Brad William Johnson (October 24, 1959 – February 18, 2022) was an American actor, model, real estate agent, and

Marlboro Man The Marlboro Man is a figure that was used in tobacco advertising campaigns for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. ...

Biography

Johnson was born in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, the son of Grove and Virginia Johnson. The family moved to

Grants Pass, Oregon Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, along the Rogue River. The population was 39,189 at the 2020 census. History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunt ...

, and later,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, where Brad graduated high school in 1977. After competing in rodeos as a youth, he began his professional rodeo career in 1984 and was discovered by a movie scout looking for cowboys to star in a beer commercial. This led to his stint as the

and modeling gigs for

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

before he started acting. His first role was in a 1986 episode of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

soap opera ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

''. His first film credit was in the low-budget biker film ''

Nam Angels ''Nam Angels'' is a 1989 Philippine biker Vietnam war film directed by Cirio H. Santiago and written by Dan Gagliasso. The film was released in West Germany as ''Hell's Angels in Vietnam''. Plot During the Vietnam War an American patrol engag ...

'' (1989), and shortly after he had his first co-starring role, in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's 1989 film ''

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...

''. Other films included '' Flight of the Intruder'', ''

Philadelphia Experiment II ''Philadelphia Experiment II'' (also known as ''Philadelphia Experiment 2'') is a 1993 American science fiction film. It is the sequel to '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984), with an entirely new cast and only two characters returning. It ...

'', '' The Birds II: Land's End'', ''

Copperhead Copperhead may refer to: Snakes * ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America * '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...

'' and '' Supergator''. He played

Rayford Steele Rayford Steele is a fictional character and the ''de facto'' protagonist in the ''Left Behind'' series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. He is the leader of the group known as the Tribulation Force, and is the most fully developed ch ...

in the ''Left Behind'' film series and played Dr. Dominick O'Malley on ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

''. His work as an actor and as a Marlboro Man — one of a succession used by the brand — brought Johnson and his wife, Laurie, to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. They eventually moved their family to a ranch in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and the

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

mountains before settling in

North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...

. Johnson retired from acting and became a real estate agent. In 2014, he established Johnson Land and Home, LLC, a family owned business with over 25 years of experience in investment, acquisition, marketing, and development of luxury and destination properties, as well as ranch, hunting, and recreational land.

Personal life

Johnson's was married to his wife Laurie, a former model, for 35 years. They had eight children : Shane, Bellamy, Rachel, Eliana, Eden, Rebekah, Annabeth and William. Johnson restored old

Winchester Model 1886 The Winchester Model 1886 was a lever-action repeating rifle designed by John Browning to handle some of the more powerful cartridges of the period. Originally chambered in .45-70, .45-90 WCF, and .40-82 WCF, it was later offered in a half doze ...

rifles before turning to selling ranch real estate in

Death

Johnson died on February 18, 2022, at age 62, of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

complications. His death was publicly announced four months later by his former agent Linda McAlister.

Partial filmography

* 1986 ''

'' as Unknown * 1989 ''

'' as Calhoun * 1989 ''

'' as Ted Baker * 1991 '' Flight of the Intruder'' as Lieutenant Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton * 1992 ''An American Story'' as Major George Meade * 1992 ''

Sketch Artist A sketch (ultimately from Greek σχέδιος – ''schedios'', "done extempore") is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work.Dia ...

'' as Peter * 1993 ''

'' as David Herdeg * 1994 '' The Birds II: Land's End'' as Ted Hocken * 1994 '' Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story'' as Dennis Yaklich * 1995 ''Dominion'' as Harris * 1997 '' Soldier of Fortune, Inc.'' as Major Matthew Quentin Shepherd * 1997 ''

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

'' as Henry Nash * 1999 '' Silk Hope'' as Rubin * 2000 '' Across the Line'' as Sheriff Grant Johnson * 2000 ''

Left Behind ''Left Behind'' is a multimedia franchise that started with a series of 16 bestselling religious novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It focuses on a seven-year conflict between the Tribulation Force, an underground network of converts, a ...

'' as Captain Rayford Steele * 2001 ''

Crossfire Trail ''Crossfire Trail'' is a 2001 American made-for-television western film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Virginia Madsen, and Wilford Brimley. Based on the 1954 Louis L'Amour Western novel of the same name, the film is about a w ...

'' as Beau Dorn * 2001 '' CSI'' as Paul Newsome, District Engineer (3 episodes) * 2002 '' Left Behind II: Tribulation Force'' as Captain Rayford Steele * 2003 ''

Riverworld Riverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). Riverworld is an artificial "Super-Earth" environment where all humans (and pre-humans) are reconstructed. The ...

'' as Jeff Hale * 2004 '' The Robinsons: Lost in Space'' as John Robinson (Unsold pilot) * 2005 '' Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough'' as Jay Clifton * 2005 '' Alien Siege'' as Dr. Stephen Chase * 2005 '' Left Behind: World at War'' as Captain Rayford Steele * 2007 '' Safe Harbour'' as Matt Bowles * 2007 '' Supergator'' as Professor Scott Kinney * 2008 ''

'' as Bill "Wild Bill" Longley * 2008 ''

Comanche Moon ''Comanche Moon'' (1997) is a western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the fourth and final book he published in the ''Lonesome Dove'' series. In terms of chronology, it is the second installment of the narrative. A Comanche Moon ...

'' (2008, TV Mini-Series) as Colonel Tom Soult * 2015 ''Nail 32'' as Old Jasper "Buck" Livingston

References

External links

*
Johnson Land and Home
LLC Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Brad 1959 births 2022 deaths American male film actors Male models from Arizona American male television actors Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Tucson, Arizona 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas