The Temple of the Swinging Doll" of NBC's short-lived espionage drama Five Fingers, starring David Hedison.[10]. I thought I was kind of above that. Gulager also appeared on such shows as Dr. Kildare; Bonanza; Mannix; Hawaii Five-0; Murder, She Wrote; Walker, Texas Ranger; and The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove and in films including The Other Side of Midnight (1977), A Force of One (1979), Into the Night (1985), Im Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), The Willies (1990) and My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1991).