Steve Cochran

Stars

Actor

Born Robert Alexander Cochran on May 25, 1917 in Eureka, Calif.

Died June 15, 1965 of infection in the waters off coast of, Guatemala

Steve Cochran, an actor known for playing tough guys in the movies, had his career launched when Mae West signed him to appear with her on Broadway in "Diamond Lil."

When West broke her ankle and left the show, Cochran came to Hollywood to make "White Heat" with Warner Bros. Other movie roles followed: "The Damned Don't Cry," "Storm Warning," "I, Mobster," "The Beat Generation," "Dallas," "Jim Thorpe - All American" and "The Story of Folsom."

The circumstances surrounding Cochran's death were highly unusual. His 40-foot schooner, the Rogue, was discovered drifting off the coast of Guatemala by the Guatemalan Coast Guard on June 26, 1965.

Two teenage girls and a woman, all from Mexico, were found aboard the yacht. They had been been stranded on the vessel with Cochran's dead body for 12 days. Officials later determined Cochran had died after an infection swelled his lung.

After his death his female companions, ages 14, 19 and 25, did not know how to pilot the boat and were forced to let it drift in the ocean.

The passengers, all from Acapulco, said they met the colorful movie "heavy" through an advertisement in a newspaper that said Cochran was seeking young girls to work on his boat and play bit movie parts.

The plot: a romantic captain sets sail with an all-woman crew. The working title of the script was "Captain O'Flynn."

Cochran had previously looked for young female sailors closer to his Los Angeles home. One of them, Sandra Danielson, said after his death: "You are supposed to speak well of the dead but he put me in a very compromising situation. I told him I didn't need a job that bad."

By the time he died at age 48, Cochran had long had a reputation as a swashbuckling ladies man. He rode a motorcycle around Los Angeles and kept a collection of offbeat pets including goats and monkeys and dog he claimed could play piano.

In 1952, Cochran was sued for more than $400,000 by an ex-professional boxer he assaulted at a New Year's Eve party.

"I knew Buddy Wright was an ex-fighter," he testified in court, "so I hit him with a baseball bat."

— Ruben Salazar in the Los Angeles Times June 28, 1965

Related stars

Mae West
Professional
Jayne Mansfield
Paramour
James Cagney
Costar
Ann Sheridan
Costar

Points of interest

Nine thoughts about Steve Cochran

“

Steve Cochran was born in Eureka, Ca but grew up in Laramie, Wyoming where he graduated from Wyoming U. in 1939. He had planned to be a commercial artist, but took a Drama course, and decided he wanted to act and direct. His first job as an actor was at a Shakespeare festival in Carmel, Ca. He continued in regional theatre till WW2 when he tried to enlist.It was discovered he had a heart murmur, so he spent the war years, directing plays on Army bases in Ca. He went to Hollywood in 1945 and was signed by Goldwyn where he was used primarily as the bad guy in several Danny Kaye films.he returned to the stage as Mae West's leading man, in the role that Cary Grant had played, also with Mae West in the early 30.He came to the attention of WB films and they signed him to a 3 year contract. almost always assigned to gangster or bad guy roles, he struck out on his on as a free agent. even forming his own production Co. Robert Alexander Prod. Eager to leave his old image behind, he made a family film, written by a friend who wrote the role of an alcoholic drifter with Steve as the lead character.the film with Ann Sheridan as costar,Come Next spring, was highly praised by Martin Scorcese in an article on independent film makers. In 1957 Steve traveled to Italy to meet with the Italian director Michalangelo Antonino to star in and produce Il Grido. The film won awards in Europena markets but played only in Art Houses in the US.Steve returned to the typecast gangster roles that he was famous for. He had a reputation as a womanizer during the 50s and 60s as did most single actors of that era. But Steve made the headlines in the tabloids with the actresses he dated--Jayne Mansfield, Sabrina,Mamie Van Doren, as well as Joan Crawford, Ida lupino, Merle Oberon. He was married just out of college to an artist, and they had one child named Xandra, then to Fay McKenzie an actress, all ending in divorce. his greatest love was probably his boats which he often took to Monterey, to join the Steinbeck boat lovers. In 1964 he wrote, directed and produced a film "Tell Me In The Sunlight" in Nassau. Before he could release it, in 1965, he died at sea of a lung infection. Merle Oberon his costar in Of Love and Desire. pleaded with the LA police to look into his death--she feared foul play, but there was no inquest. Steve had just turned 48 2 weeks before his death.he became something of a cult figure in Hollywood, but he was recalled by fellow actors and directors as a working actor, He has only one star on the Hollywood Walk of fame for Tv (he appeared as guest star in many dramas from Twilight Zone to Studio One) He also made over 40 feature films, and surely is entitled to another Star for those films--from White Heat to Il Grido. He's buried, not in a Hollywood cemetery, but near the ocean he loved best in Monterey, Ca.

” — Christine Souter, March 16, 2010 at 3 p.m.

“

Robert Alexander Cochran (screen name Steve) was one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Scoring as a gangster type in White Heat, I Mobster,
The Damned Don't Cry, he was typecast throughout his career.He once said of his film roles. "I'm basically a decent person and I hope this comes across in my roles" As a single actor, he dated many famous women, and was a favorite of the tabloids. He hoped to produce and direct his films and those he had a personal interest in were the most successful with film critics ie Come Next Spring, Il Grido (The Cry) and Tell Me In The Sunlght, released 2 years after his death. He died much too young in a bizarre way, reflecting much of his life. Louella Parsons described him in an interview as 6 ft. tall, 170 lbs. dark hair with green eyes--and very sexy.He was all that and more, an interesting, talented actor, who was never appreciated enough by the industry he loved.

” — Pandora Helms, March 18, 2010 at 9:02 a.m.

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