Dennis Weaver Dies
February 27, 2006
Given the breadth of Dennis Weaver's resume--"Gunsmoke," "The Lone Ranger," "McCloud"--there wasn't a range, or a metropolis, that the actor didn't ride.
Weaver, a quintessential TV cowboy who enjoyed his greatest fame as Sam McCloud, the New York City detective with a twang, on the 1970s crime show "McCloud," died Friday at his Colorado home of cancer, his publicist announced Monday. He was 81.
His credits span the history of TV, from the early 1950s, when he guested on "The Lone Ranger," to family-friendly dramas of the 2000s such as last year's ABC Family series "Wildfire." He also starred in Steven Spielberg's first feature-lenghth project, the TV movie "Duel."
"Christmas Story" Obit
February 27, 2006Darren McGavin's biggest hits weren't measured by ratings or box-office grosses, but by something more enduring: Devoted fans.
McGavin, who stalked monsters on the short-lived, but influential 1974-75 TV series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and groused as the besieged father in the latter-day Yuletide classic "A Christmas Story," died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Son Bogart McGavin said that his father died of natural causes.