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Lord Borg
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Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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 Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:51 pm RIP Dennis Weaver |
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| IMDB.COM wrote: | Dennis Weaver: 1924-2006
Dennis Weaver, the laconic actor who became a TV star first as the sidekick Chester in Gunsmoke and then as the leading man of 70s series McCloud, died of complications from cancer on Friday at his home in Colorado; he was 81. A struggling actor in the early 50s who appeared onstage in A Streetcar Named Desire and Come Back, Little Sheba, Weaver got his big break in the nascent medium of television by auditioning in 1955 for the small part of Chester in the new CBS series Gunsmoke. Giving his character a unique, humorous accent and a limp (neither of which were specified in the original script), Weaver easily won the part, and fame as well as an Emmy award (in 1959) followed during his nine-year run on the show. After leaving Gunsmoke, a number of TV series appearances followed, including the boy-and-his-bear show Gentle Ben (1967-69) and the cult classic Duel (1971), directed by a then little-known filmmaker named Steven Spielberg. The thriller, about a man terrorized by the unseen driver of a large truck, put the fledgling Spielberg on the map and showcased Weaver in one of his best performances (the movie was theatrically released in 1983). Weaver's most notable role in the 70s, however, was as rural country Sheriff Sam McCloud in the detective series McCloud, which ran from 1970-77. Playing a New Mexico detective clashing with the New York police department, Weaver solved crimes weekly with his laid-back style, and received two Emmy nominations during the show's run. After McCloud, Weaver worked continuously on television, with notable roles in the 70s miniseries Centennial and Pearl, the acclaimed TV movie Amber Waves (opposite Kurt Russell and a young Mare Winningham), and Lonesome Dove: The Series, where he played Buffalo Bill Cody; Weaver's most recent appearance was in ABC Family series Wildfire. President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1973-75, Weaver was also a committed environmentalist, and spoke on behalf of the cause to both the United Nations and Congress; he and his wife, Gerry, also built their home in Colorado out of recycled materials. In addition to his wife, Weaver is survived by two sons, actor Robby Weaver and actor-producer Rick Weaver. |
RIP
They say death comes in threes.
1. Don Knotts
2. Darren McGavin
3. Dennis Weaver
So sad  
-------signature-------
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
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