Thanks first to readers, such as Charles Ramírez Bird, a University of Texas professor of film, who sent in the names of Texas movies stars from the Silent Era and Golden Age of Hollywood that I missed in the first of three columns about our state’s film luminaries.
“Just wanted to put in a good word in for Gilbert Roland,” he wrote. “Born in Mexico, but grew up in my home town, El Paso, before going to Hollywood. When he was growing up, he attended the same church I did years later — Holy Family Catholic Church. As a matter of fact, one day I was walking by the church — I went to Holy Family school — and saw him going in. Peeked in and he was in one of the pews, praying.”
A day later, Ramírez Bird wrote: “I was watching Frank Capra’s “Lady for a Day” (1933) on Turner Classic Movies Friday night — now you you what film professors do at night on weekends — and saw Guy Kibbee doing his usual Guy Kibbee stuff, then looked him up. Turns out he was born in El Paso, 1882. His father was editor of the El Paso Herald-Postdaily newspaper.”
Today’s is the last of three columns in an informal series on Texas movie stars.
- Nov. 5: Texas movie stars from the Silent Era and the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds and Zachary Scott.
- Nov. 12: Texas stars from the New Hollywood of the 1960s and beyond, including Austin faves Matthew McConaughey, Sissy Spacek, Jamie Foxx, Glen Powell and Gabriel Luna.
- Today: Texas stars who are hard to classify because they are from somewhere else but remain closely associated with our state (such as Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall) or are more closely identified with their music, theater or television careers than their feature films (Selena Gomez, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Dan Blocker).
Please keep proposing candidates. Although this is the last planned column in this series, your suggestions will send my research in fresh directions.
Hard to put these Texas movie stars into a standard box
Note: * = Oscar nomination, ** = Oscar win
- G.W. Bailey: (1944-present, born in Port Arthur) Known for his TV roles on “M*A*S*H,” “The Closer” and “Major Crimes,” Bailey starred as Lieutenant/Captain Thaddeus Harris in the “Police Academy” films. Onetime artist-in-residence at Southwest Texas State University. (Key movie roles in “Police Academy,” “Mannequin”)
- Beyoncé (1981-present, born in Houston) One of the biggest cultural influences of our day, singer, songwriter and businesswoman Beyoncé has appeared in a few films as well. (“The Lion King,” “Dreamgirls”)
- Dan Blocker (1928-1972, born in De Kalb): Known almost exclusively for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the TV western “Bonanza” (415 episodes), Blocker did some movies, too. (“Come Blow Your Horn,” “The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County”)
- Powers Boothe: (1948-2017, born in Snyder) An intense character actor, Boothe was known to one generation as the saloon owner on the “Deadwood” TV series and to another for playing Jim Jones in “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy. (“Tombstone,” “Nixon,” “Red Dawn,” “Sin City”)
More on Texas talent:Gary Clark Jr., Richard Linklater, Dennis Quaid among Texas Medal of Arts Awards honorees
- Mehcad Brooks (1980-present, born in Austin) Son of former American-Statesman editorial writer Alberta Brooks and NFL wide receiver Billy Brooks, he broke out in the ABC series “Desperate Housewives” and has worked steadily since then, currently on “Law & Order.” (“Adulterers,” “Mortal Kombat”)
- Betty Buckley: (1947-present, born in Big Spring) Better know for her stage work (“Cats,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Triumph of Love”) and TV appearances (“Eight Is Enough,” “Oz,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Buckley is always a hit when she returns to her native Texas. (“Carrie,” “Tender Mercies)
- Brett Cullen: (1956-present, born in Houston) Like his friend Dennis Quaid, Cullen trained at the University of Houston and has not stopped working since then. On TV, you’d recognize him from “Falcon Crest,” “The West Wing,” “The Young Riders” and countless other shows. (“Red Dawn,” “The Riot Act”)
- Robert Duvall (1931-present, born in San Diego, California) Not just Augustus “Gus” McCrea in the immortal “Lonesome Dove,” the great actor has convincingly played many other Texans, including Mac Sledge in “Tender Mercies.” (“The Godfather,”* “Apocalypse Now,”* “The Great Santini,”* “Tender Mercies,”** “The Apostle,”* “A Civil Action,”* “The Judge”*)
- Selena Gomez: (1993-present, born in Grand Prairie) Singer, actress, producer and businesswoman — recently reported to be worth more than $1 billion — Gomez is currently a crucial part of “Only Murders in the Building.” She has done some film work too. (“Emilia Pérez)
- Larry Hagman: (1931-2012, born in Fort Worth) Forever J.R. Ewing on “Dallas” or Major Anthony Nelson on “I Dream of Jeannie,” Hagman, son of Broadway star Mary Martin, was an adroit actor, director and producer. (“Primary Colors,” “S.O.B.”, “Superman”)
- Marcia Gay Harden: (1959-present, born in La Jolla, California) Harden is one of the best actors to emerge from the University of Texas theater and dance department, or the state of Texas, and we’ll claim her any day. “Pollack,”** “Mystic River,”* “Into the Wild,” “The First Wives Club”)
More on Texas movies:‘Nothing else like it, period’: Movie on Texas site helps rewrite prehistory of Americas
- Amber Heard: (1986-present, born in Austin) Despite her rocky personal life — go elsewhere for commentary — Heard has maintained a fairly steady career in TV and films. (“Aquaman,” “London Fields,” “Justice League,” “The Ward”)
- Pat Hingle: (1924-2009, born in Miami, Florida) Despite his place of birth, Hingle was a true Texan. He attended high school in Weslaco and college at UT, where he began acting. Look for him in an early uncredited role in “On the Waterfront” before his long career really took off. (“Batman,” “Splendor in the Grass,” “Norma Rae”)
- Judith Ivey: (1951-present, born in El Paso) Best known for her vivid stage work, Ivey played a variety of characters on TV and in films. (“Women Talking,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Sister, Sister”)
- Kris Kristofferson: (1936-2024, born in Brownsville) A key figure in the outlaw country movement and a gifted songwriter, Kristofferson also became Hollywood star. (“A Star Is Born,” “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,” “Lone Star,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More,” “Blade”)
- Eva Longoria: (1975-present, born in Corpus Christi) Multitalented actor, producer and director, Longoria is best known for her work on TV shows such as “Desperate Housewives” and “The Young and the Restless.” She plays the Hollywood version of Selena Gomez’s character in “Only Murders in the Building.” (“Dora and the City of Lost Gold,” “The Heartbreak Kid”)
- Lyle Lovett: (1957-present, born in Houston) An outstanding country singer, Lovett, who grew up in Klein and keeps close ties to Texas, bloomed into a compelling if sometimes odd movie and TV actor. (“The Player,” “Short Cuts,” “Bastard Out of Carolina”)
- Ben McKenzie: (1978-present, born in Austin) Part of the highly talented Schenkkan family, McKenzie starred in the teen drama “The O.C.,” the crime drama “Southland,” and the “Batman” prequel “Gotham.” (“Junebug,” “Line of Duty,” “The Report”)
- Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967, born Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) Although Mansfield was from Back East, her early acting days were spent at UT and with the Austin community players in the company now known as Zach Theatre. Known as much as a sex symbol as a comic actress, she died in a tragic car accident.
- Steve Martin: (1945-present, born in Waco) Comedian, actor, writer, producer and musician, Martin has made some significant movies. In 2014, he earned an Honorary Academy Award. (“The Jerk,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Parenthood,” “Pennies From Heaven”)
- Margo Martindale: (1951-present, born in Jacksonville) The consummate supporting actor, Martindale never lost her East Texas accent, thank goodness. Much of her best work has been done on television (“August: Osage County,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Lorenzo’s Oil,” “The Firm”)
- Willie Nelson: (1933-present, born in Abbott) Arguably the world’s favorite Texan, Nelson has few equals as a songwriter and musician, but he also helped establish the Texas film industry. He has played himself numerous times onscreen. (“Honeysuckle Rose,” “Barbarosa,” “Red Headed Stranger”,””) “
- Fess Parker: (1924-2010, born in Fort Worth) Imprinted on young minds as Disney’s Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on television, Parker branched out into movies as well. (“Old Yeller,” “Battle Cry,” “The Great Locomotive Chase”)
- Jim Parsons: (1973-present, born in Houston) It is interesting that an actor who has made such a profound impression on the stage (“The Boys in the Band,” “The Normal Heart,” “Our Town”) and on television (“The Big Bang Theory”) has not made more movies. (“Hidden Figures,” “The Boys in the Band”)
- Jaclyn Smith: (1945-present, born in Houston) Unlike her fellow Texas beauty and “Charlie’s Angels” alum, Farah Fawcett, Smith has often been considered a fairly serious actor, mostly in TV movies. (“Married to a Stranger,” “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy,” “Bootleggers”)
- Billy Bob Thornton: (1955-present, Hot Springs, Arkansas) Texas Monthly recently published a clever profile of Thornton, who has often been mistaken for a Texan, in part because he has played several iconic ones, such as Coach Gaines in “Friday Night Lights” and Davy Crockett in “The Alamo.” (“Sling Blade,”* “A Simple Plan,”* “Armageddon,” “Bad Santa,” “Primary Colors,” “The Man Who Wasn’t There”)
- Eli Wallach (1915-2014, born in New York City) A 1936 graduate of UT, the actor credited his time in Texas with helping him prepare for film roles, especially in westerns. (“The Magnificent Seven,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”)
Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at [email protected]. Sign up for the free weekly digital newsletter, Think, Texas, at statesman.com/newsletters, or at the newsletter page of your local USA Today Network paper.
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