Clint Walker was an American actor who rose to prominence through his starring role as cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the western series Cheyenne, an ABC/Warner Bros production that aired from 1955 to 1963. He became a staple in productions Western. Clint Walker remained relevant in the entertainment industry until the late 90s when he retired. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1997 he received the Golden Boot Award.
Clint Walker (Father of Valerie Walker) Bio
The actor was born on May 30, 1927 in Hartford, Illinois. At birth, his name was Norman Eugene Walker. However, early in his acting career, his talent agent, Henry Willson, named him Jett Norman. He was later renamed Clint by Jack Warner of Warner Bros. Walker’s parents were named Gladys Huldah (née Schwanda) and Paul Arnold Walker. Walker has Czech roots.
Clint Walker, before getting into acting, was a serial thief, jumping from one odd job to another. His first job was at a riverboat factory, after which he enlisted in the United States Merchant Navy as World War II was coming to an end. Walker was 17 at the time.
Subsequently, after his stint in the military, Walker found odd jobs all over the country – from doorman at Nevada’s Sands Hotel to nightclub bouncer, thanks to his hulking 6-foot-6 build. inch and athletic, as well as a sheet metal worker elsewhere. While hoping to find a job, Walker decided to try acting and signed a contract with Henry Wilson, then renowned for introducing young talent to the entertainment industry.
Walker’s first uncredited film role was alongside the Bowery Boys in the 1954 comedy film Jungle Men. Walker appeared in a few other films before he slipped under the radar of Warner Bros. who, at the time, was developing Western TV shows. Clint Walker’s imposing figure immediately appealed to the producers of the television series Cheyenne and he was chosen to play the main role. The lead role of Cheyenne Bodie was to become her breakthrough.
Along with his acting skills, the producers also tapped into his vocal prowess as Clint Walker sang a number of songs, mostly traditional ballads which were used in the film’s soundtrack.
After playing the role for 8 years, Clint Walker has become something of a typical beaver as a western cowboy. His later Western films would include; Fort Dobbs (1958), Yellowstone Kelly (1959), Gold of the Seven Saints (1961), and the television show, 77 Sunset Strip. Clint Walker appeared in the war drama None But the Brave (1965), the only film ever directed by ace musician Frank Sinatra. Walker’s biggest hit after Cheyenne and best of his career would be the war drama The Dirty Dozen(1967). From the 1970s, Walker returned to television and appeared in mostly television films until his retirement in 1998.
Is he dead or alive?
Clint Walker was blessed with a long life at the age of 90. In 1971, the actor had a fatal skiing accident and was pronounced dead for a while by doctors. He was skiing at Mammoth Mountain, California when he fell off a ski lift and had a ski pole stab through his heart. Shortly after he was pronounced dead, a doctor noticed a faint sign of life and rushed the actor to the operating room. Fortunately, Walker’s heart was repaired and two months later he was back to normal activities.
After Clint Walker retired in 1998, he completely slipped under the radar, spending most of his time with his family. A year before his retirement in 1997, he had married Susan Cavallari (his third wife) and had married her until his death in 2018. Clint Walker died on May 21, 2018 at a hospital in Grass Valley, California. His daughter Valarie confirmed his death to the media, saying the actor died of congestive heart failure. He is survived by his third wife and only daughter, Valarie, born to his first wife, Verna Garver. Valerie Walker is known as one of the first female airline pilots.
Twin sisters
Clint Walker had a twin sister named Lucy. Unlike Clint, she wasn’t in the entertainment business, so she lived a normal life, away from the media. Lucy died in 2000 at the age of 73.
Net value
Clint Walker was a movie star at a time when actors weren’t making that much money. In 2017, a year before his death, Clint Walker’s fortune was estimated at $5 million.