Gregory Walcott

Biography

Gregory Walcott (Wendell, North Carolina, 1928 – Canoga Park, California, 2015) was an American film and television actor. He is linked mainly to television westerns and to his long working relationship with Clint Eastwood, though he is also remembered for Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Born Bernard Wasdon Mattox, he grew up in Wilson, North Carolina, and served in the United States Army near the end of World War II and during the Korean War. That period led to small military roles in Battle Cry (1955) and Mister Roberts (1955), followed by steady work in series.

In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared in dozens of television shows, including Bonanza, Maverick and Rawhide, and it was on Rawhide that his association with Eastwood began. He later took featured parts in Joe Kidd, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and Every Which Way but Loose. He also starred as a detective in the NBC series 87th Precinct in the early 1960s.

His last screen appearance was a cameo in Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994). For years he was reluctant about his association with Plan 9, though he later accepted the interest the film drew and attended screenings. He died of natural causes at his home in Canoga Park in 2015, aged 87.

Key films

• Mister Roberts (1955): a small role as a shore patrolman in the war-themed classic.
• Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957): the leading role in the cult film directed by Ed Wood.
• Joe Kidd (1972): one of his most prominent parts opposite Clint Eastwood.
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974): a featured role in Michael Cimino's film with Eastwood.
• Norma Rae (1979): he played a sheriff in Martin Ritt's drama.
• Ed Wood (1994): a cameo in Tim Burton's biopic, his final role.