John McIntire was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actorA character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Career
The craggy-faced film actor was born in
SpokaneSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in eastern Washington State but reared in
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.
A graduate of
USCThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, McIntire began acting in
radioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and on
stageTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, before embarking on a lengthy film and TV career as a character actor. He was already 40 when he made his big-screen debut in 1947, but went on to appear in some 65 films, often playing police chiefs, judges, crazy coots and western characters. His films include the
film noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic
The Asphalt JungleThe Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 film noir directed by John Huston. The caper film is based on the novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, and, in a minor but key role, Marilyn Monroe, an unknown...
(1950), the 1960 Hitchcock thriller
Psycho and the 1960 drama
Elmer GantryElmer Gantry is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 and published by Harcourt in March 1927.-Background:Lewis did research for the novel by observing the work of various preachers in Kansas City in his so-called "Sunday School" meetings on Wednesdays. He first worked with William L...
, but some of his more memorable roles were in westerns such as the acclaimed
Winchester '73 (1950) and
The Far CountryThe Far Country is a 1954 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their fourth western collaboration...
(1955), both with
James StewartJames Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, and
The Tin StarThe Tin Star was first a short story then a movie American western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins, in one of Perkins' first roles. The film became one of the few low budget westerns to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story or Screenplay...
, with
Henry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
(1957). He also played a judge in
Rooster Cogburn (1975), the sequel to
True Grit featuring
John WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and
Katharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
. His final film role was in 1989's
Turner & HoochTurner & Hooch is a 1989 comedy film starring Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by Roger Spottiswoode; the film was originally slated to be directed by Henry Winkler, but he was terminated due to "creative differences"...
.
In the mid-'50s, McIntire moved into television, appearing in anthology series, sitcoms and dramas, including a regular role on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's
Naked CityNaked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
, before his character was killed off. Though McIntire had never had the lead role in a film, TV earned him his most prominent and long-running role when in 1961 he replaced the late Ward Bond in the popular NBC-ABC series
Wagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
, playing trailmaster Chris Hale in more than 150 episodes between 1961 and 1965. He subsequently replaced actors
Lee J. CobbLee J. Cobb was an American actor. He is best known for his performance in 12 Angry Men his Academy Award-nominated performance in On the Waterfront and one of his last films, The Exorcist...
and
Charles BickfordCharles Bickford was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette , The Farmer's Daughter , and Johnny Belinda...
on NBC's
The VirginianThe Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
in
1967The year 1967 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1967.For the American TV schedule, see: 1967-68 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, playing Bickford's character's brother. Prior to his
Wagon Train role, he guest starred as William Palmer in the series finale, "The Most Dangerous Gentleman", of the short-lived 1960 NBC western
Overland TrailOverland Trail is a short-lived American Western series which aired on NBC from February 7 to June 6, 1960. The series starred William Bendix and Doug McClure,-Synopsis:...
, starring
William BendixWilliam Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
and
Doug McClureDouglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
, his subsequent co-star on
The Virginian.
McIntire married actress
Jeanette NolanJeanette Nolan was an American radio, film and television actress. Nolan was nominated for four Emmy Awards.-Early life:...
, in 1935, and they had two children together, one of whom was the actor
Tim McIntireTim McIntire was an American character actor, probably most famous for his portrayal of disc jockey Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax...
(1944–1986) who starred in the 1978 film
American Hot WaxAmerican Hot Wax is a 1978 biopic film directed by Floyd Mutrux and written by John Kaye telling the story of Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who was instrumental in introducing and popularizing rock 'n' roll in the 1950s...
. McIntire and Nolan both figured in
Psycho; the former played a sheriff, while the latter voiced some of the "mother" lines. McIntire worked more closely with Nolan in the 1977 Disney animated film
The RescuersThe Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
, in which he voiced the cat Rufus and she the
muskratThe muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
Ellie Mae. Four years later, the couple worked on another Disney film,
The Fox and the Hound, with McIntire as the voice of Mr. Digger, a badger, and Nolan as the voice of Widow Tweed.
Death
John McIntire died from
emphysemaEmphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and
lung cancerLung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in
PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1991. In addition to his wife Jeanette Nolan he was also survived by his daughter Holly McIntire. His son Tim McIntire preceded him in death in 1986 from heart problems.
Partial filmography
- The Hucksters
The Hucksters is a 1947 MGM film directed by Jack Conway and starring Clark Gable that marked the debut of Deborah Kerr in an American film. It also featured Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold and Ava Gardner...
(1947) (uncredited)
- Call Northside 777
Call Northside 777 is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
(1948)
- Black Bart
Black Bart is a 1948 film starring Dan Duryea as the real-life cowboy bandit Charles Bolles. The 80 minute film was shot in Technicolor. Also known as Black Bart, Highwayman.-Main cast:*Yvonne De Carlo as Lola Montez*Dan Duryea as Charles E...
(1948)
- The Street with No Name
The Street with No Name is a black-and-white film noir. The movie, a follow up to The House on 92nd Street , tells the story of an undercover FBI agent, Gene Cordell , who infiltrates a deadly crime gang. Cordell's superior, FBI Inspector George A. Briggs also appears in The House on 92nd Street...
(1948)
- Command Decision
Command Decision is a 1948 war film starring Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson and Brian Donlevy and directed by Sam Wood, based on a stage play of the same name written by William Wister Haines, which he based on his best-selling novel. The screenplay for the film was written by George...
(1948)
- An Act of Murder
An Act of Murder is a 1948 crime film directed by Michael Gordon...
(1948)
- Down to the Sea in Ships
Down to the Sea in Ships is a 1922 American silent film about a 19th century Massachusetts whaling family. Directed by Elmer Clifton, the film stars William Walcott, Marguerite Courtot, and Clara Bow.-Plot:...
(1949)
- Scene of the Crime
Scene of the Crime is a 1949 film noir starring Van Johnson as a Los Angeles police detective.-Plot:Detective Mike Conovan investigates when a former partner is found murdered and carrying $1,000 in cash....
(1949)
- Ambush
Ambush is a 1950 western film directed by Sam Wood and starring Robert Taylor, John Hodiak and Arlene Dahl. This was the last film directed by Sam Wood.-Plot synopsis:...
(1950)
- Francis
Francis is a 1950 black-and-white comedy film that launched the Francis the Talking Mule series. It starred Donald O'Connor as an American soldier who gets into trouble when he insists an Army mule named Francis can speak. The distinctive voice of Francis was provided by Chill Wills...
(1950)
- Shadow on the Wall
Shadow on the Wall is a 1950 psychological thriller film starring Ann Sothern, Zachary Scott, Gigi Perreau and Nancy Davis. It is based on the novel Death in the Doll's House by Lawrence P. Bachmann and Hannah Lees.-Plot:...
(1950)
- The Asphalt Jungle
The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 film noir directed by John Huston. The caper film is based on the novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, and, in a minor but key role, Marilyn Monroe, an unknown...
(1950)
- Winchester '73
Winchester '73 is an American Western film starring James Stewart and Shelley Winters, and released by Universal Pictures in 1950. This is the first of eight collaborations between Stewart and director Anthony Mann. The movie features early roles for Rock Hudson , Tony Curtis, and James Best, and...
(1950)
- Walk Softly, Stranger
Walk Softly, Stranger is a 1950 film that tells the story of a small-time crook on the run who later becomes reformed by the love of a crippled woman. This would be the last RKO credit for famed film producer Dore Schary, who would leave the studio soon after the completion of the film. Privately,...
(1950)
- The Raging Tide
The Raging Tide is an American crime film noir directed by George Sherman and written by Ernest K. Gann, based on his novel Fiddler's Green. The drama features Shelley Winters, Richard Conte, among others.-Plot:...
(1951)
- You're in the Navy Now
You're in the Navy Now is a Hollywood film released in 1951 by Twentieth Century Fox about the United States Navy in the first months of World War II. Its initial release was titled USS Teakettle...
(1951)
- That's My Boy (1951)
- Westward the Women
Westward the Women is a 1951 western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel and John McIntire.-Plot:...
(1951)
- The World in His Arms
The World in His Arms is a 1952 seafaring adventure film made by Universal International Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced byAaron Rosenberg from a screenplay by Borden Chase and Horace McCoy, based on the novel by Rex Beach...
(1952)
- The President's Lady
The President's Lady is a 1953 biographical film of the life of American president, Andrew Jackson and his marriage to Rachel Donelson Robards. The film was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Henry Levin and produced by Sol C. Siegel with Levin as associate producer...
(1953)
- A Lion Is in the Streets
A Lion Is in the Streets is a 1953 drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney as a southern politician loosely based on Huey Long. Cagney's brother William was the producer, while his younger sister Jeanne was a member of the cast. The screenplay was based on a 1945 book by Adria...
(1953)
- The Lawless Breed
The Lawless Breed is a 1953 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson. The film is based on the life of outlaw John Wesley Hardin.-Plot synopsis:...
(1953)
- War Arrow
War Arrow is a 1953 western film directed by George Sherman and starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara.-Plot synopsis:Major Howell Brady , a cavalry officer, is sent to Fort Clark, Texas, to subdue a Kiowa uprising that has been raiding villages on Seminole reservations...
(1953)
- The Mississippi Gambler
The Mississippi Gambler is a 1953 adventure film directed by Rudolph Maté. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording The Mississippi Gambler is a 1953 adventure film directed by Rudolph Maté. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording The Mississippi...
(1953)
- Apache
-Plot:Following the surrender of Geronimo, Massai, the last Apache warrior is captured and scheduled for transportation to a Florida reservation. On the way he manages to escape and heads for his homeland to win back his girl and settle down to grow crops...
(1954)
- The Far Country
The Far Country is a 1954 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their fourth western collaboration...
(1955)
- The Scarlet Coat
The Scarlet Coat is an Eastmancolor 1955 American historical drama and swashbuckler directed by John Sturges, based upon the events in the American Revolution in which Benedict Arnold offered to surrender the fort at West Point to the British in exchange for money.The film purports to tell the...
(1955)
- The Kentuckian
The Kentuckian is a 1955 adventure film directed by Burt Lancaster, who also starred. It also marked the feature film debut of Walter Matthau. The picture is an adaptation of the novel The Gabriel Horn by Felix Holt...
(1955)
- The Phenix City Story
The Phenix City Story is a film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. The drama features John McIntire, Richard Kiley, among others.-Plot:...
(1955)
- Backlash
Backlash is a 1956 Technicolor film released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by John Sturges , and unfolds in the vein of the psychological Western Backlash is a 1956 Technicolor film released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by John Sturges (with whom...
(1956)
- The Tin Star
The Tin Star was first a short story then a movie American western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins, in one of Perkins' first roles. The film became one of the few low budget westerns to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story or Screenplay...
(1957)
- The Mark of the Hawk
The Mark of the Hawk is a 1957 drama film, directed by Michael Audley with a screenplay by Lloyd Young and H.Kenn Carmichael...
(1957)
- Sing, Boy, Sing
Sing, Boy, Sing is a 1958 musical-drama film, released by 20th Century Fox. The feature starred two newcomers Tommy Sands and Lili Gentle.-Background:...
(1958)
- Who Was That Lady?
Who Was That Lady? is a 1960 comedy film starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh. The movie was made by Ansark-Sidney, distributed by Columbia Pictures, directed by George Sidney, and produced by Norman Krasna, who also wrote the screenplay based on his successful Broadway play Who Was...
(1960)
- Psycho
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
(1960)
- Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry is a 1960 drama film about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to small town America. Adapted by director Richard Brooks, the film is based on the 1927 novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis and stars Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons.Lancaster won an Academy Award for...
(1960) with Burt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
- Seven Ways from Sundown
Seven Ways from Sundown is a 1960 Western film about an inexperienced Texas Ranger, played by Audie Murphy, who is sent to bring in a dangerous, if charming, outlaw played by Barry Sullivan. It is based on the novel of the same name by Clair Huffaker, who also wrote the script...
(1960)
- Flaming Star
Flaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of...
(1960) with Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
- Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together is a western film directed by John Ford, and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire...
(1961) with James StewartJames Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart...
and Richard WidmarkRichard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
- Summer and Smoke
Summer and Smoke is a 1961 film directed by Peter Glenville based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name.The film starred Laurence Harvey and Geraldine Page with Rita Moreno, Una Merkel, John McIntire, Thomas Gomez, Pamela Tiffin, Malcolm Atterbury, Lee Patrick and Earl Holliman...
(1961)
- Rough Night in Jericho
Rough Night in Jericho is a 1967 western film starring George Peppard, Dean Martin, and Jean Simmons, and directed by Arnold Laven. The supporting cast includes John McIntire and Slim Pickens. This is the only film where Dean Martin portrayed the villain....
(1967)
- Herbie Rides Again
Herbie Rides Again is a 1974 comedy film. It is the sequel to The Love Bug, released six years earlier, and the second in a series of movies made by Walt Disney Productions starring an anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
(1974)
- Rooster Cogburn (1975)
- The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
(1977) (voice)
- The Fox and the Hound
The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature loosely based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July 10, 1981...
(1981) (voice)
- Honkytonk Man
Honkytonk Man is a 1982 American drama film set in the Great Depression. Clint Eastwood, who produced and directed, stars with his son, Kyle Eastwood. Clancy Carlile's screenplay is based on his novel of the same name...
(1982)
- Cloak & Dagger (1984), with wife Jeanette Nolan
- Turner & Hooch
Turner & Hooch is a 1989 comedy film starring Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by Roger Spottiswoode; the film was originally slated to be directed by Henry Winkler, but he was terminated due to "creative differences"...
(1989)
External links