Wayde Preston
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2013) |
Wayde Preston | |
|---|---|
 Preston as Christopher Colt (1958) | |
| Born | William Erksine Strange September 10, 1929 |
| Died | February 6, 1992 (aged 62) Lovelock, Nevada, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lone Mountain Cemetery, Lovelock, Nevada |
| Alma mater | University of Wyoming |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–1990 |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Ohmart (m. 1956-1958) |
Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series, Colt .45.
Background[]
Born William Erksine Strange in Steamboat Springs, Colorado,[1] Preston was reared in Laramie in southern Wyoming by his educator parents, John and Bernice Strange. He had two younger sisters, Joan and Mary. In 1947, he graduated from Laramie High School, where he was active in football, track, band, and the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he studied pharmacy.
Preston became a musician and played in bands during the late 1940s. In 1950, he was drafted into the United States Army. Trained in an artillery unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, he became a first lieutenant and fought in the Korean War.[citation needed] Afterward, he was a park ranger[2] at Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming,[citation needed] and performed musically on the rodeo circuit before he got his break as an actor.[2]
Acting career[]
In Colt .45 he played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent who masquerades as a pistol salesman traveling throughout the Old West.[3] Preston also played the role of Christopher Colt in 1958 and 1959 in four episodes relating to "The Canary Kid" of the ABC/WB Sugarfoot series, starring Will Hutchins.[citation needed]
"The Saga of Waco Williams" paired Preston with James Garner as Bret Maverick on Maverick. Louise Fletcher (subsequently "Nurse Ratched" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) played the leading lady in the episode, which drew the highest viewership of the series.
Preston played some 20 roles in television and films from 1957 to 1991. Following his departure from Colt .45, he went to Europe, where he appeared in numerous Spaghetti Westerns, including Vic Morrow's A Man Called Sledge, opposite James Garner, and the 1968 film Anzio, about the World War II Battle of Anzio. Preston played the role of Logan in another 1968 film, Wrath of God; he was then cast in 1969 as Marshal Johnny Silver in Death Knows No Time.[citation needed]
Preston later appeared on episodes of NBC's Bonanza and ABC's Starsky and Hutch. His last screen appearance was in a supporting role in the 1990 film version of Captain America starring Matt Salinger (son of writer J.D. Salinger) in the titular role.[citation needed]
Personal life[]
In 1956, Preston married actress Carol Ohmart. They divorced in 1958.[1] Preston died in 1992 at age 62 in Lovelock, Nevada.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Man on the Spying Trapeze | Jerry Land | |
| 1968 | Today We Kill... Tomorrow We Die! | Jeff Milton | |
| 1968 | A Long Ride from Hell | Marlin Mayner | |
| 1968 | Anzio | Col. Hendricks | |
| 1968 | Wrath of God | Logan | |
| 1969 | Pagó cara su muerte | Marshal Johnny Silver | |
| 1969 | Bootleggers | Grim Doel | |
| 1969 | Dio perdoni la mia pistola | Johnny 'Texas' Brennan | |
| 1969 | Boot Hill | McGavin | Uncredited |
| 1970 | Sartana in the Valley of Death | Anthony Douglas | |
| 1970 | A Man Called Sledge | Sheriff Ripley | |
| 1970 | Hey Amigo! A Toast to Your Death | 'Doc' Williams | |
| 1976 | Hollywood Man | Tex | |
| 1980 | Smokey and the Judge | Gangster | |
| 1990 | Captain America | Jack | (final film role) |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Aaker, Everett (25 May 2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 341–343. ISBN 978-1-4766-6250-3. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Brode, Douglas (15 October 2009). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-292-71849-4. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
External links[]
- 1929 births
- 1992 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American musicians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from Denver
- People from Laramie, Wyoming
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- People from Pershing County, Nevada
- Male actors from Wyoming
- Laramie High School (Wyoming) alumni
- University of Wyoming alumni
- United States Army personnel of the Korean War
- United States Army officers
- Deaths from colorectal cancer
- Deaths from cancer in Nevada
- Warner Bros. contract players
- Western (genre) television actors
- Rodeo performers
- 20th-century American male musicians