Western Stars of the Big Screen

Classic and not-so-classic western movies packed real star-power. Some of those stars built their careers on Westerns. Stars like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott come to mind. Sure they lent their acting talents to non-Western films and did right well with some of them; but Western roles are the ones that set their careers apart.

We also have a long list of talented actors who excelled in a wide range of roles, while numbering Westerns among their best. Actors like Jimmy Stewart, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Kevin Kostner, Lee Marvin, James Coburn and so many more. We’ll cover the prominent among them in this series.

We can add stars to the list who made western marks in the conversation for best of all time portrayals of some iconic character, like Emilio Estavez, best Billy the Kid ever in Young Guns and Val Kilmer, best Doc Holiday ever for Tombstone. Kurt Russell gets into the best Wyatt Earp conversation for Tombstone. Those films had great supporting roles played by the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Gene Hackman.

Sentimentally, I wanted to include Ronald Reagan among the big screen Western stars. He came by his boots and hat honestly, sitting a horse like a natural. His Western roles came along with his portrayal of George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American and a co-starring role opposite a loveable chimpanzee named Bonzo. Still the cowboy role suited him even after he earned a new pair of spurs doing another prestigious gig.

So let’s spend some time revisiting our favorite Western stars of the big screen. Remember the roles we appreciated the most and maybe even remind ourselves how much we enjoyed some of those classic movies. Those films might have the makings of yet another post series.

Next Week: Randolf Scott
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Ride easy,
Paul