Rancher was the face of Marlboro cigarettes
Bob Norris
rancher b April 10, 1929 d November 3, 2019
Bob Norris, who has died aged 90, was an American rancher who spent 14 years as the face of Marlboro cigarettes, before giving up for fear that he was setting a bad example to his children; he went on to play a key role in a lawsuit brought against Texaco, America’s third-largest oil company, after it filed for bankruptcy.
Standing over 6ft tall, Norris had the chiselled features, dark eyes and strong jaw needed to convey an image of allAmerican masculinity. From 1965 he appeared as ‘‘The Marlboro Man’’ in magazines, on store signs and in television advertisements across the country. Photographs typically had him mounted on a horse, and set against a dramatic backdrop such as a waterfall in Oregon or a snow-laden mountain peak.
The campaign – which also featured various other real-life cowboys – was wildly successful. By 1972 Marlboro was the world’s leading cigarette brand.
Though he had smoked in his youth – later insisting, like Bill Clinton, that he ‘‘didn’t inhale’’ – the photoshoots put Norris off the habit entirely. The need to get the Marlboro name in shot and keep the cigarette lit in prairie winds could see him get through six packs a day. ‘‘You get to where your tongue’s burning.’’
By the end of the 1970s he had quit the job to focus on his 20,000-acre ranch south of Colorado Springs, alongside a second in Phoenix, Arizona.
Meanwhile, health authorities and the public were beginning to absorb warnings about the risks associated with smoking. A federal ban on television and radio adverts for cigarettes came into force in 1971. The Marlboro Man prevailed in various guises for longer, until litigation brought against the major tobacco companies forced a cultural shift. By 1999, Marlboro manufacturer Philip Morris had withdrawn its billboard campaign.
Robert Norris was born in Chicago. His father was a banker, and several relatives enjoyed successful business careers. However, the corporate world held little appeal for Norris, who was always happiest on one of the family’s five farms. He studied animal husbandry at the University of Kentucky, got married and moved to Colorado, where he established the Tee Cross Ranch.
Marlboro came on the scene in 1965, when a photography crew and several New York models visited Colorado to shoot some promotional images. As the team set about grubbying their costumes, the director looked to the ranch’s owner. ‘‘Norris is already dirty,’’ he declared: ‘‘We’ll just use him.’’ Soon he was featured on the back cover of Life magazine – the image carefully drawn up to exclude the ranch’s plentiful flowers, as these were felt to spoil the macho appeal.
In the 1980s his name resurfaced when he was chosen to represent the interests of 37 Texaco shareholders – members of his own family – in a lawsuit. He succeeded in negotiating the court settlement down from $11 billion to $3b, seeing off a hostile takeover.
In 1988, Norris welcomed an addition to his Colorado ranch in the form of Amy, a baby elephant rescued from a cull in Zimbabwe. He continued to visit her until her death at Fresno Zoo, California.
Bob Norris married Jane Wright in 1950. She died in 2016. Their four children survive him. –