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Mead Howard "Robert" Horton Jr. (July 29, 1924 – March 9, 2016) was an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Flint McCullough in ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American western (genre), Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on American Broadcasting Company, ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, ...
'' (1957–1962).


Early life

One of two sons, Mead Howard Horton Jr. was born on July 29, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Mead Howard Horton Sr. and Chelta McMurrin. Horton said that he never felt he fitted into his proper
Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
household because at times he was rather impetuous. He survived several surgeries in childhood, including hernia repair and treatment for an enlarged kidney. Horton attended California Military Institute in Perris, where he played football. After graduation in 1943 at age 19, he enlisted in the
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
, but was medically discharged because of his kidney. In 1945, a chance encounter with a talent scout led to an uncredited part in
Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan- American film director. He is known for directing ''Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and '' All Quiet on the West ...
's film '' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945). He first studied dramatics at the University of Miami but later changed schools and graduated
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
from
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. He relocated from California to New York City, where he worked as a struggling actor, before returning to California. At age 28, Horton signed a contract with
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
, appearing in films. It was there where he met younger actors Robert Fuller and
James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 t ...
, who both became Horton's lifelong friends.


Career

Horton's experience on stage included work with the
American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...
in New York City, where he was the "resident leading man". From that, he was signed to a contract with MGM Studios, where he "appeared in numerous films." His "first major TV role" was in ''
Ford Theatre ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...
'' in the episode "Portrait of Lydia" on December 16, 1954. In his six decades of television, Horton, who became known for his voice, was most noted for his role as the frontier scout Flint McCullough in the television series ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American western (genre), Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on American Broadcasting Company, ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, ...
'' from 1957 to 1962. His co-stars were
Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Ber ...
,
John McIntire John Herrick McIntire (June 27, 1907 – January 30, 1991) was an American character actor who appeared in 65 theatrical films and many television series. McIntire is well known for having replaced Ward Bond, upon Bond's sudden death in Nove ...
, Terry Wilson, and Frank McGrath. He eventually quit the series to pursue a career in musical theater. 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. Horton played Drake McHugh,Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. , p. 567. Ronald Reagan's role in the television version of ''
Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Wo ...
'' (1955), which featured Jack Kelly, and ran for seven episodes as part of the '' Warner Bros. Presents'' series, rotating with a television version of ''
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
'' and ''
Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
'', starring
Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/Warner Bros. western series ''Cheyenne'' from 1955 to 1963. Early life Clint Walker was born Norman Eugene Wal ...
. The ruggedly handsome Horton made dozens of appearances in movies and television shows between 1951 and 1989, including a small role in the film ''
Bright Road ''Bright Road'' is a 1953 low-budget film adapted from the Christopher Award-winning short story "See How They Run" by Mary Elizabeth Vroman. Directed by Gerald Mayer and featuring a nearly all-black cast, the film stars Dorothy Dandridge as an ...
'' starring
Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in '' C ...
, an episode of
Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...
's sitcom '' Meet Mr. McNutley'' and on the syndicated ''
Sheriff of Cochise ''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode runs ...
'', starring
John Bromfield John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield; June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American actor and commercial fisherman. Early years Farron Bromfield was born in South Bend, Indiana. He played football and was a boxing champion at Saint Mar ...
. Horton played Corporal Tom Vaughn in an episode "False Prophet" (1956) on '' Crossroads''. Horton appeared on seven episodes of ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was rena ...
'', including memorably as a tennis-playing insurance investigator and blackmailer opposite
Betsy von Furstenberg Countess Elizabeth Caroline Maria Agatha Felicitas Therese von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (August 16, 1931 – April 21, 2015), known as Betsy von Furstenberg, was a German-born American actress who starred in several Broadway plays, films and tele ...
in "The Disappearing Trick", directed by
Arthur Hiller Arthur Hiller, (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian-American television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By t ...
. He was cast as Danny Barnes in the episode "No Place to Hide" of the''
The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series wa ...
'' as well as appeared on the interview program ''
Here's Hollywood ''Here's Hollywood'' is an American celebrity interview program which aired on weekday afternoons on NBC at 4:30 Eastern time from September 26, 1960, to December 28, 1962. Overview In the first season, the interviews were conducted by Dean Mill ...
'' and NBC's anthology series ''
The Barbara Stanwyck Show ''The Barbara Stanwyck Show'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four in which ...
''. He appeared several times on '' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford''. In the 1960s, Horton made two 45 RPM singles on the Columbia Records label: "
The Very Thought of You "The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. This ...
"/"
Hey There "Hey There" is a show tune from the musical play ''The Pajama Game,'' written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It was published in 1954. It was introduced by John Raitt in the original production. In the show, Sid sings it to a recording devic ...
" 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 performed for many years in theaters and nightclubs all over America, and in Australia as a singer (sometimes with his wife, the former Marilynn Bradley). In 1963, producer
David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gradua ...
hired him as the male lead in the musical version of N. Richard Nash's play '' The Rainmaker'' (titled ''
110 in the Shade ''110 in the Shade'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt. Based on Nash's 1954 play '' The Rainmaker'', it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwes ...
''),. The musical, with a score by Tom Jones and
Harvey Schmidt Harvey Lester Schmidt (September 12, 1929 – February 28, 2018) was an American composer for musical theatre and illustrator. He was best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, ''The Fantasticks'', which ran off ...
, ran for 330 performances on Broadway. Horton is also remembered for his offbeat role as an amnesiac in the 1965–1966 television series ''
A Man Called Shenandoah ''A Man Called Shenandoah'' is an American western series that aired Monday evenings on ABC-TV from September 13, 1965 to May 16, 1966. It was produced by MGM Television. Some of the location work for the 34 half-hour black and white episodes we ...
''. In 1966, he starred in ''The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones'', the first Western made specifically for television and simultaneous distribution to cinemas in Europe. It was made by MGM and co-starred
Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination f ...
and
Diane Baker Diane Carol Baker is an American actress, producer and educator who has appeared in motion pictures and on television since 1959. Early life Baker was born in 1938 at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California a ...
. In 1968, two years later, Horton co-starred in '' The Green Slime'', a low-budget Japanese-American science fiction film, directed by
Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking," Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty yakuza films, typified by the ''Battles Without Honor ...
and shot entirely in Japan, but with an American and European cast. His character Jack Rankin leads the crew of a space station in a battle for survival against one-eyed tentacled aliens that rapidly multiply as they feed on the station's sources of electricity. From 1983 to 1984, Horton took a turn in daytime soap operas, playing the part of Whit McColl on ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an United States, American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show t ...
''.


Personal life

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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, and being featured on
Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
' '' This Is Your Life''. His frequent co-pilot was his French Poodle, "Jamie". Initially a Republican, he supported the campaign of
Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
during the 1952 presidential election.


Marriages

Horton was first married to Mary Catherine Jobe in 1946; they divorced in 1950. He then married actress
Barbara Ruick Barbara Ruick (December 23, 1930 – March 3, 1974) was an American actress and singer. Early years Ruick was the daughter of actors Lurene Tuttle and Melville Ruick, and grew up acting out scenes with dolls, employing her mother as an ...
on August 22, 1953 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Following his 85th birthday in 2009, Horton announced, through his publicist, that he no longer would be making any personal appearances because he had tired of traveling.


Awards

He was the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards for television, including the Golden Boot in 2004, and also the Cowboy Spirit Award at the National Festival of the West. On his 90th birthday, he received the Western Legend Award.


Death

Horton died of natural causes on March 9, 2016 at the age of 91 in a rehabilitation clinic in Los Angeles, California. According to his niece, he was injured in a fall in November 2015, and was placed in hospice care. At his request, he did not have a funeral. His remains were cremated.


Filmography


References


External links

* *
Official site

Obituary – Playbill


{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Robert 1924 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male actors American Latter Day Saints American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors California Republicans Male actors from Los Angeles Male Western (genre) film actors United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II Western (genre) television actors