Robert Horton, an actor who was most well-known for starring on television Westerns including “Wagon Train,” has died. Horton, who was 91, died March 9 at a clinic in Los Angeles, California. No cause of death was available. From 1957 to 1962, Horton played Flint McCullough on “Wagon Train” alongside Ward Bond.
Robert Horton, a ruggedly handsome actor who found television stardom in 1957 as the scout Flint McCullough on “ Wagon Train ” but who resisted being typecast in westerns as he pursued a parallel career as a singer, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 91.
Robert Horton, the actor, who has died aged 91, won legions of female fans in the role of frontier scout Flint McCullough on Wagon Train (1957-65), a television western series that became a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
Where was Horton born?
One of two sons, Horton was born as Meade Howard Horton Jr. on July 29, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. He was the son of Meade Howard Horton and Chetta McMurrin. Horton said that he never felt he fitted into his proper Mormon household because at times he was rather impetuous.
They divorced just three years later, in 1956. On December 31, 1960, Horton married actress Marilynn Bradley, who limited her professional appearances on stage to performing with him. Horton and his wife lived in Encino, California in the same home for 55 years, until 2015.
Horton appeared on seven episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including memorably as a tennis-playing bookie and blackmailer opposite Betsy von Furstenberg in “The Disappearing Trick”, directed by Arthur Hiller.
In the 1960s, Horton made two 45 RPM singles on the Columbia Records label: “ The Very Thought of You “/” Hey There ” and “ King of the Road “/”Julie “. The former’s A-side was also the title track of an album he released on the same label.
Horton was an accomplished pilot and aircraft owner. According to Plane and Pilot : His three greatest thrills were his first solo flight, a performance before Queen Elizabeth II, and being featured on Ralph Edwards ‘ This Is Your Life. His frequent co-pilot was his French Poodle, “Jamie”.
Horton in Wagon Train. His role on Wagon Train was taken by Robert Fuller as the scout Cooper Smith. Fuller, a veteran of the western series Laramie, resembled Horton, and the two actors coincidentally shared the same birthday, albeit nine years apart.
From 1983 to 1984, Horton took a turn in daytime soap operas, playing the part of Whit McColl on As the World Turns.
Who died in the wagon train?
Robert Horton, ‘Wagon Train’ Actor, Dies at 91. Robert Horton, known for his role as scout Flint McCullough in the Emmy-nominated series “Wagon Train,” died March 9 in Los Angeles, his niece Joan Evans told the New York Times. He was 91.
He also recorded albums and performed in nightclubs during his tenure on “Wagon Train.”. After being medically discharged from the Coast Guard in 1943, Horton made his screen acting debut in an uncredited part in the 1945 WWII drama “A Walk in the Sun.”. Horton is survived by his wife Marilynn. Comments.
Why did Horton play in a man called Shenandoah?
Mr. Horton said he accepted the part because he saw the show’s story as more interesting than that of a typical western.
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In 1945, a chance encounter with a talent scout led to an uncredited part in Lewis Milestone’s World War II film “A Walk in the Sun .” Mr. Horton’s parents were not pleased. “I rushed in and said, ‘Dad, I’ve got a part in this picture!’”. Mr. Horton recalled.
He returned to California and appeared in the movie “Apache War Smoke” in 1952. Mr. Horton acted in six more pictures for MGM and appeared on television shows like “The Lone Ranger” and “The Public Defender” before winning the part on “Wagon Train.”. He married the former Marilynn Bradley in 1960.
