March 04, 2013

Dale Robertson, Longtime Western Star

Robertson, an experienced horseman himself, drew upon his equestrian skills in dozens of film and TV roles.

Dale Robertson, star of dozens of film and television productions in a career spanning almost 50 years, died February 26, 2013, in San Diego, California. He was 89.

According to news reports, the cause was complications from lung cancer and pneumonia.

An Oklahoma native who rode horses at an early age, Robertson served in World War II, where he was twice wounded in combat and won bronze and silver stars.

His acting career began when movie scouts spotted his picture on horseback in a photography store and offered him work as a performer.

He got his start in such films as The Boy with Green Hair, Fighting Man of the Plains and Call Me Mister. Other notable credits included Call Mr. Mister, The Farmer Takes a Wife and Top of the World.

His television career began with the anthology series The Ford Television Theatre. He went on to appear in such shows as Schlitz Playhouse and Climax! He is perhaps best known as the star of Tales of Wells Fargo, Iron Horse and Death Valley Days.

He later appeared in Dallas, J.J. Starbuck, Murder, She Wrote and Harts of the West.

In later years he ran a thriving horse ranch in Oklahoma before eventually retiring in San Diego.

More about Robertson is available at:

Hollywood Reporter

New York Times

Browser Requirements
The TelevisionAcademy.com sites look and perform best when using a modern browser.

We suggest you use the latest version of any of these browsers:

Chrome
Firefox
Safari


Visiting the site with Internet Explorer or other browsers may not provide the best viewing experience.

Close Window