Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun’s life was a tale of second chances. Born Francis Timothy McCown on August 8, 1922, in Los Angeles, California, he grew up without his father and found trouble early. By age 13, he was committing burglaries and stealing cars, eventually serving time in federal prison. But Calhoun’s story didn’t end behind bars—it began there.

A chance encounter with Father Daniel Kanaly, a priest and former boxer, helped steer Calhoun away from violence and toward a new path. After his release, he worked in oil fields and silver mines before heading to California, where a horseback ride led to a meeting with Alan Ladd and a screen test at Fox. Soon after, he was signed by David O. Selznick and given a new name: Rory Calhoun.

Calhoun’s early roles included The Red House with Edward G. Robinson and That Hagen Girl with Ronald Reagan. He quickly became a leading man in films like Four Guns to the Border, With a Song in My Heart, and How to Marry a Millionaire. Though he never worked with directors like John Ford or starred alongside John Wayne, Calhoun carved out a niche in Westerns, appearing in 33 of them over his career.

His rugged charm and “bad boy” image made him a natural fit for morally complex roles. In The River of No Return, he played a magnetic villain opposite Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum. He later wrote and starred in adult-themed Westerns like Apache Territory, The Domino Kid, and The Hired Gun, and even adapted one into a novel.

Calhoun also broke ground in television, producing and starring in The Texan, a Western series that ran for two seasons. He continued working in film and TV through the 1990s, with appearances in The Blue and the Gray, Finger on the Trigger, and Pure Country.

Despite a career shaped by scandal—including a public reveal of his criminal past—Calhoun remained unapologetically himself. He passed away on April 28, 1999, at the age of 76, remembered for his resilience, charisma, and enduring contributions to the Western genre.