Allan Lane

He is best known for his portrayal of Red Ryder and for being the voice of the talking horse on the television series Mister Ed, from 1961 to 1966.

Lane was born Harry Leonard Albershardt or Albershart (sources differ) in Mishawaka, Indiana to Linnie Anne and William H. Albershardt. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lane had been a photographer, model and stage actor by age 20. He played varsity sports, baseball, football and basketball at the University of Notre Dame but dropped out to pursue his interests in acting.

Lane's first film role for Fox was as a romantic lead opposite June Collyer in the 1929 release, Not Quite Decent (now a lost film). He made several other films at Fox but jumped ship to Warner Bros. While at Warner his career foundered, and after a number of bit parts he left films in the early 1930s. By 1936, Lane returned to films and to 20th Century Fox, taking supporting roles in the drama Laughing at Trouble and the Shirley Temple film Stowaway. After several more supporting roles at Fox, Lane longed for a starring role; therefore, he took the lead in a Republic Pictures' short feature, The Duke Comes Back (1937). From 1929 through 1936, he appeared in twenty-four films. He was in 1938's The Law West of Tombstone. In 1940, he portrayed "RCMP Sergeant Dave King", the role becoming one of his most notable successes. The first was King of the Royal Mounted, a 12-part 1940 serial adaptation of Zane Grey's King of the Royal Mounted. He starred in several Royal Canadian Mounted Police films, including the serials The Yukon Patrol and King of the Mounties. He is best remembered for these today. In 1946 and 1947, he portrayed Red Ryder in seven films, replacing Wild Bill Elliott in that role. The following year, he became "Rocky Lane" in Western films. Between 1940 and 1966, Lane made eighty-two film and television series appearances, mostly in westerns. Between 1947 and 1953, he made over 30 B-movie westerns (as "Rocky" Lane) with his faithful horse 'Black Jack'. His last roles were in voice-over acting, including providing the speech for Mister Ed (1961–1966). He was never credited on-screen for providing the voice for Mister Ed.

Lane died of cancer in Woodland Hills, California, on October 27, 1973, at age 64. He was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Lane was one of the movie cowboys named in the lyrics of the song “Whatever Happened To Randolph Scott” by The Statler Brothers, which became a hit single in 1974.

Allan "Rocky" Lane was often portrayed in the celebrity comics by his nickname, Rocky Lane, primarily during the heyday of Western-themed comics in the 1940s and 1950s. The actor was featured in the comic book Rocky Lane Western, published in 1949 by Fawcett Comics. The series was published by the company until 1954, when it left the comics market following the lawsuit "National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc.." Charlton Comics took over the title that same year, starting with issue #56 and ending with issue #87, published in 1959. The publisher also released a comic series starring his horse, Black Jack, titled Rocky Lane's Black Jack. In Brazil, the Rocky Lane stories were published by Rio Gráfica Editora (RGE) in the 1960s. Between 1965 and 1968, the publisher even commissioned local stories from Primaggio Mantovi, an Italian cartoonist who became a naturalized Brazilian citizen.

Series Mister Ed, 1961–1966 syndicated and later CBS TV series. Lane provided the voice for Mister Ed. This was an uncredited role. Red Ryder, 1956–1957 TV series. Lane portrayed Red Ryder Guest appearances Cheyenne, episode "Massacre at Gunsight Pass", originally aired May 1, 1961 Gunsmoke, episode "Long Hours, Short Pay", originally aired April 29, 1961 Bonanza, episode "The Blood Line", originally aired December 31, 1960 Gunsmoke, episode "The Badge", originally aired November 12, 1960 Lawman, episode "The Payment", originally aired May 8, 1960 Bronco, episode "Death of an Outlaw", originally aired March 8, 1960 Colt.45, episode "Arizona Anderson", originally aired February 14, 1960 Tales of Wells Fargo, episode "The Reward", originally aired April 21, 1958 Wagon Train, episode "The Daniel Barrister Story", originally aired April 16, 1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 3 Episode 28: "Lamb to the Slaughter") (originally aired April 13, 1958) as Patrick Maloney Gunsmoke, episode "Texas Cowboys", originally aired April 5, 1958 Mike Hammer, episode "Husbands Are Bad Luck", originally aired 1957