Wayde Preston
Wayde Preston | |
|---|---|
 Preston as Christopher Colt (1958) | |
| Born | William Erskine Strange September 10, 1929 |
| Died | February 6, 1992 (aged 62) Lovelock, Nevada, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Wyoming |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–1990 |
| Spouse | Carol Ohmart (m. 1956–1958) |
Wayde Preston (born William Erskine Strange; September 10, 1929[citation needed] – 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
[edit]Preston was born William Erskine Strange in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.[1] He grew up in Laramie, Wyoming, and his father taught in a high school there.[2] He was a park ranger and performed musically on the rodeo circuit before he got his break as an actor.[3]
Preston attended the University of Wyoming and served 4+1⁄2 years in the Army, half of that time in Korea. He served with anti-aircraft forces, paratroops and tanks before coming out as a first lieutenant in 1954.[4]
Acting career
[edit] | This section needs more citations. (July 2023) |
In Colt .45 he played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent who masquerades as a Colt 45 revolver salesman traveling throughout the Old West.[5] 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. Preston appeared in "The Saga of Waco Williams" on Maverick.
Preston played some 20 roles in television and films from 1957 to 1991.[citation needed] He left acting in 1959 to become an executive in[6] Comanche Aero Service at Van Nuys Airport,[7] a firm that sold airplanes and provided air charter services. He attributed the change to a difference in income and the way he was treated as an actor. "It wasn't just the hard work and low pay," he said. "The studio did petty things that added insult to injury. I got tired of being treated like an ingenue."[6] He said that he thought he was going to make feature films when he signed with the studio, and he felt that continuing in a TV series would harm his career.[6] As a licensed pilot, he flew some of the charters himself.[8]
Following his departure from Colt .45, he went to Europe, where he appeared in numerous Spaghetti Westerns, including A Man Called Sledge and the 1968 film Anzio, about the World War II Battle of Anzio. Preston played Logan in another 1968 film, Wrath of God; he was then cast in 1969 as Marshal Johnny Silver in Death Knows No Time. He appeared on episodes of NBC's Bonanza and ABC's Starsky & Hutch. His last screen appearance was in a supporting role in the 1990 film version of Captain America.
Personal life
[edit]In 1956, Preston married actress Carol Ohmart. They divorced in 1958.[1] Preston died of cancer on February 6, 1992, aged 62, in Lovelock, Nevada.[9]
Filmography
[edit]| 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 Cooperman | (final film role) |
References
[edit]- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Mercer, Charles (February 19, 1958). "Colt Show Fans 99% Women". Lancaster New Era. p. 17. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Kirkley, Donald (February 14, 1958). "Look and Listen with Donald Kirkley". The Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. p. 12. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 3 Thomas, Bob (November 18, 1959). "W. Preston Quits TV Role". The Enid Daily Eagle. Associated Press. p. C 4. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Humphrey, Hal (November 4, 1959). "The Case of the Missing Cowpoke". Los Angeles Mirror. p. 10 Part 1. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Peterson, Bettelou (November 8, 1959). "TV Heroes Shout For Help-From Their Union". Detroit Free Press. p. 6 TV. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Deaths Elsewhere". Detroit Free Press. February 12, 1992. p. 16. Retrieved March 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 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 Lovelock, 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 in Nevada
- Warner Bros. contract players
- Western (genre) television actors
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Sportspeople from Steamboat Springs, Colorado