Doug McClure

• Name — Doug McClure • Birth Name — Douglas Osborne McClure • Born — 11 May 1935 • Birthplace — Glendale, California, U.S. • Died — 5 February 1995 • Place of death — Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. • Years Active — 1956–1995 • Occupation — Actor • Education — UCLA

McClure was born in Glendale, California. His English mother, Clara Elsie (née Barker), had moved to the United States in 1915 with her widowed mother, who married an American, Frank S Artman. Clara Barker was naturalized as an American citizen in 1918, and married Irish-American Donald Reed McClure in 1929. Donald and Clara were parents to Donald Reed McClure Jr. and then Doug. The widowed Clara married former mayor of Beverly Hills Frank Clapp in 1971.

McClure's acting career included such films as Gidget (1959), The Enemy Below, The Unforgiven, and Because They're Young, then he landed the role of Trampas on The Virginian, a role that would make him famous. He also starred: • As different characters in several episodes in 1957 of Death Valley Days • As Flip Flippen in the 1960 television western series Overland Trail, in which he co-starred with William Bendix for 17 episodes • As Jed Sills in the 1960-1962 CBS television series Checkmate for 70 episodes. • As C.R. (Christopher Robin) Grover in the sci-fi/detective series Search (1972–1973), in which he rotated the lead with Hugh O'Brian and Anthony Franciosa as a high-tech probe agent. • As Cash Conover, casino owner, co-starring with William Shatner, in the one-season series The Barbary Coast (1975–1976). McClure replaced Dennis Cole, who played the role of Conover in the show's pilot. • As Mayor Kyle Applegate on the fantasy sitcom Out of This World (1987–1991). • Illustration — McClure as Trampas in NBC's The Virginian McClure was in the third episode "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" of CBS's The Twilight Zone. In 1962, he was cast as Trampas on NBC's The Virginian. His co-stars throughout the series were James Drury, Roberta Shore, Lee J. Cobb, Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, Clu Gulager, Diane Roter, Charles Bickford, Sara Lane, Tim Matheson, Jeanette Nolan, and John McIntire. In 1965, he appeared in Shenandoah, a movie directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, Katharine Ross, and Rosemary Forsyth. • Illustration — McClure (left) with Rod McGaughy and Marilyn Wayne in The Virginian, 1965 After The Virginian ended in 1971, McClure was slated to co-star with Bette Davis on a series about a parolee assisting a judge, played by Davis, by doing detective work. The pilot, produced and written by the team of Richard Levinson and William Link, failed to generate interest in the series and was released as a TV movie titled The Judge and Jake Wyler. McClure made another attempt at a television series during the 1972–1973 season by co-starring on SEARCH as a hi-tech investigator, rotating with Anthony Franciosa and Hugh O'Brian, and again in 1975–1976 in The Barbary Coast, co-starring William Shatner (with whom he'd starred in The Virginian episode "The Claim"). He shifted to low-budget science-fiction movies such as The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core and The People That Time Forgot, all three based on the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In 1967, he played the Errol Flynn role in a remake of Against All Flags titled The King's Pirate. He was cast in the lead in three adventures: The Longest Hundred Miles, The Birdmen, and State of Division (also known as Death Race). In 1978, he also starred in Warlords of Atlantis. In the 1970s and 1980s, McClure appeared in commercials for Hamms Beer. McClure also appeared as the blond slave to Jamie Farr's character in the sequel Cannonball Run II (1984). He also had a cameo role as a poker player in the 1994 remake of Maverick. In 1994, McClure was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television at 7065 Hollywood Blvd. It was unveiled in what was his final public appearance.

• Illustration — Doug McClure's gravestone • Illustration — Doug McClure's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame On February 5, 1995, McClure died at age 59 from lung cancer in Sherman Oaks, California. On January 8 of that year, the actor was working on an episode of the television series One West Waikiki in Hawaii when he collapsed from an apparent stroke on the set. He was flown to Los Angeles for hospitalization. Doctors discovered that the lung cancer which McClure had for more than a year had spread to his liver and bones. McClure was married to his fifth wife at the time of his death. He was divorced four times, including twice while he was performing on The Virginian.

Doug McClure and Troy Donahue served as inspiration for the name and certain character aspects of the character of Troy McClure on The Simpsons. Mike Reiss, executive producer of The Simpsons, said that McClure's daughter informed him that he was a big fan of The Simpsons. She said that, while watching an episode, McClure saw the character on the show and said, "Are they making fun of me?" McClure said that he thought that the parody was funny, and his daughters would call him "Troy McClure" behind his back as a joke. McClure also inspired a short-running gag in the British science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf in which he is referenced several times as being an example of a terrible style of film, which the main character Lister clearly loathes.

• Illustration — William Bendix, Lynn Bari, and McClure in Overland Trail (1960) • Illustration — Sebastian Cabot, Carolyn Craig, and McClure in Checkmate (1962)

• Death Valley Days - Ganse Taylor in "Fifteen Places to Fame" (1957) • Maverick – Hotel desk clerk (uncredited) in "The Jewelled Gun" (1957) • Lawman – Jed Ryan in "The Visitor" (1959) • Riverboat – Corporal Jenkins in "The Face of Courage" (1959) • U.S. Marshal – Bruce Williams in "The Threat (1959) • The Twilight Zone – Pete Grant (episode: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday", 1959) • Coronado 9 – Jimmy Hoke in "The Widow of Kill Cove" (1960) • Hennesey – Seaman Davies in "Angel Face" (1960) • Johnny Midnight – Rice in "Mother's Boy" (1960) • Overland Trail – Frank Flippin (1960) • Checkmate – Jed Sills (1960–62) • The Virginian – Trampas (1962–71) • The Longest Hundred Miles (1967) • Barbary Coast – Cash Conover (1975) • Satan's Triangle – Lt. J. Haig (1975) • Search – C. R. Grover (1972–73) • Roots – Jemmy Brent (1977) • The Rebels – Eph Tait (1979) • The Fall Guy – five episodes (once as Himself) • Fantasy Island – Craig Bradshaw (episode: "The High Cost of Loving/To Fly With Eagles" 1984) • Hardcastle and McCormick – Dt. Hamilton (episode: "School For Scandal" 1984) • Too Close For Comfort – David Jenner (episode: "Divorce Chicago Style" 1984) • Airwolf – Darren McBride (episode: "Half-Pint", 1985) • Murder, She Wrote – "Steal Me a Story" (1987) • Out of This World – Mayor Kyle Applegate (1987–1991) • Superboy – "Hollywood" – Professor Zugar (airdate May 13, 1989) • B.L. Stryker – "The King of Jazz" - Alexander Ludlow (November 18, 1989) • Matlock – "The Outcast" – Elliot Jones (Feb 7, 1992) • Kung Fu: The Legend Continues – Captain Foster (episode: "Cruise Missiles" 1995) • In the Heat of the Night – "Time's Long Shadow" (1994) • The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991)

The authorities additionally record the heading Douglas Osborne McClure. His recorded language was English. He married BarBara Luna. One child is recorded: Tané McClure.