Harry Clifford Keel

 Harry Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919 – November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel.

Keel starred in the CBS television series Dallas from 1981-91. But to an earlier generation, with his rich bass-baritone singing voice, he was known as the star of some of the most famous MGM film musicals ever made. In 1945, he briefly understudied for John Raitt in the Broadway hit Carousel before being assigned to Oklahoma!, both written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. While performing in Oklahoma, Keel accomplished a feat that has never been duplicated on Broadway; he once performed the leads in both shows on the same day. In 1947, Oklahoma! became the first American postwar musical to travel to London, England, and Keel joined the production. On April 30, 1947, at the Drury Lane Theatre, the capacity audience (which included the future Queen Elizabeth II) demanded fourteen encores. Keel was hailed as the next great star, becoming the toast of London's West End. From London's West End, Keel went to Hollywood in 1950 where he was engaged by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio. He made his musical film debut as Frank Butler in the film version of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun (1950), co-starring with Betty Hutton. The movie was a big hit and establish Keel as a star. Keel played Wild Bill Hickock opposite Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953), another hit. Back at MGM he and Grayson made a third musical together, Kiss Me Kate (1953), which again was liked by the public but unprofitable. The same went for Rose Marie (1954) which Keel made with Ann Blyth. However Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) with Jane Powell was a huge success and made MGM over $3 million in profit. His other film credits include "The Big Fisherman" (1959), "Armored Command" (1961), "Waco" (1966), "The War Wagon" (1967), "Arizona Bushwhackers" (1968), among others. Keel died at his Palm Desert home on November 7, 2004 from colon cancer, he was 85 years old.