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He was born in Gravelly (Yell County) in 1910. He attended Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) but had to drop out his junior year because of The Depression. He spent eight years traveling the country acting in summer stock and medicine shows. An article in the September 22, 1940, issue of the Brooklyn Daily reported, “There isn’t a decent-sized medicine show traveling through Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, Indiana or Mississippi, nor a stock company touring those states” that didn’t have his name on its program.

He enrolled in a drama school in Cleveland for a year. After a year in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., he moved to New York and began to land roles on Broadway. With the leading role in Tobacco Road, he took advantage of his Arkansas accent and grizzly looks that became perfect for future roles in Southern and western performances. His developed country-type character would follow him the rest of his long career.

After moving to Hollywood he started getting movie roles. Some of his movies included The Red Badge of Courage, Distant Drums and Cat Ballou. In 1952, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Uncle Zeb in The Big Sky. When television opened new opportunities he appeared on almost 40 shows including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Outer Limits, The Rifleman, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Virginian and The Wild, Wild West.

Who was this prolific character actor now buried in the Coop Prairie Cemetery in Mansfield, Ark.?

Who was this prolific character actor who is buried in the Coop Prairie Cemetery in Mansfield, Ark.?