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Tim McCoy
Acting
Biography
One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to…
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One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86. Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France. Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death) Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)
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BODY OF WORK
Tim McCoy's Filmography
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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
as (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
Requiem for a Gunfighter
as Judge Irving Short
Run of the Arrow
as Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Around the World in 80 Days
as Colonel
Injun Talk
as Himself
West of the Law
as Marshal Tim McCall
Riders of the West
as Marshal Tim McCall
Down Texas Way
as U. S. Marshal Tim McCall
Ghost Town Law
as Marshal Tim McCall
Below the Border
as Marshal Tim McCall
Forbidden Trails
as Marshal Tim McCall
The Gunman From Bodie
as Marshal Tim McCall
Arizona Bound
as Tim McCall
The Texas Marshal
as Marshal Trigger Tim Rand
Outlaws of the Rio Grande
as Tim Barton
Riders of Black Mountain
as Marshal Tim Donovan
Arizona Gang Busters
as Trigger Tim Rand
Gun Code
as Marshal Tim Hammond posing as Tim Hays
Frontier Crusader
as Trigger Tim Rand
Texas Renegades
as 'Silent' Tim Smith
Trigger Fingers
as 'Lightning' Bill Carson
The Fighting Renegade
as Bill Carson posing as El Puma
Straight Shooter
as "Lightning" Bill Carson
Outlaws' Paradise
as William Carson / Trigger Mallory
Texas Wildcats
as 'Lightning' Bill Carson
Code of the Cactus
as Bill Carson
Six-Gun Trail
as Captain William Carson
Lightning Carson Rides Again
as Lightning Bill Carson / Jose
Phantom Ranger
as Tim Hayes
Two Gun Justice
as Tim
Code of the Rangers
as Tim Strong
West of Rainbow's End
as Tim Hart
The Traitor
as Tim McCoy: Sergeant Tim Vallance - Texas Ranger
Ghost Patrol
as Tim Caverly
The Lion's Den
as Tim Barton
Aces and Eights
as Tim Madigan
Lightnin' Bill Carson
as Marshal Lightnin' Bill Carson
Border Caballero
as Tim Ross
Roarin' Guns
as Tim Corwin
Bulldog Courage
as Slim Braddock / Tim Braddock
The Man from Guntown
as Tim Hanlon
Riding Wild
as Tim Malloy / Tex Ravelle
The Outlaw Deputy
as Tim Mallory
Justice of the Range
as Tim Condon
Fighting Shadows
as Constable Tim O'Hara
The Revenge Rider
as Tim O'Neil
Law Beyond the Range
as Tim McDonald
Square Shooter
as Tim Baxter
The Westerner
as Tim Addison
The Prescott Kid
as Tim Hamlin
Beyond the Law
as Tim Weston
A Man's Game
as Tim Bradley
Hell Bent for Love
as Police Captain Tim Daley
Voice in the Night
as Tim Dale
Speed Wings
as Tim
Straightaway
as Tim Dawson
Hold the Press
as Tim Collins
Police Car 17
as Tim Conlon
Rusty Rides Alone
as Tim Burke
The Whirlwind
as Tim Reynolds
Silent Men
as Tim Richards
Man Of Action
as Ranger Tim Barlow
End of the Trail
as Captain Tim Travers
The Western Code
as Tim Barrett
Fighting for Justice
as Tim Keene
Cornered
as Sheriff Tim Laramie
Daring Danger
as Tim Madigan
Two-Fisted Law
as Tim Clark
Hollywood on Parade
as Self
The Riding Tornado
as Tim Torrant
Texas Cyclone
as Texas Grant
The Fighting Fool
as Sheriff Tim Collins
The Fighting Marshal
as Tim Benton
Shotgun Pass
as Tim Walker
The One Way Trail
as Tim Allen
No Poster
Heroes of the Flames
as Bob Darrow
The Indians Are Coming
as Jack Manning
The Desert Rider
as Jed Tyler
Sioux Blood
as Flood
The Overland Telegraph
as Captain Allen
Morgan's Last Raid
as Capt. Daniel Clairbourne
No Poster
The Bushranger
as Edward
Beyond the Sierras
as The Masked Stranger
The Adventurer
as Jim McClellan
No Poster
Riders of the Dark
as Lt. Crane
No Poster
Wyoming
as Lt. Jack Colton
The Law of the Range
as Jim Lockhart
Spoilers of the West
as Lieutenant Lang
Foreign Devils
as Capt. Robert Kelly
The Frontiersman
as John Dale
California
as Capt. Archibald Gillespie
Winners of the Wilderness
as Col. Sir Dennis O'Hara
War Paint
as Lt. Tim Marshall
The Thundering Herd
as Burn Hudnall
No Poster