Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s and appeared in supporting roles in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Motel Hell (1980).
1922–1943: Troubled early life
Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert (1904–1968) and Floyd Conley McCown (1900–1985), a professional gambler. He spent his early years in Santa Cruz, California. He was of Irish ancestry. At age 13, he stole a revolver, for which he was sent to the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory at Ione, California. He escaped while in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).
He left home at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.
After robbing several jewelry stores, he stole a car and drove it across state lines. This was a federal offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He served his sentence at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. He remained there until he was paroled shortly before his 21st birthday.
Calhoun worked at a number of odd jobs, including as a mechanic, logger in California's redwoods, hard-rock miner in Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisherman, truck driver, crane operator, and forest firefighter.
1944–1945: Early acting credits as Frank McCown
In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in the Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him to his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to have a screen test at 20th Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944). He had a one-line role in a Laurel and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the name Frank McCown.
He also appeared in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), The Great John L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).
"I liked the money it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go back to forestry with a neat bank roll when these fellows found me out. I never had any feeling I'd make good."
1945–1949: Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David O. Selznick
Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by David O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was known for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a contract with Selznick's company Vanguard and his name was soon changed to Rory Calhoun. According to Calhoun, Selznick told him his first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a surname, and he picked Calhoun. (In another account of the story, Selznick named him "Rory" because he helped put out roaring fire blazes when a firefighter and "Calhoun" because it sounded Irish.)
Calhoun was under contract with Selznick's company Vanguard, being used to do screen tests and make public appearances. His first public appearance in the film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The glamorous blonde and her handsome companion attracted the paparazzi, and photos appeared in newspapers and fan magazines.
In 1945, Calhoun returned to prison after punching a detective.
Calhoun did not appear in a film for a year before being lent to producer Sol Lesser for The Red House (1947) with Edward G. Robinson. He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomas second feature studio to play the lead in Adventure Island (1947) with fellow Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.
Calhoun was announced for a film called Jet Pilot with Fleming, Guy Madison, and other Selznick contract players, but it was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.
Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Guy Madison and he were in Massacre River (1949). At Fox, Calhoun played a second lead in Sand (1949)
In February 1949, Selznick did a deal with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, including Calhoun; they took over half his pictures for the rest of his contract with Selznick. He played the villain in Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).