GENE EVANS BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Eugene Barton Evans was born July 11, 1922 in Holbrook, Arizona, and raised in Colton, California. His acting career started while he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He performed with a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. As well, he was a combat engineer, and even earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery in action. When he was released from service, Evans moved to Hollywood and made his feature film debut in 1947’s western “Colorado Skies”. He went on to appear in several more movies and television shows, often portraying tough guys like cowboys, sergeants, convicts, and sheriffs because of his rugged appearance.

Evan’s determined and straightforward approach to his job drew the attention of like minded director, writer, producer Sam Fuller, who cast the actor in many of his 1950's projects. One of his most famous roles was in Fuller’s “The Steel Helmet” (1951) co-starring Robert Hutton, James Edwards, Steve Brodie, Sid Melton and Richard Loo. In the film, Evans played a harsh sergeant in the Korean War, which he did with great authenticity as he had been a former soldier. Other pictures of Fuller’s that he acted in include “Fixed Bayonets!” (1951) co-starring Richard Basehart, Michael O'Shea, Skip Homeier, Glenn Corbett and James Dean, “Park Row” (1952) starring with Mary Welch, Gerald O'Hanlon and Forrest Taylor, “Hell and High Water” (1954) also starring Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Cameron Mitchell, Richard Loo, Victor Francen and David Wayne, and “Shock Corridor” (1963) co-starring Peter Breck, Constance Towers, James Best and Philip Ahn. As well as Fuller films, he played roles in a great number of westerns, such as “Cattle Queen of Montana” (1954) starring Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, Jack Elam, Chubby Johnson, Byron Foulger and Morris Ankrum, "Nevada Smith" (1966) starring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleshette, Raf Vallone, Janet Margolin, Pat Hingle, Howard Da Silva, Martin Landau and Paul Fix, “The War Wagon” (1967) starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn, Bruce Dern, Sheb Wooley, Bruce Cabot and Robert Walker Jr., “Support You Local Sheriff” (1969) starring James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Bruce Dern, Harry Morgan, Kathleen Freeman, Willis Bouchey, Walter Burke, Henry Jones, Chubby Johnson and Jack Elam, “The Ballad of Cable Hogue” (1970) starring alongside Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, Slim Pickens, Strother Martin, R.G. Armstrong, Vaughn Taylor, David Warner, L. Q. Jones and Kathleen Freeman, and “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973) starring James Coburn, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Slim Pickens, Jason Robards, Katy Jurado, Rita Coolidge, R.G. Armstrong, Chill Wills, Richard Jaeckel, L. Q. Jones, Paul Fix, Jack Elam, Harry Dean Stanton and Barry Sullivan. In 1953 he starred with future first lady, Nancy Davis, in the sci-fi horror flick “Donovan’s Brain” and with Lew Ayres and Steve Brodie. Evans appeared in other horror films, like the sea monster fantasy “The Giant Behemoth” (1959) and sociopathic children based picture “Peopletoys” (1974). The actor performed in a number of other genres, too, for movies such as the romantic comedy “Operation Petticoat” (1959) starring Tony Curtis, Cary Grant, Arthur O'Connell, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill, Dick Sargent and Robert F. Simon, thriller “Walking Tall” (1973) starring Joe Don Baker, Elizabeth Hartman, Noah Beery Jr., Red West, Leif Garrett and Lurene Tuttle, and his final flick, the science fiction drama “Split” (1989).

In the 1950's, Evans also became well known on television. He played father Rob McLaughlin on the western family series “My Friend Flicka” (1955-56) with Johnny Washbrook, Anita Louise and Frank Ferguson, which was based off of a novel by the same name. He continued appearing in other TV shows like "The Lone Ranger", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "Bonanza", "Zane Grey Theatre", "Wagon Train", “Gunsmoke” (1963-74), “Spencer’s Pilots” (1976), “Charlie's Angels” (1979), and “Murder, She Wrote” (1984-86).

The actor retired in 1990 to a farm near Jackson, Tennessee. He died there on April 1, 1998. For his involvement in western pictures, he earned a Golden Boot.
 
 
Filmography

1989  Split 
1988  Once Upon a Texas Train
1987  Scarecrow and Mrs. King 
1987  The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory
1985  The A-Team 
1984  Blame It on the Night
1984  Murder, She Wrote   
1983  Travis McGee 
1983  Simon & Simon 
1982  The Shadow Riders  
1982  M*A*S*H 
1981  Sourdough 
1981  California Gold Rush 
1981  Hart to Hart 
1981  Vega$ 
1980  Casino 
1980  Here's Boomer 
1980  Wild Times 
1979  Charlie's Angels 
1979  Concrete Cowboys 
1979  Fantasy Island 
1979  The Sacketts
1979  Dallas
1978  The Incredible Hulk 
1978  Lassie: A New Beginning 
1978  The Eddie Capra Mysteries 
1978  The Magic of Lassie 
1978  Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
1978  The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 
1978  Will Rogers: Champion of the People
1977  Fire!
1977  The Rhinemann Exchange 
1976  Spencer's Pilots 
1976  The Macahans 
1975  Matt Helm 
1975  The Last Day 
1975  Petrocelli 
1974  Peopletoys 
1974  A Knife for the Ladies 
1974  Sidekicks 
1974  Dirty Sally
1974  Shootout in a One-Dog Town 
1973  Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 
1973  Gentle Savage 
1973  Walking Tall 
1972  The Sixth Sense
1972  The Bounty Man 
1972  Alias Smith and Jones
1971  Mannix 
1971  Longstreet 
1971  Nichols 
1971  The Smith Family  
1971  Support Your Local Gunfighter 
1970  The Intruders 
1970  There Was a Crooked Man...
1970  The Ballad of Cable Hogue 
1970  Then Came Bronson  
1969  The Name of the Game  
1969  The Bold Ones: The Protectors 
1969  The Flim-Flam Man 
1969  Support Your Local Sheriff! 
1969  Dragnet 1966
1968  Anzio 
1967  Custer  
1967  Cimarron Strip
1967  The War Wagon 
1967  Ironside
1967  Tarzan 
1966  Iron Horse
1966  Waco  
1966  Nevada Smith
1966  Perry Mason
1965  Daniel Boone   
1965  Apache Uprising 
1965  Run for Your Life  
1965  The Legend of Jesse James
1965  Branded 
1965  Slattery's People  
1964  Death Valley Days 
1963  77 Sunset Strip  
1963  The Great Adventure 
1963  Temple Houston
1963  Gunsmoke  
1963  Shock Corridor
1963  Alcoa Premiere
1963  G.E. True Theater  
1962  The Alfred Hitchcock Hour  
1962  Target: The Corruptors 
1962  Alfred Hitchcock Presents 
1962  Follow the Sun
1962  The Virginian  
1961  Route 66  
1961  Gunslinger 
1961  Gold of the Seven Saints 
1960  Outlaws 
1960  Bonanza
1960  Riverboat  
1960  Wichita Town 
1960  Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1960  Johnny Ringo
1959  Operation Petticoat
1959  Rawhide 
1959  The Hangman 
1959  The Giant Behemoth 
1959  Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958  Wagon Train   
1958  Revolt in the Big House 
1958  Yancy Derringer 
1958  Money, Women and Guns
1958  The Bravados 
1958  Zane Grey Theatre
1958  Young and Wild  
1958  Damn Citizen 
1958  The Restless Gun 
1957  The Sad Sack 
1957  The Helen Morgan Story 
1957  Jet Pilot  
1956  Playhouse 90 
1956  Massacre at Sand Creek 
1956  Wire Service 
1955  My Friend Flicka
1955  Schlitz Playhouse  
1955  Damon Runyon Theater 
1955  Science Fiction Theatre 
1955  Crashout 
1954  The Ford Television Theatre 
1954  Cattle Queen of Montana 
1954  The Long Wait 
1954  Wyoming Renegades  
1954  Hell and High Water 
1953  Donovan's Brain 
1953  The Golden Blade 
1952  Thunderbirds 
1952  Park Row 
1952  Mutiny 
1951  Fixed Bayonets! 
1951  Force of Arms 
1951  Ace in the Hole 
1951  I Was an American Spy
1951  Sugarfoot 
1951  Storm Warning 
1951  The Steel Helmet
1950  The Lone Ranger 
1950  Dallas 
1950  Wyoming Mail 
1950  Never a Dull Moment 
1950  Armored Car Robbery 
1950  The Asphalt Jungle 
1949  Criss Cross 
1949  It Happens Every Spring 
1949  Mother Is a Freshman 
1948  Larceny 
1948  Assigned to Danger 
1948  Berlin Express  
1947  Under Colorado Skies