WARREN OATES BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Warren Oates was born on July 5th, 1928 in Depoy, Kentucky with the birth name Warren Mercer Oates to parents, Sarah Alice Mercer and Bayless E. Oates.  Warren received his high school education in Louisville and then went to college at the University of Louisville.  After he chose to join the United States Marine Corps and serve for his country. 
 
During college he developed an interest in theater so after serving in the military he relocated to New York City and tried to pursue a career as an actor.  He would attend auditions and work a variety of jobs to support himself.  He finally had the chance to work in television but not as an actor, instead he was in charge of testing contest gags on a game show called "Beat the Clock" (1950).
 
After appearing in a couple live dramas he decided his acting style and southern drawl were better suited to work in western films, therefore he took the chance and moved to Hollywood. 
 
Some of his film roles included, "True Grit" (1969) starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell and Kim Darby, "Ride the High Country" (1962) starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea and Mariette Hartley, "The Wild Bunch" (1969) co-starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Ben Johnson and Edmond O'Brien, "Two-Lane Blacktop" (1971) starring Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, singer-sonwriter James Taylor and Laurie Bird, "The Hired Hand" (1971) starring with Peter Fonda and Verna Bloom, "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, "Dillinger" (1973) starring with Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Michelle Phillips and Richard Dreyfuss, "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974) with Gig Young, "Race With The Devil" (1975) co-starring Loretta Swit, Peter Fonda and R.G. Armstrong, "Tough Enough" (1983) starring Pam Grier, Dennis Quaid and Wilford Brimley and his final film role, "Blue Thunder" (1983) starring Roy Scheider and Malcolm McDowell, with the later two films released after his death.
 
He was also well known for some of his television roles such as on the TV series "The Westerner" (1960) starring Brian Keith, "The Lawless Years" crime drama (1961) "Bonanza" (1962) starring Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker and "Stoney Burke" (1962) starring Jack Lord.   
 
Oates married four times throughout his lifetime, first to Roberta Ellis from 1957 through 1959.  He then married, Teddy Farmer in 1956 and they had three children together before ending their marriage in 1966.  He chose to wed his third wife, Vickery Turner in 1969 and they had no children together and also ended their marriage in divorce in 1974.  His fourth and final wife was Judy Jones in 1977 and they were together until his sudden death from a heart attack at the young age of fifty three on April 3rd, 1982 in Los Angeles, California.

 
Filmography

1983 Tough Enough 
1983 Blue Thunder 
1982 The Blue and the Gray 
1982 The Border 
1981 Stripes
1981 East of Eden
1980 Baby Comes Home
1979 1941
1979 Tales of the Unexpected
1979 My Old Man
1979 And Baby Makes Six 
1979 Insight 
1978 The Brink's Job 
1978 China 9, Liberty 37 
1978 Police Story 
1978 Black Beauty 
1977 Sleeping Dogs 
1977 The African Queen 
1977 American Raspberry 
1976 Drum 
1976 Dixie Dynamite
1975 92 in the Shade 
1975 Race with the Devil 
1975 Rancho Deluxe
1974 Cockfighter
1974 Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
1974 The White Dawn
1973 Badlands
1973 Kid Blue 
1973 Dillinger
1973 Tom Sawyer
1973 The Thief Who Came to Dinner
1971 Chandler 
1971 The Reluctant Heroes 
1971 The Hired Hand 
1971 Two-Lane Blacktop
1971 The Name of the Game 
1971 The F.B.I. 
1970 There Was a Crooked Man... 
1970 Barquero 
1969-1970 Lancer
1970 The Movie Murderer 
1969 True Grit
1969 The Wild Bunch 
1969 Sophie's Place
1969 Smith! 
1969 Lanton Mills
1968 Something for a Lonely Man
1968 The Split
1968 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1968 Run for Your Life 
1968 The Shooting
1967 Cimarron Strip
1967 Iron Horse 
1958-1967 Gunsmoke 
1967 Dundee and the Culhane
1967 In the Heat of the Night 
1967 Welcome to Hard Times
1965-1966 The Big Valle
1966 Return of the Seven
1966 Shane
1966 The Monroes 
1963-1966 The Virginian 
1965 Lost in Space 
1960-1965 Rawhide
1965 12 O'Clock High 
1965 Slattery's People
1965 A Man Called Shenandoah
1965 Branded
1965 Major Dundee
1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre 
1965 The Rounders 
1964 The Fugitive 
1964 The Reporter 
1964 The Outer Limits 
1964 Mail Order Bride 
1964 Combat!
1960-1963 Twilight Zone
1963 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
1962-1963 Stoney Burke
1960-1962 77 Sunset Strip 
1962 Hero's Island
1962 Ride the High Country 
1962 The Untouchables
1962 Bonanza 
1961-1962 Target: The Corruptors 
1958-1962 The Rifleman 
1960-1962 Thriller
1961 The Dick Powell Theatre 
1961 The Lawless Years 
1961 Stagecoach West 
1959-1961 Bat Masterson 
1961 Laramie 
1961 The Case of the Dangerous Robin 
1958-1961 Wanted: Dead or Alive
1960 Hawaiian Eye 
1960 Lawman 
1958-1960 Have Gun - Will Travel 
1960 The Westerner 
1960 Outlaws 
1960 Wrangler 
1960 Tate
1960 Johnny Ringo 
1960 Private Property
1960 Bronco
1960 Hotel de Paree 
1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond 
1958-1960 Tombstone Territory
1959 The Rebel
1959 Yellowstone Kelly
1959 Wagon Train 
1959 Trackdown 
1959 The Rough Riders 
1959 Buckskin 
1959 Black Saddle 
1959 Up Periscope
1958 Playhouse 90 
1958 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
1958 Rescue 8
1957 Studio One in Hollywood
1956 The Big Story
1956 The United States Steel Hour