George Randolph Scott

 George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987)

His films included "Gunfighters" (1947), "Corner Creek" (1948), "The Walking Hills" (1949), "Fighting Man of the Plains" (1949), "Canadian Pacific" (1949), "The Cariboo Trail" (1950), "Colt .45" (1950), "Fort Worth" (1951), "Man in the Saddle" (1952), "Carson City" (1952), "Hangman's Knot" (1952), "The Man Behind the Gun" (1953), "The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953, filmed in 3-D), "Thunder over the Plains" (1953), "The Bounty Hunter" (1954), "Riding Shotgun" (1955), "Rage at Dawn' (1955), "Seven Men from Now" (1956), "Shootout at Medicine Bend (1957, his last black and white movie), "The Tall T" (1957), "Decision at Sundown" (1957), "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958), "Westbound" (1959), "Ride Lonesome" (1959), and "Comanche Station" (1960).As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals (albeit in non-singing and non-dancing roles), adventure tales, war films, and a few horror and fantasy films. However, his most enduring image is that of the tall-in-the-saddle Western hero. Out of his more than 100 film appearances over 60 were in Westerns; thus, "of all the major stars whose name was associated with the Western, Scott most closely identified with it."

Scott's more than 30 years as a motion picture actor resulted in his working with many acclaimed screen directors, including Henry King, Rouben Mamoulian, Michael Curtiz, John Cromwell, King Vidor, Allan Dwan, Fritz Lang, and Sam Peckinpah. He also worked on multiple occasions with prominent directors: Henry Hathaway (eight times), Ray Enright (seven), Edwin L. Marin (seven), André de Toth (six), and most notably, his seven film collaborations with Budd Boetticher. During the early 1950s, Scott was a consistent box-office draw. In the annual Motion Picture Herald Top Ten Polls, he ranked 10th in 1950, seventh in 1951, and 10th in both 1952 and 1953. Scott also appeared in the Quigley's Top Ten Money Makers Poll from 1950 to 1953. In April 1917, the United States entered World War I and shortly afterwards, Scott, then 19 years old, joined the United States Army. He served in France as an artillery observer with the 2nd Trench Mortar Battalion, 19th Field Artillery. His wartime experience gave him training that was put to use in his later film career, including horsemanship and the use of firearms. Scott died of heart and lung ailments in 1987 at the age of 89 in Beverly Hills, California. He is interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina.