Ben Johnson (actor)

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Ben Johnson (actor) : biography

June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996

He portrayed the character Cap Roundtree in the 1979 miniseries The Sacketts.

He also co-starred in 1994 version of Angels in the Outfield.

He also continued ranching during the entire time, operating a horse-breeding ranch in Sylmar, California. In addition, he sponsored the Ben Johnson Pro Celebrity Team Roping and Penning competition, held in Oklahoma City, the proceeds of which are donated to both the Children’s Medical Research Inc., and to the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma.

Filmography

1996 (The Evening Star) Doctor Arthur Cotton

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1943 3 Godfathers Posse Man #1
1949 Mighty Joe Young Gregg
1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Sgt. Tyree
1950 Rio Grande Trooper Tyree
1950 Wagon Master Travis Blue
1953 Shane Chris Calloway
1961 One-Eyed Jacks Bob Emory
1964 Cheyenne Autumn
1965 Major Dundee Sergeant Chillum
1968 Hang ‘Em High Marshal Dave Bliss
1969 The Wild Bunch Tector Gorch
1971 The Last Picture Show Sam The Lion
1972 The Getaway Jack Beynon
1972 Junior Bonner Buck Roan
1973 Dillinger Melvin Purvis
1975 Bite the Bullet Mister
1975 Breakheart Pass Pearce
1980 ‘Soggy Bottom U. S. A. Sheriff Isum Gorch
1984 Red Dawn Mr. Jack Mason
1987 Cherry 2000 Six-Fingered Jake

Death and legacy

Johnson continued to work almost steadily until his death from a heart attack at the age of 77. On April 8, 1996, the veteran actor collapsed while visiting his 96 year-old mother Ollie, at Leisure World in Mesa, Arizona, the suburban Phoenix retirement community where they both lived.

Johnson’s mother Ollie Susan Workmon Johnson-Rider (surname from 2nd husband Fredie Fay Rider -d.1970), died a few years after her famed actor son, on October 16, 2000. Ollie Rider was 101.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Blvd. In 1982, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In 1996 Tom Thurman made a documentary film about Johnson’s life, titled Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right, written by Thurman and Tom Marksbury.

The Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping and the International Roundup Cavalcade, the world’s largest amateur rodeo are held annually in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.May, Jon D. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Pawhuska". Retrieved Februar 16, 2013.

Personal life

Johnson was born in Foraker, Oklahoma, on the Osage Indian Reservation, of Irish and Cherokee ancestry,Thurman, Tom. – . – IMDbErickson, Hal. – . – Allmovie the son of Ollie Susan (née Workmon) and Ben Johnson, Sr., Osage County, Oklahoma USGenWeb Project hosted by Rootsweb.com His father was a rancher in Osage County and also a rodeo champion. As a young man, Johnson was a ranch hand and travelled with his father on the rodeo circuit. He was a star in rodeo before becoming involved in the movies. He was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Team Roping World Champion in 1953.http://www.prorodeo.com/champions.aspx?xu=50 After winning the title, he discovered that, after travel and expenses, he broke even for the year. Johnson was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1973.

Johnson married Carol Elaine Jones in 1941, and they were married for 53 years until her death on March 27, 1994. The couple had no children. Carol Jones was the daughter of noted Hollywood horse wrangler Clarence "Fat" Jones.