Ty Hardin (born Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr.; January 1, 1930August 3, 2017) was an American actor best known as the star of the 1958 to 1962 ABC/ Warner Bros.

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series ''

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

''.

Early life

Hardin was born in New York City, but reared in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, after his family moved to the capital city of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

when he was six months old. His father, an acoustical engineer, left the family four years later. Hardin graduated in 1949 from Lamar High School in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

. A

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

scholarship enabled him to attend Blinn College in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

for one year, and then he went to the

Dallas 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 ...

Bible Institute for one semester. He served in the United States Army during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. He was commissioned after attending

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about from the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, and he became a pilot of Forward Observer

O-1 Bird Dog The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...

liaison aircraft A liaison aircraft (also called an army cooperation aircraft) is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and ...

. He attained the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

. After his return from service, he began taking courses at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

in College Station on a scholarship under Coach

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

, for whom he played tight end.

Acting career

Paramount – "Ty Hungerford"

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

talent scout In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scou ...

discovered Hardin while Hardin attended a costume party. He had rented revolvers from

Western Costume Western Costume is a costume warehouse in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood, California which supplies costumes and costuming supplies to the film and TV industry. One of the oldest businesses in the industry, the company outdates any ...

, a motion picture costume rental company. By 1957, Hardin acquired the services of agent Henry Willson and made his way to Hollywood, where he was put under contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially billed as "Ty Hungerford", he made various minor appearances in several Paramount films, such as '' The Space Children'' (1958), ''

As Young as We Are ''As Young as We Are'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by Bernard Girard and written by Meyer Dolinsky. The film stars Robert Harland, Pippa Scott, Majel Barrett, Ty Hardin, Barry Atwater and Carla Hoffman. The film was released in Sept ...

'' (1958) '' I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' (1958), '' The Buccaneer'' (1958) and ''

Last Train from Gun Hill ''Last Train from Gun Hill'' is a 1959 Western in VistaVision and Technicolor, directed by John Sturges. It stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn and Earl Holliman. Douglas and Holliman had previously appeared together in Sturges' '' Gunfight ...

'' (1959).

Warner Bros. years – ''Bronco''

Hardin tried to obtain a support role in the 1959 film '' Rio Bravo'' that had been promised to singer

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

reportedly saw Hardin while visiting a film set at Paramount and was impressed with Hardin's appearance. Wayne introduced him to

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A ...

and

William T. Orr William T. Orr (born William Ferdinand Quinn Jr.; September 27, 1917December 25, 2002) was an American actor and television producer associated with various Western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. In most of his Warner Bros. series, ...

at Warner Bros. Television; they bargained for his seven-year contract and he moved to Warner Bros., who changed his stage surname to "Hardin", reminiscent of the Texas

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming he ...

. He attended actors' school at Warner Bros. and landed small parts in various Warner productions. When Clint Walker walked out on his ABC series ''

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 enr ...

'' in 1958 during a contract dispute with Warner Bros., Hardin got his big break. Warner bought out Hardin's contract from Paramount Studios and installed him into ''Cheyenne'' for the remainder of the season, as the country cousin "Bronco Layne". Walker and Warner Bros. came to terms after the season ended, but Hardin had made such a big hit on the show that

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

gave him his own series, ''Bronco'', under the Cheyenne title. ''Bronco'' alternated weeks with ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and ''Bronco'' (second season); and ...

'', starring Will Hutchins, and ''Cheyenne'' for four years. The series ran from 1958 to 1962. Hardin guest starred on other Warners shows such as ''Maverick'' and ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...

''. Warners cast Hardin in some films such as ''

Merrill's Marauders Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit ''Galahad'', officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the South ...

'' (1962), where he was second billed to Jeff Chandler; '' The Chapman Report'' (1962); the spring break film ''

Palm Springs Weekend ''Palm Springs Weekend'' is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre ( AIP's '' Beach Party'' became a smash hit in July, while Warner Bros. was still putting this film together ...

'' (1963); '' PT 109''; and ''

Wall of Noise A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the super ...

'' (1963).

International films

When his contract expired, Hardin did ''Guys and Dolls'' in stock. He then left Hollywood to seek opportunity overseas as his series aired all over the world. Like many other American actors, Hardin traveled to Europe, where he made several spaghetti Westerns, including '' Man of the Cursed Valley'' (1964). He appeared in the war film ''

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

'' (1965) shot in Spain, and the Western '' Savage Pampas'' (1966). He had the lead in '' Death on the Run'' (1967). He supported

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

in '' Berserk!'' (1967) and played Captain Reno in ''

Custer of the West ''Custer of the West'' is a 1967 American Western film directed by Robert Siodmak that presents a highly fictionalised version of the life and death of George Armstrong Custer, starring Robert Shaw as Custer, Robert Ryan, Ty Hardin, Jeffrey Hun ...

'' (1967) shot in Spain. He had the lead in '' Ragan'' (1968) and ''

One Step to Hell 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

'' (1968).

''Riptide''

Hardin starred in the 1968–1969 Australian television series ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flo ...

'', in which he played an American running a charter boat company along the eastern seaboard of Australia. He returned to Europe to star in '' The Last Rampage'' (1970), '' Quel maledetto giorno della resa dei conti'' (1971), and ''

Drummer of Vengeance ''Drummer of Vengeance'' ( it, Il giorno del giudizio, also known as ''Day of Judgment'', ''Doomsday'' and ''An Eye for an Eye'') is a 1971 Italian Spaghetti Western film written and directed by Mario Gariazzo and starring Ty Hardin, Rossano Braz ...

'' (1971). He was in a 1970 German television series called ''On the Trail of Johnny Hilling, Boor and Billy'', shown in the former

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

. Hardin was in ''

The Last Rebel ''The Last Rebel'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 1993. It is the last album to feature drummer Kurt Custer and guitarist Randall Hall. Track listing # "Good Lovin's Hard to Find" ( Ed King, Gary R ...

'' (1971) '' Acquasanta Joe'' (1971), and '' You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento'' (1972) and a small role in ''

Avanti! ''Avanti!'' is a 1972 American/Italian international co-production comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's play, ...

'' (1972). In 1974 he was arrested in Spain for drug trafficking and spent time in prison.

Later career

Hardin's later appearances included '' Rooster: Spurs of Death!'' (1977), ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

'' (1977), and '' Image of the Beast'' (1980) as well as episodes of TV shows such as ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

''. He was in ''

The Zoo Gang ''The Zoo Gang'' is a 1974 ITC Entertainment drama series that ran for six one-hour colour episodes, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Paul Gallico. Plot Five French Resistance fighters, known by their animal-based code names (the Wo ...

'' (1985) and '' Red River'' (1988) and had a late lead in '' Born Killer'' (1989). Hardin could be seen in ''Bad Jim'' (1992), and '' Rescue Me'' (1992).

Personal life

In 1958, Hardin had his name changed legally from Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr. to Ty Hardin. He ascribed the change to a matter of convenience. From 1962 to 1966, he was married to the 1961

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall St ...

, German beauty queen

Marlene Schmidt Marlene Schmidt (born 11 November 1937) is a German control engineer, actress, TV host and beauty queen who won Miss Universe 1961. Born in Breslau, Germany and raised in East Germany, where she earned a master's degree in engineering, in 196 ...

, who later worked in the movie industry; they had one daughter. At the time of his death, Hardin lived with his eighth wife, Caroline, in

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, maki ...

, California. Hardin died on August 3, 2017, aged 87.

Arizona Patriots

After difficulties with the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

, Hardin founded a tax protest movement in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona ...

. In 1982, the movement became known as the Arizona Patriots. The group first gained public notice by its efforts to clog the Arizona court system lawsuits in the 1980s, a tactic also employed by Posse Comitatus.

Partial filmography

*'' The Space Children'' (1958) (with

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Charlie Chaplin's film classic '' The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in t ...

) as Sentry *''

'' (1958) as Roy Nielson *'' I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' (1958) (with Tom Tryon and Gloria Talbott) as Mac Brody *'' The Buccaneer'' (1958) as Soldier (uncredited) *''

'' (1959) (with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

) as Cowboy Loafer (uncredited) *''

'' (1961, Episode: "Duel at Judas Basin") as Bronco Layne *''

'' (1962) (with Jeff Chandler) as 2nd Lt. Lee Stockton *'' The Chapman Report'' (1962) (with

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

) as Ed Kraski *'' PT 109'' (1963) (with Cliff Robertson as John F. Kennedy) as Ensign Leonard J. Thom *''

'' (1963) (with

Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American theatre, film, television, and voice actress. Pleshette started her career in the theatre and began appearing in films in the late 1950s and later appeared in prominent ...

and

Dorothy Provine Dorothy Michelle Provine (January 20, 1935 – April 25, 2010) was an American singer, dancer and actress. Born in 1935 in Deadwood, South Dakota, she grew up in Seattle, Washington, and was hired in 1958 by Warner Bros., after which she firs ...

) as Joel Tarrant *''

'' (1963) as Doug 'Stretch' Fortune *'' Man of the Cursed Valley'' (1964) as Johnny Walscott *'' Savage Pampas'' (1965) (with Robert Taylor) as Miguel Carreras *''

'' (1965) (with

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

) as Lt. Schumacher *'' Death on the Run'' (1967) as Jason *''

'' (1967) (with Robert Shaw) as Maj. Marcus Reno *'' Berserk!'' (1967) (with

) as Frank Hawkins *'' Ragan'' (1968) as Lee Ragan *'' King of Africa'' (1968) as Lt. King Edwards *''Rekvijem'' (1970) as Major *''

Terrible Day of the Big Gundown ''Terrible Day of the Big Gundown'' ( it, Quel maledetto giorno della resa dei conti, also known as ''Vendetta at Dawn'') is a 1971 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Garrone (here credited as Willy S. Regan). Cast * George Eas ...

'' (1971) as Jonathan Benton *''

'' (1971) as The Stranger *''

'' (1971) as The Sheriff *'' Holy Water Joe'' (1971) as Jeff Donovan *''Sei iellato, amico hai incontrato Sacramento'' (1972) as Jack Thompson 'Sacramento' *''

'' (1972) as Helicopter Pilot (uncredited) *''Arpad - Zwei Teufelskerle räumen auf'' (1975) *'' Fire!'' (1977, TV Movie) as Walt Fleming *''Rooster: Spurs of Death!'' (1977) as The Texan *'' Image of the Beast'' (1980) as The Missionary *''

'' (1985) as Dean Haskell *''Born Killer'' (1989) as Sheriff Stone *''Bad Jim'' (1990) as Tom Jefferd *'' Rescue Me'' (1992) as Sheriff Gilbert *''Head Over Spurs in Love'' (2011) as Colonel Sanders (final film role)

References

External links

*
Ty Hardin
at Brian's Drive-In Theater

interview with Joe Krein * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardin, Ty 1930 births 2017 deaths Male actors from Texas Lamar High School (Houston, Texas) alumni Blinn College alumni Blinn Buccaneers football players Texas A&M University alumni Texas A&M Aggies football players United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots American male television actors Male Spaghetti Western actors Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from New York City People from Houston Male actors from Huntington Beach, California Warner Bros. contract players Western (genre) television actors Military personnel from Texas