Dale Robertson Dies At 89

Dale Robertson

As a kid I remember watching Dale Robertson. He was a cowboy actor.

 Westerns were big in those days - even for a kid growing up on the East Coast.

He is probably most famous for his role of Jim Hardie in Tales of Wells Fargo. He appeared in 63 films and several TV shows.

Until tonight, I never knew that he was a war hero. He was wounded twice in North Africa. He was awarded a Bronze Star. So many of Robertson's generation had earned similar distinction during the war. It was seldom, if ever, mentioned.

The way that he was "discovered" was very cool. He was still in the Army and stationed at San Luis Obispo, California. He wanted to have a picture taken of himself for his mother. So he and a few Army friends visited a Hollywood photographer. Soon after this, Robertson is shipped out to the South Pacific where he starts getting contacted by Hollywood agents wanting to represent him in his acting career. They had seen a large version of his photograph, on display, at the Hollywood photographer's shop window!

Robertson died today of lung cancer and pneumonia.