This week: a star of TV Westerns and a great of pop art
THE actor Clint Walker, who has died aged 91, played the title character in the early TV western Cheyenne, the 1950s series in which his character Cheyenne Bodie travelled the West and handed down justice.
Walker was working as a Las Vegas sheriff's deputy and part-time bouncer when he made the leap to Hollywood. In addition to Cheyenne he had small but visible roles in classic films including 1956's The Ten Commandments and 1967's The Dirty Dozen. He most recently lent his voice to 1998's Small Soldiers.
Born Norman Eugene Walker in Illinois, he later changed his name in both public and private to the more cowboyish Clint. He worked on Great Lakes cargo ships and Mississippi river boats and in Texas oil fields before becoming an armed security guard at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
There, many Hollywood stars saw the 6ft 6in, ruggedly handsome Walker and encouraged him to give the movies a try, which Walker said he did after realising the money would be better and the bullets would be fake.
He soon found himself under consideration for his first role in The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner. He had a meeting with the film’s director Cecil B DeMille, but was late after stopping to help a woman change a tyre. He got the role anyway.
Later, he beat several big names for the role of Cheyenne, but speculated that it was because he was already under contract and was cheaper than bigger stars. He abandoned the role in 1958 in a contract dispute, and Ty Hardin was brought in briefly to replace him, but he soon returned under better terms, and remained through the show’s seven-season run.
Walker’s most memorable big-screen appearance came in 1967′s The Dirty Dozen, whose the all-star cast included Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson. He also appeared in many other movies including the westerns Fort Dobbs, Yellowstone Kelly and Gold of the Seven Saints and in the Doris Day and Rock Hudson film Send Me No Flowers in 1964.
He is survived by his daughter and wife of 30 years Susan Cavallari Walker.
THE Pop artist Robert Indiana, who has died aged 89, was best known for his 1960s “LOVE” series, a sculpture made up of the four letters of the word which is instantly recognizable worldwide. He also created other works in a similar style include “HOPE” in honour of former President Barack Obama.
In his later years, he was known for living an increasingly reclusive life. Born in Indiana, he had settled in Maine after becoming disillusioned with the art scene in New York. He said he moved to his house — which a benefactor bought for him — when he needed a place to go after his lease ran out on his five-story studio and gallery in the Bowery section of New York City.
His desire for solitude was legendary. He once stood up President Barack Obama at the White House. Another time he made a crew from NBC’s Today show wait days before he would let them interview him. In 2014, he disappointed dozens of fans by failing to make an appearance outside his home for an event dubbed International HOPE Day, which was inspired by his creativity. Events were held in several locations around the world.
Although he created a wealth of art, the iconic “LOVE” tended to overshadow his other work.
Decades later, Indiana’s other art took centre stage in a 2013 exhibit, Robert Indiana: Beyond Love, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. “Well, that’s taken a while,” he quipped.
In Maine, Mills said he was inspired by the Whitney Museum’s efforts to produce a 2016 exhibition, Robert Indiana: Now and Then. It was one of the last major shows focusing on Indiana’s work.
Friends had recently expressed concern for his well-being because the artist had not been heard from for some time.
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