Noble Willingham
{{short description|American actor (1931–2004)}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Noble Willingham
| image = Noble Willingham.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Noble Henry Willingham, Jr.
| birth_date = August 31, 1931
| birth_place = Mineola, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|1|17|1931|8|31}}
| death_place = Palm Springs, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Riverside National Cemetery
| other_names =
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1970–2003
| party = Republican
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Doris Jewel Humphreys|1954|April 13, 1988|end=died}}{{cite web | url = https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/willingham-noble-henry-jr | title = TSHA {{!}} Willingham, Noble Henry, Jr. | first = Steven P. | last = Salyer | website = Texas State Historical Association | access-date = October 5, 2020}}
- {{marriage|Patti Ross Willingham|2000}}{{cite news | url = https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?pid=1842424 | title = Noble Willingham - Obituary | newspaper = The San Diego Union-Tribune | date = January 25, 2004 | via = Legacy.com}}
}}
| education = {{ubl
}}
}}
Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. (August 31, 1931 – January 17, 2004) was an American actor who appeared in more than thirty films and in many television shows, including a stint opposite Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger.{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwiby| title= Noble Henry Willingham Jr.|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=2019-08-26}}
Early life
Willingham was the son of railroad worker and farmer Noble Henry Willingham, Sr, and Ruby Ladelle (née Speights).{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/43/Noble-Willingham.html|title=Noble Willingham Biography ((?)-)}}{{cite web|url=https://www.countylinemagazine.com/life-style/beloved-charactor-actor-got-start-in-northeast-texas/article_5a030916-928f-5636-b697-def6024aab71.html |date=February 27, 2020 |title=Beloved Charactor Actor Got Start in Northeast Texas |work=Longview Museum of Fine Arts |access-date=February 15, 2021 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605023319/https://www.countylinemagazine.com/life-style/beloved-charactor-actor-got-start-in-northeast-texas/article_5a030916-928f-5636-b697-def6024aab71.html |archivedate=June 5, 2020}}
He was born in the small town of Mineola, in Wood County east of Dallas, Texas. After graduating in 1953 from North Texas State College in Denton, he earned a master's degree in educational psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Willingham served in the United States Army during the Korean War{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
Career
Willingham taught government and economics at Sam Houston High School in Houston before he followed his dream of becoming an actor. He auditioned for a part in The Last Picture Show (1971), which was filmed in Texas. He won the role, which led to another appearance, in Paper Moon (1973).
Willingham appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Chinatown (1974); Aloha, Bobby and Rose (1975); Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975); Greased Lightning (1977); The Boys in Company C (1978); Norma Rae (1979); Brubaker (1980); The Howling (1981); La Bamba (1987); Good Morning, Vietnam (1987); City Slickers (1991); The Last Boy Scout (1991); Of Mice and Men (1992); Fire in the Sky (1993); The Hudsucker Proxy (1994); Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994); and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994).
On television, Willingham had a recurring role in the ABC series Home Improvement with Tim Allen as John Binford, and appeared as a guest star in the 1975 CBS family drama series Three for the Road. He also guest starred on Dallas; The A-Team; Murder, She Wrote; Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989); Northern Exposure; The Rockford Files; Tucker's Witch with Tim Matheson and Catherine Hicks; and Quantum Leap. His additional television credits include A Woman With a Past, The Children Nobody Wanted, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, and Unconquered. He also played the conductor in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler (1980), Dr. Graham in Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story (1983), he appeared in the 1986 miniseries Dream West, and appeared in Badge of the Assassin (1985) and Men Don't Tell (1993). He guest starred as IRS Agent Bumpers in the show Remington Steele. He died of a heart attack on January 17, 2004 at age 72 in Palm Springs.
He was best known for his role as C.D. Parker on the series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 1999. He left the show to run for the United States House of Representatives. He ran for the Texas's 1st congressional district seat against incumbent Max Sandlin, who beat Willingham handily.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-odessa-american-noble-willingham-los/92470548/ | title=Noble Willingham loses bid for Congress | newspaper=The Odessa American | date=November 8, 2000 | page=13 }}
Filmography
= Film =
class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
try
|1971 |Chester | |
1973
|Roy |Uncredited |
1973
|Mr. Robertson | |
1973
|Hit! |Warden Springer | |
1974
|Councilman #1 | |
1974
|Uncle Barney | |
1974
|Where Have All the People Gone? |Jim Clancey | |
1975
|Uncle Charlie | |
1975
|Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York |Principal | |
1976
|Senator Hingle | |
1977
|Billy Joe Byrnes | |
1978
|Sergeant Curry | |
1979
|Leroy Mason | |
1979
|Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider |'Pop' Bauer | |
1979
|Butch and Sundance: The Early Days |Captain Prewitt | |
1980
|Dr. Fenster | |
1981
|Charlie Barton | |
1981
|Major Andrews | |
1981
|Nebraska Attorney | |
1983
|Andy Parker | |
1987
|Howard | |
1987
|Strother | |
1987
|Border Patrol Sergeant | |
1987
|General Taylor | |
1989
|Claude MacCready | |
1990
|Clyde Bigby | |
1991
|Roger Roy McClellan | |
1991
|Clay Stone | |
1991
|Sheldon 'Shelly' Marcone | |
1992
|Inspector General | |
1992
|The Boss | |
1992
|Zeke Bridges | |
1993
|Blake Davis | |
1994
|Zebulon Cardoza | |
1994
|Riddle | |
1994
|Sheriff Janson |Uncredited |
1994
|City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold |Clay Stone | |
1994
|Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion |C.D. Parker | |
1996
|Buford Sells | |
1999
|The Corndog Man |'Ace' Barker | |
2000
|South of Heaven, West of Hell |Sheriff Harris | |
2003
|Deputy Shirl Cash |(final film role) |
= Television =
class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
1970
|Grady |Television movie |
1971
|Jack Decataur |Television movie |
1972
|Mr. Kirby |Episode: "Riot" |
1972
|Sheriff |Episode: "Terror Times Two" |
1973
|Tuck |Episode: "Whelan's Men" |
1973
|The Girls of Huntington House |Harry |Television movie |
1973
|Carl Jackson |Episode: "Die, Darling, Die" |
1973
|Bartender |Television movie |
1973–75
|Mr. Denton / B.C. Graddy |3 episodes |
1974
|Farmer |Episode: "The Miller" |
1974
|Sheriff |2 episodes |
1974
|Where Have All The People Gone? |Jim Clancy |Television movie |
1974
|Hal |Episode: "What Are Friends For? |
1975
|Sergeant 'Sonny' Wills |Episode: "Coffin Corner" |
1975
|Fern Malaga |Television movie |
1975
|Verly Terrace |Episode: "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" |
1975
| |Episode: "The Rip-off" |
1975–76
|Palm Springs Tan Tony / Claude Orzeck / B.J. |3 episodes |
1976
|Artie Jacobs |Episode: "The Falling Star" |
1976–78
|Floyd / Policeman / Morgan |4 episodes |
1977
|Hotel Manager |Episode: "Aftershock" |
1977
|Artemus Washburn |Episode: "Shoot-Out at Land's End" |
1978
|Thaddeus Rose and Eddie |Judge |Television movie |
1978
|Cindy |Sergeant |Television movie |
1978
|Gas Station Owner |Television movie |
1978
|The Critical List |Charlie |Television movie |
1979
|Judge Carter |Episode: "The Rustler" |
1979
|Backstairs at the White House |Charles Cramer |Television mini-series |
1979
|Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story |Doctor |Television movie |
1979
| |Episode: "A Fistful of Oats" |
1980
|Wilbur Pierson |Episode: "Color Jennifer Dead" |
1980
|Conductor |Television movie |
1980
|'Bulldog' |2 episodes |
1980
|Jarvis Wheeler |Television movie |
1980
|Al 'Smilin' Al' |Episode: "A Mile in My Shoes" |
1981
|Senator Pascomb |Episode: "Making of a President" |
1981
|Coward of the County |Jake |Episode: "Finders Keepers" |
1981
|McNaulty |Television movie |
1982
|Cavalry General On Balloon Field |Television mini-series Episode: "Part 2" |
1982
|Missing Children: A Mother's Story |Lander Hughes |Television movie |
1983
|Mayor Warren Jarvis |9 episodes |
1983
|Hanson |Episode: "Witness: Jesse Duke" |
1983
|Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story |Dr. Graham |Television movie |
1983
|Mr. Bender |Episode: "Pardon Me Boy, Is That the Quake City Choo Choo?" |
1983
|Sheriff Trout |Episode: "Murder Is the Key" |
1983–86
|Zack / Pete Stockton |2 episodes |
1984
|Harry |3 episodes |
1984
|Sergeant Sowell |Television short |
1985
|Jerry Armstrong |Television mini-series |
1985
|Chester Hansen |Episode: "Natural Born" |
1985
|Texab #2 |Episode: "#1.4" |
1985
|MacGill |2 episodes |
1985
|Airport Guard |Television movie |
1986
|Harrison Bumpers |Episode: "Suburban Steele" |
1986
|President James Polk |Television mini-series |
1986
| |Episode: "Too Many Cooks" |
1987
| Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder |Tesch |Television mini-series |
1987
|Dr. Pollard |Television movie |
1987
|Bob 'Farmer Bob' Brewer |Episode: "Giving 'em the Business" |
1987
|Calvin |Episode: "Blue Hotel Pt.1" |
1988
|Longarm | |Television movie |
1988
|Karl Hooten |Television movie |
1988
|Rizzo |Television movie |
1988
|Judge Manning |Television movie |
1988
|Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story |Ted Simonsen |Television movie |
1989
|Robert Kenyon |Episode: "I'm in the Nude for Love" |
1989
|'Bear' Bryant |Television movie |
1989
|Star Trek: The Next Generation |'Texas' |Episode: "The Royale" |
1989
|The Road Raiders |'Crankcase' |Television movie |
1989
|Stuckey |Television movie |
1989–90
|Duke Howard |6 episodes |
1990
|Erastus Hawkins |Episode: "Then There Was One" |
1990
| |Episode: "Pilot" |
1990
|Sporting Chance |'Packy' Dillon |Television movie |
1990
|Reverend Morley Phelps |Episode: "The Madam" |
1990
|The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | |Television movie |
1991
|Gene |Episode: "Justice - May 11, 1965" |
1992
|John Binford |2 episodes |
1992
|Sheriff Pat McAllester |Episode: "Angel of Death" |
1992
|Colonel Gordon McKearn |Episode: "Lost and Found" |
1993
|Mr. Petermeyer |Episode: "Oil's Well That Ends Well" |
1993–99
|155 episodes |
Death
On January 17, 2004, Willingham died in his sleep of a heart attack in Palm Springs at the age of 72. A veteran of the United States Army during the Korean War,{{cite journal |url=http://www.countylinemagazine.com/July-August-2018/Beloved-Charactor-Actor-Got-Start-in-Northeast-Texas/ |journal=County Line Magazine |title=Beloved Charactor Actor Got Start in Northeast Texas |date=27 June 2018 |access-date=11 February 2019}} he is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA815 |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons |edition=3rd |first=Scott |last=Wilson |publisher=McFarland Publishing |date=19 August 2016 |page=815 |isbn=9781476625997}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Memory Alpha}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{find a Grave}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willingham, Noble}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:American actor-politicians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Baylor University alumni
Category:Burials at Riverside National Cemetery
Category:California Republicans
Category:Male actors from Palm Springs, California