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The High Chaparral Cast
Back row: Mark Slade, Linda Cristal, Leif Erickson, Cameron Mitchell, Henry Darrow. Front row: Rudolfo Acosta, Bob Hoy, Roberto Contreras, Ted Markland, Don Collier, Jerry Summers.
Before he became Sam Butler, ranch foreman on The High Chaparral, Don Collier was already enjoying a successful career in television and the movies. Born Donald H. Mounger on 17 October in Santa Monica, California, his early years as a ranch hand for famous actor Francis Lederer taught him everything he needed to know to become a successful cowboy and rancher in real life. It was also Lederer who convinced him to turn to acting as a profession. He took his stage name from the cover of Collier's Magazine, which he spied lying on the coffee table in his agent's office. His first movie was the western Massacre River, to be followed in short order by Davy Crockett Indian Scout. After a stint in college, Don returned to acting with a starring role in the highly acclaimed Outlaws in 1960, where he played the part of U. S. Marshal Will Foreman during the notorious days of the Dalton Gang and Bill Doolin's Wild Bunch in the Oklahoma Territory of the 1890's. He came to the difficult and demanding role of Sam Butler because of his looks and exceptional riding ability. He is alive and well and still acting. This is his web site, so be sure to check out the other aspects of his career.
Leif Erickson, real name William Wycliffe Anderson, came to The High Chaparral after a long and successful career in films. He was born 27 October 1911 in Alameda, California, and his mother often took him as a child to the old San Francisco Opera House, where music quickly became his Number 1 passion. It was always his plan to become the greatest singer who ever lived, but his father, a rugged sea captain, thought real men were carpenters and plumbers. It did not faze his son. Harvesting wheat in Texas in 1929, Erickson sang on the combine. Two years later, he was knocking them dead in the aisles from Santa Monica to San Francisco with his bass-baritone. It was Ted Fio Rito, the bandleader, who changed his name to Leif Erickson. He got into serious acting almost by accident. Paramount sent him a telegram in Peoria, where he was part of the cast of a touring version of Olsen & Johnson's Hellzapoppin. They wanted to screen test him, only they were looking for someone else named Erickson. By the time they discovered their mistake, Leif, then 23, had already been signed. By his own account, he has been in more than 100 movies, having signed his first contract with Paramount in 1935. From there, his career was non-stop, although he fell into the limbo reserved for near-stars who were too good-looking to be believable. It was only after he acquired that rugged, interesting face, which makes older men so attractive, that he captured the attention of America. David Dortort, creator of The High Chaparral, first noticed him in a Bonanza episode in 1961, where he played God, and signed him up as ranch patriarch John Cannon. Leif Erickson died on 29 January 1986 in Pensacola, Florida.
Cameron Mitchell, real name Cameron McDowell Mizell, was born 4 November 1918 in Dallastown, Pennsylvania, one of seven children of a minister. As a child during the Depression, he wore his sisters' hand-me-down shoes and coats. While in school, he became interested in acting, and one of his high school teachers lent him the money to go to a New York City dramatic school. It was while he was struggling at odd jobs in New York that he wrote letters to producers, actors and agents. None of his hundreds of letters ever got a reply, until he criticized a performance of Alfred Lunt's in the motion picture The Guardsman. Lunt replied, inviting Cameron to audition. Afterward, Lynn Fontanne told him, "Acting is your life's work, and you're not only going to be a good actor, you're going to be a great actor." She changed his name to Mitchell, and the rest is history. With hundreds of film roles behind him, Cameron came to The High Chaparral by accident. He was on a plane on his way home to Madrid, Spain, and sitting in the seat behind him was David Dortort. When Dortort handed him a script to review, he became Buck Cannon, younger brother to John Cannon. Cameron Mitchell died of lung cancer on 6 July 1994 in Pacific Palisades, California.
Mark Van Blarcom Slade was born 1 May 1939 in Massachusetts, spending most of his time in and around Danvers. From the moment he laughed his way through his first Charlie Chaplin movie as a child, he was fascinated with movie-making. In 1956, he enrolled in the Worcester Academy, intending to become a cartoonist, but after he filled in for a sick classmate, playing the role of an English professor in the play, The Male Animal, he knew he was destined to be an actor. He got the part of Billy Blue Cannon, son of ranch patriarch John Cannon on The High Chaparral, through his electric performance in producer David Dortort's office, even after the part had been temporarily assigned to another actor. Dortort was wanting a young man with just the right generation clash with authority, and Mark provided it by yanking Dortort up out of his chair by the lapel of his suit in the impromptu audition. Mark is retired from the picture business to become a very successful artist.
Henry Darrow, real name Enrique Tomas Delgado, was born 15 September 1933 in New York City, New York, but moved to Puerto Rico with his family when he was 13. He studied political science at the University of Puerto Rico for two years before winning a government scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in Theatre Arts. For ten years, he acted in 12 feature films and 75 television roles, and he became known as a specialist in Latin roles and dialects. He is probably the only actor in Hollywood who can provide four different Spanish accents - Northern, Castillian, Basque, and Mexican. Henry almost missed his glory days on The High Chaparral because he chose an inopportune time to change his image. David Dortort had seen him act two years earlier, as a lighthearted Mexican peasant in The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit and had written the part of Manolito Montoya - the son of a powerful haciendado who renounces his father's wealth - with Henry in mind, only when it came time to offer the handsome young actor the part, Henry was nowhere to be found. Dortort had been searching for Henry under his former name, Delgado, but Henry, tired of being type-cast as a Mexican, had changed his name to Darrow. Originally, the part of Manolito was intended to be a skulking villain, but Henry's charm came through so strongly that the character was changed from nasty to nice. He is alive and well and still acting.
Linda Cristal, real name Marta Victoria Moya Burges, was born 25 February 1934 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She had gone into semi-retirement to raise her two sons, when John Wayne coaxed her out to do the part of Flaca in his epic The Alamo in 1960. After that, she took assignments only as the whim struck. Linda was the last main cast member to be added to The High Chaparral, and she got the part through sheer determination and perseverance. David Dortort had been auditioning actresses for three weeks, seeking just the right person with stunning good looks and a fiery personality, who could breathe life into the aristocratic Victoria Montoya, and he had just about given up hope of ever finding the right person. When Linda finally heard about the part, her agent thought the role had already been cast, but she urged him to check, and history was made. She is alive and well and enjoying retirement.
Born April 3 in New York, Robert Francis "Bob" Hoy, has been a stuntman - actor - stunt coordinator - director in television and the movies going back to the late 1940's. He made a number of films with Alan Ladd and Audie Murphy, and among the many people he has doubled are Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Robert Forster, Ross Martin, Tyrone Power, Telly Savalas, Jay Silverheels, and David Janssen. He crossed over from stunt work into acting while guest-starring in Bonanza. A few of his film credits include Bite the Bullet, The Lone Ranger, Nevada Smith, The Enforcer, Five Card Stud, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. He guest-starred in numerous television shows, some of which were Wanted Dead or Alive, The Wild Wild West, Streets of San Francisco, and Quincy. When he became Joe Butler, the ranch hand younger brother of ranch foreman Sam Butler, on The High Chaparral, he rode into millions of hearts everywhere. Bob stepped behind the camera to direct Zorro and The Three Musketeers. He is a founding member of The Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, of which he is a lifetime member, and he is one of the most famous stuntmen in Hollywood. He is still very active in the picture business.
Born January 15, the son of an Army colonel, Ted Markland grew up all over the United States. When he decided to become an actor, he studied dramatic arts at Los Angeles City College. He also studied with famed actor Richard Boone, who rode into history as Paladin in Have Gun Will Travel. Ted has a deep interest in comedy, and his first manager, the legendary stand-up comic Lenny Bruce, booked him into such famous nightclubs as the Blue Angel in New York City, the Purple Onion in San Francisco, and the Troubadour in Los Angeles. It was while he was performing in the Troubadour that director David Dortort spied him and wrote the part of Reno the ranch hand for him in The High Chaparral. From here, Ted's career has been non-stop. Since he is tall, he has been cast anywhere from the mean galoot to the tame pussycat. He has done summer stock and tons of plays. Some of his memorable television appearances have been in Father Murphy, Dallas, Hunter, Bonanza, Renegade, and Murder She Wrote. His films have ranged from Disney's Blackbeard's Ghost to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ulzana's Raid, and Waterhole #3. He won critical acclaim as the villanious biker Malcolm Pierce in Another 48 hours with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, as well as Strap, the Be-Bop Killer, in Wanda Nevada with Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields. Ironically, he first worked with Don Collier in an episode of Outlaws in 1961, along with another guest star Roberto Contreras, who would become Pedro in The High Chaparral. When not acting, Ted's hobbies include Navajo Indian culture, mountain climbing, and writing songs and scripts. He is currently at work on a biography of Lenny Bruce. Ted is alive and well and still acting.
Rudolfo Acosta, called Rudy by his friends, was born 29 July 1920 in Chihuahua, Mexico. It is not known exactly when he first made his way to Hollywood to begin his acting career under John Ford, but he became one of the most successful character actors in the picture business. With his craggy features and fine bone structure, he was a photographer's dream, and his face became familiar to thousands of people long before they knew his name. He has played all sorts of characters in almost 100 movie and television appearances. In 1967, Rudolfo became a household name across America with his portrayal of Vaquero in The High Chaparral. He was somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades, having the capability, knowledge, and expertise to herd cattle, cook, doctor, and understand the Apaches and their language. As Vaquero, he came from the lands of Rancho Montoya in Sonora, but he gave willingly of his skills to the Cannon Ranch of Arizona. Rudolfo Acosta died from cancer on 7 November 1974 in Woodland Hills, California.
Roberto Contreras was born 19 December, and he always knew he would be an actor. Tall and lean with the rugged good looks of the Latin lover, he appeared in hundreds of television and movie roles, usually cast as a Mexican peasant or lovable villain. He came to The High Chaparral as the jack-of-all-trades ranch hand named Pedro in the first episode and quickly captured hearts everywhere. Ironically, he first worked with Don Collier in an episode of Outlaws in 1961, which also guest-starred Ted Markland, who became Reno on The High Chaparral. Roberto died 18 July 2000 in Burbank, California, after a short illness. He is survived by his wife Irene and three sons, Luis, Jorge, and Roberto.
Born 19 September 1950 in Lawton, Oklahoma, Rudy Ramos has been acting since he was a teenager. He came to The High Chaparral in Season Four, not to replace the missing Blue Cannon, but to add another aspect of Arizona life to the ranch. Playing the part of the half-Pawnee, half-white youth Wind, he managed to stir up controversy in the bunkhouse, tax Sam's patience with his hard-headedness, aggravate Buck with his stubbornness, and demonstrate the ethics of his upbringing when sparring with John. He went on to fame and glory in the motion picture business by taking guest roles in movies and television, before he once again took a series role in the highly acclaimed Hunter. He also took time to cut a record album. Rudy has an active career in movies and television.
Frank Silvera was born 24 July 1914 in Kingston, Jamaica, British West Indies. Before deciding on an acting career, he went to Northeastern Law School, planning to become a teacher of law. Somewhere along the route, acting got in the way. One of the few black actors of the 1950's, who was able to avoid being typecast by the color of his skin, he played a wide variety of ethnic types, from Latin to Middle Easter to Oriental. He made his film debut in 1952's Viva Zapata, and shortly thereafter, he was prominently cast in two of Stanley Kubrick's films, Fear and Desire and Killer's Kiss. He was the founder of The Theatre of Being, which was devoted to helping young African American actors get started in show business. He also turned to directing stage plays in New York and Los Angeles. In 1967, he was chosen for the role of the aristocratic, but prankish, nemesis to the Cannon empire with his portrayal of Don Sebastian Montoya in The High Chaparral. Frank Silvera accidentally electrocuted himself in his home on 11 June 1970, while trying to repair an electrical appliance.
Gilbert Roland, real name Luis Antonio D'amasco de Alonso, was born 11 December 1905 in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, where he was trained from an early age to be a bullfighter like his father. After his family moved to the United States in his early teens, he decided that acting would be a far less risky profession, and at the age of thirteen, he got work in films as an extra. He chose his screen name in homage to his two favorite movie stars, silent screen actors John Gilbert and Ruth Roland. He had his feature film debut in 1925's The Plastic Age and began to fulfill the demands of the dashing Latin lover, a role he seemed destined to play throughout his career. He slipped easily into talkies as a debonair leading man, and continued to act in character into the mid-1980's. Loved and admired by film goers everywhere, he came to The High Chaparral in the role of Don Domingo Montoya, brother to Don Sebastian, after the accidental death of Frank Silvera in 1970. Gilbert Roland died of cancer on 15 May 1994 in Beverly Hills, California.
Born 7 April 1916 in Frankfort, Indiana (some sources claim 1913, but Caruso says 1916), Anthony Caruso decided early on that he would be in the entertainment industry. When his family moved to Long Beach, California, when he was ten years old, he began studying to be a singer. It didn't take him long to realize that opera in America wasn't as lucrative as acting in America, and he quickly enrolled in the famed Pasadena Playhouse, becoming a close, personal friend of Alan Ladd. Caruso made his film debut in Johnny Apollo in 1939, and with his swarthy good looks, gravelly voice, and winning smile, he was soon in high demand, playing all sorts of ethnic types. Although he was in 11 Ladd films, he missed what could have been the biggest role. Alan Ladd had wanted Caruso to play the gunman in the 1953 classic Shane, but Caruso was in another film, and the part went to Jack Palance, making Palance a big star. By the time Caruso came to The High Chaparral as that loveable bandit El Lobo, he was a well-recognized film villain with more than 200 film and television roles to his credit. Anthony Caruso passed away 4 April 2003 in his Los Angeles home at the age of 86.
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