Guy Madison

 Guy Madison, born Robert Ozell Moseley (January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996)

He is best remembered for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958. Madison worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the U.S. Navy in 1942 during World War II. In 1944, Madison was visiting Hollywood on leave when his boyish good looks and physique caught the eye of Henry Willson, the head of talent at David O. Selznick's newly formed Vanguard Pictures. Willson immediately changed Moseley's last name to Madison and cast him in a bit part as a sailor in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944). Madison returned to military service. When he got out, Selznick assigned his contract to RKO Pictures. RKO gave him a starring role in Till the End of Time, a drama about veterans returning after World War II (1946). The film was a big hit, even though it was overshadowed by The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), another film on a similar theme. However, Madison's acting was criticized as wooden. Madison's second starring role paired him with fellow Selznick contract player Shirley Temple in Honeymoon (1947). In 1951 he was cast as the title character in the television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951–58), co-starring Andy Devine as his pal, Pete "Jingles" Jones.

The series ran for seven years. During the run of the show, between 1952 and 1955, sixteen feature films were released by Monogram Pictures consisting of episodes combined into a continuous story. During the series run, Madison also continued to make feature films. Madison went to Britain for Jet Over the Atlantic (1959) then went to Europe, where he found greater success in sword-and-sandal, spaghetti Western and macaroni combat films. He went to Italy for Slave of Rome (1961), Sword of the Conqueror (1961), Women of Devil's Island (1962), and The Executioner of Venice (1963). For his contribution to the radio and television industries, Madison has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star for his contributions to radio is located at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard; the star for his television contributions is located at 6333 Hollywood Boulevard. Madison married actress Gail Russell in 1949. They separated in 1953 and divorced in October 1954. Later that month, Madison married actress Sheila Connolly in Juarez, Mexico. They had three daughters: Bridget, Erin, and Dolly. They separated in November 1960 and divorced in April 1963.

Madison died of emphysema at the Desert Hospital Hospice in Palm Springs, California, on February 6, 1996, age 74. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.