Doug McClure

Stars

Born May 11, 1935 in Glendale, Calif.

Died Feb. 5, 1995 of lung cancer in Sherman Oaks, CA

Doug McClure was a boyish, blond actor who was proud that his career bridged two generations.

Although his fame peaked with "The Virginian," which began in 1962, McClure continued to work for many years after the show went off the air in 1971.

He made guest appearances on such shows as the 1977 classic "Roots," and with James Drury, his costar on "The Virginian, he appeared on the 1991 Kenny Rogers miniseries "The Gambler Returns" and an ABC special titled "How the West Was Fun."

"I had this feeling everybody thought I was dead," McClure said in a 1988 interview. "I didn't quit. I did some films and theater in London. I went to New York. But I had been on television so much, people thought (if I wasn't on television) I wasn't around."

Although he had science fiction and other roles, the western work came naturally to him. He started riding horses at the age of 8 and spent summers in Nevada, where he did some bronco-busting in rodeos.

McClure went to University High School in West Los Angeles. There he was quarterback on the football team, swam and competed in other sports to earn seven letters. A part in a high school play set him on the road to acting. He studied drama at Santa Monica City College and UCLA while working part time as a model.

"Doug wasn't a driven actor," said longtime friend and Times writer Paul Dean. "He saw it as a job that paid well, came easily and allowed him maximum time for the really important things in life — the beach, volleyball, surfing, working out, all sports, enjoying the California where he was born and tennis anywhere, with anyone, at the drop of a racquet."

Fiercely competitive, McClure continued his sports interests throughout his life, playing tennis regularly on the pro-celebrity circuit.

McClure's first acting job was in a syndicated series, "Men of Annapolis." After a few feature films, including "The Enemy Below," "Gidget" and "The Unforgiven," he was placed under contract by Universal. He began his string of series for television as William Bendix's sidekick in "The Overland Trail" and went on to the equally short-lived "Checkmate," a private-eye series set in San Francisco.

— Myrna Oliver in the Los Angeles Times Feb. 7, 1995

Two thoughts about Doug McClure

“

I have been a fan of Doug for over 50 years since as a 10 year old boy he became my hero as Jed Sills in his second TV series "Checkmate".I have followed his career through "The Virginian" and his other TV series "Search"," Barbary Coast" and "Out of This World" and his many movies, such as "The Unforgiven" (1960), "Shenandoah" and "The Land That Time Forgot". I wrote to him several times and eventually got a very nice letter and signed photo. I never met him but I am friends with his widow, Diane and daughters, Tane and Valerie, on Facebook and met all 3, as well as Tane's daughter, Doug's grand daughter, Kayla last year at his induction into the Hall of Great Western Performers in Oklahoma, having been part of the campaign along with Valerie and James Drury, to get him inducted. I have also met his second wife, BarBara Luna, 9 of his co-stars in The Virginian, including James Drury and several other actors he worked with and was friends with. The map could also include Pacific Palisades, where he lived with his parents from the age of 5 and later when married to BarBara Luna, Encino, where he had a small ranch, Universal Studios where he spent much of his working life and Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, where he is buried. He also had a home on the 17 Mile Drive in Monterery for many years

” — Nic Fewer, July 20, 2015 at 2:07 p.m.

Share a thought about Doug McClure

Did you ever meet Doug McClure? Share your memory.
Which other stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Doug McClure?
Are other places in the world important to Doug McClure?
Does Doug McClure deserve this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

Doug McClure

Stars

Related stars

Points of interest

Two thoughts about Doug McClure

Share a thought about Doug McClure