Search the Western Clippings Site

An Interview With…
        - Archives

Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins
    - Archives

Do You Remember?
    - Archives

Comic Book Cowboys
    - Archives

Westerns of...
    - Archives

Heavies and Characters
      - Warren Oates
      - Ford Rainey
      - Ward Bond
      - William Mims
      - James Gregory
      - Guy Wilkerson
      - Frank Ferguson
      - Al Ferguson
      - Mort Mills
      - Slim Whitaker
      - Le Roy Mason
      - Kenneth MacDonald
      - Nestor Pavia
      - Steve Clark
      - Pierce Lyden
      - Bud Geary
      - Lyle Talbot
      - Rayford Barnes
      - I. Stanford Jolley
      - Don Harvey
      - Bruce Dern
      - Ian MacDonald
      - Bob Kortman
      - Bob Wilke
      - Denver Pyle
      - Jack Ingram
      - Jan Merlin
      - Neville Brand
      - John Anderson
      - John Milford
      - Lee Marvin
      - Trevor Bardette
      - Morgan Woodward
      - Michael Pate
      - Fred Kohler
      - Mari Blanchard
      - Dick Alexander
      - Hank Worden
      - Marie Windsor
      - Edmund Cobb
      - Gregg Barton
      - Douglas Fowley
      - Walter Burke
      - Budd Buster
      - R. G. Armstrong
      - Gregg Palmer
      - Rex Holman
      - Ernie Adams
      - Robert Ryan
      - Ted de Corsia
      - Scott Marlowe
      - Lee Roberts
      - James Coburn
      - Victor Jory
      - Kenne Duncan
      - Stephen McNally
      - Wallace Ford
      - Earle Hodgins
      - Douglas Kennedy
      - DeForest Kelley
      - George Macready
      - Terry Frost
      - John Doucette
      - Riley Hill
      - James Seay
      - Richard Devon
      - Harry Lauter
      - James Griffith
      - Myron Healey
      - J. Farrell MacDonald
      - Jean Willes
      - Hank Patterson
      - L. Q. Jones
      - Tom London
      - Leo Gordon
      - Holly Bane/Mike Ragan
      - Dan Duryea
      - John Cason
      - Dennis Moore
      - Lee Van Cleef
      - Jack Elam
      - Roy Barcroft
      - William Fawcett
      - Byron Foulger
      - Gerald Mohr
      - Tom Bay
      - Lafe McKee
      - Paul Sorenson, Ben Welden, William Watson, George Barrows
      - Strother Martin
      - Carl Stockdale
      - Edward J. Peil
      - George Wallace
      - Claude Akins
      - Al Taylor
      - Henry Silva
      - John Dehner
      - Donald Curtis
      - Steve Brodie
      - John Merton
      - Lyle Bettger
      - Ted Adams
      - John Cliff
      - Marshall Reed
      - Barton MacLane
      - Al Bridge
      - Warner Richmond
      - Charles Stevens
      - Ethan Laidlaw
      - Chris Alcaide
      - Tris Coffin
      - Noah Beery Sr.
      - Frank Ellis
      - Zon Murray
      - Lane Bradford
      - Morris Ankrum
      - Harry Woods
      - Charlie King
      - Glenn Strange
      - Forrest Taylor
      - Bud Osborne
      - Dick Curtis
      - George Chesebro

The Stuntmen - Neil Summers
    - Archives

Western Treasures
    - Archives

Circus Cowboys
    - Archives

Radio Range Riders
    - Archives

Rangeland Elegance
    - Archives

Western Artifacts
    - Archives

Film Festival Fotos
    - Archives

Silent Western Reviews
    - Archives

Serial Report
    - Archives

Subscribe to Western Clippings

COLLECTIBLES FOR SALE:

Western Clippings Back Issues

Daily Comic Strips
    - Page 1 (1910-1949)
    - Page 2 (1950-1979)

Sunday Comic Strips
    - 1907-1990

Books

Miscellaneous Collectibles

Autographs

Lobby Cards

Movie Posters

Home

WILLIAM FAWCETT

For 26 years, from 1946 to 1972, wiry, grizzled, William Fawcett played old coots of all sorts—grumpy sourdoughs, cooks, judges, doctors, stablemen, store clerks, ranch hands—whatever old-timer the script called for, Fawcett was a perfect fit, whether teeth in/teeth out, glasses on/glasses off, long hair/short or balding hair.

Born William Fawcett Thompson in High Forest Village, MN (Olmsted County), September 8, 1894, to William and Zilpah Thompson, his Methodist clergyman father came from Australia and his mother from Wales. His Fawcett middle name was acquired from the doctor that delivered him when he was born. The brown-haired, gray-eyed Fawcett had three younger siblings, two sisters, Francis and Margaret, and a brother Henry. Expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, attending Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, by age 22 Fawcett was licensed to preach by authorization of the Methodist Episcopal Church on September 5, 1916. However, when Bill returned from service with an ambulance corps during World War I, he elected to become an actor, first in Canada then in the U.S.

William Fawcett talks with Dale Robertson in "Dakota Incident" ('56 Republic).

His acting had actually begun at a young age in church dramas. He went on to perform in repertory theatre and stock companies during his 20’s and 30’s until talking pictures put these companies out of business. In 1925 Bill married stenographer Helene King of Canada in Minnetonka, MN. They were wed until his death. Becoming a teacher of English and dramatic literature at the University of Nebraska, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and became a professor of theatre arts at Michigan State University. During WWII Bill worked in shipyards in San Francisco and Oakland.

By ‘46 when he headed for Hollywood, he was 52 and was already possessed of a wonderfully detailed old-timer’s face which immediately gained him work in Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue B-westerns at PRC. He soon linked up with Columbia serial producer Sam Katzman, appearing in 17 of Sam’s chapterplays (as well as two at Republic). Fawcett eventually worked in some 400 movie and TV productions, including over 60 western movies, 19 serials, and over 200 TV episodes, the preponderance of which were western.

Much to Lash LaRue's chagrin, William Fawcett and Al "Fuzzy" St. John harmonize while Jennifer Holt plays the piano in "Pioneer Justice" ('47 PRC). This scene does not appear in all video prints.

Besides his grizzled character roles, he occasionally turned out to be the bad guy. He was a crooked judge in Eddie Dean’s “Stars Over Texas” (‘46) and “Check Your Guns” (‘48); Jennifer Holt’s uncle who is the gang’s secret leader in Lash LaRue’s “Pioneer Justice” (47); the express bandit boss on “Cisco Kid: Outlaw’s Gallery” (‘52); a crooked assayer on “Annie Oakley: Bull’s Eye” (‘54); a crazy old ghost town blacksmith gang boss in “Gene Autry: Ghost Town Raiders” (‘51) and the surprise hotel owner thief in “Gene Autry: Thunder Out West” (‘53).

Of his hundreds of character roles, he was memorable as the murdered sheriff in Eddie Dean’s “Driftin’ River” (‘46); as Professor Hammil, an eccentric invalid inventor suspected of being The Wizard in “Batman and Robin” (‘49); as the long-bearded wizard Merlin in “Adventures of Sir Galahad” (‘49); Jock Mahoney’s sidekick Ezra and Rocky in “Cody of the Pony Express” (‘50) and “Roar of the Iron Horse” (‘51); as Onslow Stevens’ foreman Washoe who sacrifices his life in the final mine shootout of Gene Autry’s “Hills of Utah” (‘51); as sidekick Alkali in “Cattle Queen” with Maria Hart; a feuding ex-Confederate soldier in “Gene Autry: Civil War at Deadwood” (‘54); miner Rocky, constantly being rescued by Marshall Reed in “Riding With Buffalo Bill” (‘54); George Montgomery’s trusty scout in “Seminole Uprising” (‘55); old time lawman Dead Eye Jones in “Lone Ranger: Dead Eye” (‘57); an eccentric old prospector on “Buffalo Bill Jr.: A Diamond for Grandpa” (‘56); recurring roles as Capt. Longey, a tetched Ancient Mariner in two episodes of “Rin Tin Tin” (‘54, ‘56); as aged ex-Marshal Higgins on three episodes of “Rin Tin Tin” (‘55-‘57); and as a stubborn old rancher on “Bronco: Immovable Object” (‘62).

Rosco "Soapy" Ates, Lee Bennett, Eddie Dean, Shirley Patterson and William Fawcett in PRC's "Driftin' River" ('46).

William Fawcett, as the wheelchair-bound eccentric Professor Hammil, is confronted by James Craven, Emmett Vogan, Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon, Johnny Duncan as Robin, Robert Lowery as Batman and Leonard Penn in the Columbia serial "Batman and Robin" ('49).

Dickie Moore as "Cody of the Pony Express" ('50 Columbia serial) with Tom London, Jock O'Mahoney, Helena Dare, Peggy Steward and William Fawcett as Ezra.

Old timer William Fawcett as Rocky is forced by the Baron (George Eldredge) and his renegades (Hugh Prosser on the right) to draw a map leading them to where Rocky found a valuable meteor deposit in "Roar of the Iron Horse" ('51 Columbia serial).

The cast of TV's "Fury"--William Fawcett, Fury, Bobby Diamond, Peter Graves.Even with all these roles, many viewers still remember Fawcett as irascible ranch foreman Pete Wilkey on NBC TV’s “Fury” (‘55-‘60) with Bobby Diamond and Peter Graves.

Fawcett’s final appearance was on the non-western TVer “Manhunter” in ‘72. The delightful old codger we so enjoyed died of circulation problems at 79 on 1/25/74, in Sherman Oaks, CA. (His wife Helene lived until 6/17/97.) Fawcett is buried at Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, MN. (Thanx for life research to Evy Patrick.)

 

 

William Fawcett as Alkali, Drake Smith and Maria Hart comfort a wounded Johnny Carpenter in "Cattle Queen" ('51 United International).