Чак Коннорс: Актер, спортшы және "Мылтықшы" жұлдызы

American athlete and actor (1921–1992)
persons of a similar name

Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played in both Major League Baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers 1949, Chicago Cubs, 1951) and the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1946–48). With a 40 year film and television career, he is best known for his five year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated ABC series The Rifleman (1958–63). He had one sibling, a sister, Gloria, who was two years his junior. His father became a citizen of the United States in 1914 and was working in Brooklyn in 1930 as a longshoreman and his mother had also attained her U. S. citizenship in 1917. Connors was a devoted fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers despite their losing record during the 1930s, and he hoped to join the team one day. A talented athlete, he earned a scholarship to the Adelphi Academy, a preparatory school in Brooklyn, where he graduated in 1939. He received offers for athletic scholarships from more than two dozen colleges and universities. From those offers, he chose to attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. There, he played both basketball and baseball for the school, and it was there, too, where he changed his name. Since childhood, Connors had disliked his first name, Kevin, and he had sought another name. He tried using "Lefty" and "Stretch" before finally settling on "Chuck". During most of the war, he served as a tank warfare instructor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and later at West Point in New York.

Following his military discharge in 1946, the Connors joined the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) of the National Basketball League for their 1945–1946 championship season. For the 1946–1947 season he joined the newly formed Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. During his tenure with the Celtics in 1946, Connors became the first professional basketball player to break a backboard. He did so during pre game practice before the Celtics' first home game of their inaugural season with a shot and not a slam dunk, which is what typically breaks a backboard in modern basketball. He played 53 games for Boston before leaving the team early in the 1947–48 season. Connors is one of 13 athletes to have played in both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. The 12 others: Danny Ainge, Frank Baumholtz, Hank Biasatti, Gene Conley, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton, Mark Hendrickson, Cotton Nash, Ron Reed, Dick Ricketts, and Howie Schultz. Connors attended spring training in 1948 with Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers but did not make the squad In 1952, he was sent to the minor leagues again to play for the Cubs' top farm team, the Los Angeles Angels. Connors can be seen in the Associated Press photo with Drysdale, Koufax and Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi announcing the pitchers' new contracts. Contrary to erroneous reports, Connors was not drafted by the Chicago Bears of the NFL.

YearTeamGPFG%FT%APGPPG 1946–47Boston49.247.464.84.61947–48Boston4.385.667.33.0Career53.252.471.84.5

Connors realized that he would not make a career in professional sports, so he decided to pursue an acting career. Playing baseball near Hollywood proved fortunate, as he was spotted by an MGM casting director and subsequently signed for the 1952 Tracy–Hepburn film Pat and Mike, performing the role of a police captain. In 1953, he starred opposite Burt Lancaster as a rebellious Marine private in South Sea Woman and then as an American football coach opposite John Wayne in Trouble Along the Way.

Connors had a rare comedic role in a 1955 episode ("Flight to the North") of Adventures of Superman. He portrayed Sylvester J. Superman, a lanky rustic yokel who shared the same name as the title character of the series. Connors was cast as Lou Brissie, a former professional baseball player wounded during World War II, in the 1956 episode "The Comeback" of the religion anthology series Crossroads. Don DeFore portrayed the Reverend C. E. "Stoney" Jackson, who offered the spiritual insight to assist Brissie's recovery so that he could return to the game. Grant Withers was cast as Coach Whitey Martin; Crossroads regular Robert Carson also played a coach in this episode. Edd Byrnes, Rhys Williams, and Robert Fuller played former soldiers. X Brands is cast as a baseball player. In 1957, Connors was cast in the Walt Disney film Old Yeller in the role of Burn Sanderson. That same year, he co starred in The Hired Gun.

Connors acted in feature films including The Big Country with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston, Move Over Darling with Doris Day and James Garner, Soylent Green with Heston and Edward G. Robinson, and Airplane II: The Sequel. He also became a beloved television character actor, guest starring in dozens of shows. His guest starring debut was on an episode of NBC's Dear Phoebe. He played in two episodes, one as the bandit Sam Bass, on Dale Robertson's NBC western Tales of Wells Fargo. Other television appearances were on Hey, Jeannie!, The Loretta Young Show, Schlitz Playhouse, Screen Directors Playhouse, Four Star Playhouse, Matinee Theatre, Cavalcade of America, Gunsmoke, The Gale Storm Show, The West Point Story, The Millionaire, General Electric Theater hosted by Ronald Reagan, Wagon Train, The Restless Gun with John Payne, Murder, She Wrote, Date with the Angels with Betty White, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Virginian, Night Gallery hosted by Rod Serling, and Here's Lucy with Lucille Ball.

Connors beat 40 other actors for the lead in The Rifleman, portraying Lucas McCain, a widowed rancher known for his skill with a customized Winchester rifle. This ABC Western series, which aired from 1958 to 1963, was also the first show to feature a widowed father raising a young child. The rifle levers were modified from the round type to more D shaped in later episodes. Two rifles were specifically made for Chuck Connors by Maurice "Moe" Hunt and were never used on the show. He was a fan of the show and gave them to Connors. Arnold Palmer, a friend and honorary chairman of the annual Chuck Connors charity golf event, was given one of the personal rifles by Connors and it was on display at The World Golf Hall of Fame.

In 1963, Connors appeared in the film Flipper. He also appeared opposite James Garner and Doris Day in the comedy Move Over, Darling in the role earlier played by Randolph Scott in the original 1940 Irene Dunne/Cary Grant version entitled My Favorite Wife. As Connors was strongly typecast for playing the single father rancher, he then starred in several short lived series, including: ABC's Arrest and Trial (1963–1964), an early forerunner of Law and Order featuring two young actors Ben Gazzara and Don Galloway; and NBC's post Civil War era series Branded (1965–1966). In 1967–1968, Connors starred in the ABC series Cowboy in Africa alongside Tom Nardini and British actor Ronald Howard. Connors guest starred in a last season episode of Night Gallery titled "The Ring With the Red Velvet Ropes". In 1973 and 1974, he hosted a television series called Thrill Seekers. Connors was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance in a key role against type: a slave owner in the 1977 miniseries Roots. In 1983, Connors joined Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd, Ken Curtis, and Noah Beery Jr. in the short lived NBC series The Yellow Rose, about a modern Texas ranching family. In 1985, he first guest starred in the pilot episode which would become a recurring role of "King Powers" in the ABC TV series Spenser: For Hire, starring Robert Urich as “Spenser” — “with an S, like the poet” — and Avery Brooks as “Hawk.”

In 1987, he co starred in the Fox series Werewolf, as drifter Janos Skorzeny. In 1988, he guest starred as "Gideon" in the TV series Paradise, starring Lee Horsley. In 1991, Connors was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Connors was married three times. He met his first wife, Elizabeth Jane Riddell Connors, at one of his baseball games and they were married on October 1, 1948. They had four sons: Michael (1950–2017), Jeffrey (1952–2014), Stephen (born 1953), and Kevin (1956–2005). They were divorced in 1961. Connors married Kamala Devi (1963) the year after co starring with her in Geronimo. She also acted with Connors in Branded, Broken Sabre, and Cowboy in Africa. They were divorced in 1973. Connors met his third wife, Faith Quabius, when they both appeared in the film Soylent Green (1973). They were married in 1977 and divorced in 1979. Connors was a supporter of the Republican Party and attended several fundraisers for campaigns for U. S. President Richard M. Nixon. Connors also backed Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election, and Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election. He campaigned for Ronald Reagan, a personal friend, and marched in support of the Vietnam War in 1967. Leonid Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Union, met Connors when Brezhnev arrived on Air Force One at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station with President Richard Nixon in June 1973. Brezhnev noticed Connors in the group on the tarmac waiting to receive him and the President. Brezhnev shook Connors' hand and then wrapped his arms around him, and leapt into Connors' arms to be lifted up by the hulking American actor. The crowd laughed and clapped at the spectacle. Later, at a party given by Nixon at the Western White House in San Clemente, California, Connors presented Brezhnev with a pair of Colt Single Action Army "Six Shooters" (revolvers) which Brezhnev liked greatly. Few American television programs were permitted to be broadcast in the Soviet Union at that time: The Rifleman was an exception, because it happened to be Brezhnev's favorite show. Connors and Brezhnev got along so well that Connors accepted an invitation to visit the Soviet leader in Moscow in December 1973. After Brezhnev's death in 1982, Connors expressed an interest in returning to the Soviet Union for the General Secretary's funeral, but the U. S. government would not allow Connors to be part of the official delegation. Connors was left handed. On July 18, 1984, Connors was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (star location at 6838 Hollywood Blvd.) Over 200 close friends attended, including his family, and actor Johnny Crawford.

Connors hosted the annual Chuck Connors Charitable Invitational Golf Tournament, through the Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation, at the Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs, California. Proceeds went directly to the Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation and over $400,000 was raised.

Connors died on November 10, 1992, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 71 of lung cancer. He is buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Year Title Role Notes1952 Pat and Mike Police Captain 1953 Trouble Along the Way Stan Schwegler 1953 Code Two Deputy Sheriff Uncredited1953 South Sea Woman Pvt. Davey White 1954 Dragonfly Squadron Captain Warnowski 1954 The Human Jungle Earl Swados 1954Naked Alibi Capt. Owen Kincaide 1955 Target Zero Pvt. Moose 1955 Good Morning, Miss Dove Bill Holloway 1955 Three Stripes in the Sun Idaho Johnson 1956 Walk the Dark Street Frank Garrick1956 Hot Rod Girl Det. Ben Merrill1956 Hold Back the Night Sgt. Ekland 1957 Tomahawk Trail Sgt. Wade McCoy 1957 Designing Woman Johnnie O 1957 Death in Small Doses Mink Reynolds1957 The Hired Gun Judd Farrow1957 Old Yeller Burn Sanderson1958 The Lady Takes a Flyer Phil Donahoe 1958 The Big Country Buck Hannassey 1962 Geronimo Geronimo 1963Flipper Porter Ricks 1963 Move Over, Darling Stephen 'Adam' Burkett1965 Synanon Ben 1966 Ride Beyond Vengeance Jonas Trapp1968 Kill Them All and Come Back Alone Clyde McKay1969 Captain Nemo and the Underwater City Senator Robert Fraser 1971 The Deserter Chaplain Reynolds 1971 The Birdmen Colonel Morgan Crawford 1971 Support Your Local Gunfighter Swifty Morgan Uncredited1972 Embassy Kesten 1972 The Proud and Damned Will Hansen 1972 Pancho Villa Col. Wilcox 1973 The Mad Bomber William Dorn 1973 Soylent Green Tab Fielding 1974 99 and 44/100% Dead Marvin "Claw" Zuckerman 1975 Legend of the Sea Wolf Wolf Larsen 1979 Tourist Trap Mr. Slausen 1979 Day of the Assassin Fleming 1980 Virus Captain McCloud 1981 Bordello Jonathan 1982 Hit Man Sam Fisher 1982 Airplane II: The Sequel The Sarge 1982 There Was a Little Girl 1983 The Vals Trish's Father 1983 Balboa Alabama Dern 1983 Lone Star Jake Ferrell 1983 Afghanistan pourquoi? Soviet Colonel 1987 Hell's Heroes Senator Morris 1987 Sakura Killers The Colonel 1987 Summer Camp Nightmare Mr. Warren 1987 Maniac Killer Professor Roger Osborne 1988 Once Upon a Texas Train Nash Crawford 1988 Terror Squad Chief Rawlings 1988 Taxi Killer Jenny's Father 1989 Trained to Kill Ed Cooper 1989 Skinheads Mr. Huston 1990 Last Flight to Hell Red Farley 1990 Face the Edge Buddy 1991 Salmonberries Bingo Chuck 1992 Three Days to a Kill Capt. Damian Wright 2001 A Man Who Fell from the Sky Narrator and host

Year Title Role Notes1953 Your Jeweler's Showcase Episode: "Three and One Half Musketeers"1954 Dear Phoebe Rocky Episode: "Billy Gets a Job"1954 Big Town Episode: "Semper Fi"1954 Four Star Playhouse Mervyn / Stan 2 episodes1954–1957 General Electric Theater Soldier / Long Jack 2 episodes1955 Letter to Loretta Jess Hayes Episode: "The Girl Who Knew"1955 City Detective Sam Episode: "Trouble in Toyland"1955 TV Reader's Digest Charlie Masters Episode: "The Manufactured Clue"1955 Private Secretary Mr. Neanderthal Episode: "Mr. Neanderthal"1955 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Stanley O'Connor Episode: "O'Connor and the Blue Eyed Felon"1955 Adventures of Superman Sylvester J. Superman Episode: "Flight to the North"1955 Screen Directors Playhouse Art Shirley Episode: "The Brush Roper"1955–1956 The Star and the Story 3 episodes1955 Matinee Theatre Episode: "O'Toole from Moscow"1955 Cavalcade of America Harry Episode: "Barbed Wire Christmas"1956 Fireside Theatre Officer Handley Episode: "The Thread"1956 Frontier Thorpe Henderson Episode: "The Assassin"1956 Gunsmoke Sam Keeler Episode: "The Preacher"1956 Climax! Episode: "Fear is the Hunter"1956 The Joseph Cotten Show Andy Episode: "The Nevada Nightingale"1956 Crossroads Lou Brissie Episode: "The Comeback"1956 The West Point Story Maj. Nielson Two episodes1956 The Gale Storm Show Ooma Episode: "The Witch Doctor"1957 The Millionaire Hub Grimes Episode: "The Hub Grimes Story"1957 Tales of Wells Fargo Sam Bass / Button Smith 2 episodes1957 The Silent Service Lt. Jim Liddell Episode: "The Story of the U. S. S. Flier"1957 Wagon Train Private John Sumter Episode: "The Charles Avery Story"1957 The Restless Gun Toby Yeager Episode: "Silver Threads"1958 Hey, Jeannie! Buck Matthews Episode: "The Bet"1958 Date with the Angels Stacey L. Stacey Episode: "Double Trouble"1958 Love That Jill Cliff Episode: "They Went Thataway"1958 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Lucas McCain Episode: "The Sharpshooter"1958 The Adventures of Jim Bowie Cephas K. Ham 2 episodes1958–1963 The Rifleman Lucas McCain Lead role168 episodes1960 The DuPont Show with June Allyson George Ainsworth Episode: "Trial by Fear"1963–1964 Arrest and Trial John Egan Lead role30 episodes1965–1966 Branded Jason McCord Lead role48 episodes1967–1968 Cowboy in Africa Jim Sinclair Lead role26 episodes1971 The Virginian Gustaveson Episode: "The Animal"1971 The Name of the Game Governor Brill Episode: "The Broken Puzzle"1971 The Birdmen Colonel Morgan Crawford TV movie1972 Night of Terror Brian DiPaulo TV movie1972 Night Gallery Roderick Blanco Episode: "The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes"1973 Set This Town on Fire Buddy Bates TV movie1973 The Horror at 37,000 Feet Captain Ernie Slade TV movie1973 Here's Lucy Himself Episode: "Lucy and Chuck Connors Have a Surprise Slumber Party"1973 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Himself Episode: "Chuck Conners, Howard Cosell, Miss U. S. A. and Miss Universe: 9/12/73"1973–1976 Police Story Various 4 episodes1975 The Six Million Dollar Man Niles Lingstrom Episode: "The Price of Liberty"1976 Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free Sam Ivory TV movie1976 Nightmare in Badham County Sherriff Slim Danen TV movie1977 Roots Tom Moore Miniseries1977 The Night They Took Miss Beautiful Mike O'Toole TV movie1978 Standing Tall Major Roland Hartline TV movie1980 Stone Tom Lettleman Episode: "Case Number HM 89428, Homicide"1981 Walking Tall Theo Brewster Episode: "Kidnapped"1982 Best of the West Episode: "Frog's First Gunfight"1982 The Capture of Grizzly Adams Frank Briggs TV movie1982 Fantasy Island Frank Barton Episode: "Sitting Duck/Sweet Suzi Swann"1983 Lone Star Jake Farrell TV movie1983 Kelsey's Son Boone Kelsey TV movie1983 The Love Boat Roy Episode: "Bricker's Boy/Lotions of Love/The Hustlers"1983 Matt Houston Castanos Episode: "Get Houston"1983–1984 The Yellow Rose Jeb Hollister Main cast21 episodes1985 Spenser: For Hire King Powers 2 episodes1985–1989 Murder, She Wrote Fred Keller / Tyler Morgan 2 episodes1985 The All American Cowboy TV movie1987 Werewolf Captain Janos Skorzeny Recurring role5 episodes1988 Once Upon a Texas Train Nash Crawford TV movie1988 Wolf Episode: "Pilot"1989 High Desert Kill Stan Brown TV movie1989–1990 Paradise Gideon McKay 3 episodes1991 The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw Lucas McCain TV movie