Richard Travis (born William Benton Justice, April 17, 1913 – July 11, 1989) was an American actor in films and television.

Early years

The son of William Justice and Ella Justice, née Spain, he was born in

Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62/180 and 285, and is the principal city ...

and grew up in

Paragould, Arkansas Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...

.1920 United States Census http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=6061&h=84054592&usePUB=true His father owned and operated a marble yard in Paragould. He was a radio announcer and a sportscaster before he became an actor.

Film

Travis began his Hollywood career in 1930s action films. The high point of his career was a supporting role in the 1942 film comedy ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'' (1942), playing opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. He had some other fairly important roles in the early 1940s, but his career soon declined. He spent

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with the Army Air Forces's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

show ''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...

''. In 1947, he starred in the B movie ''Backlash'', which has become something of a cult classic among ''film noir'' fans, as well as ''

Jewels of Brandenburg ''Jewels of Brandenburg'' is a 1947 American crime film directed by Eugene Forde and written by Irving Cummings Jr. and Robert G. North. The film stars Richard Travis (actor), Richard Travis, Micheline Cheirel, Leonard Strong (actor), Leonard Str ...

'', a crime drama.

Television

Travis was busy in television roles in the early 1950s. He had the lead role of assistant Sheriff Rodger Barnett in the syndicated crime drama '' Code 3'', which aired for 39 episodes in 1957.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 198.

Real estate

Travis retired from acting to pursue a career in California real estate under his birth name. He founded the William Justice Company and became an officer on the Beverly Hills Realty Board.

Military service

Travis served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Partial filmography

References

External links

* American male film actors 1913 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American male actors {{US-screen-actor-1910s-stub