Forrest Tucker

Forrest Tucker
Tucker in the title role of The Music Man (stage musical)
Born	Forrest Meredith Tucker (1919-02-12)February 12, 1919 Plainfield, Indiana, U.S.
Died	October 25, 1986(1986-10-25) (aged 67) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1933–1986
Spouses	Sandra Jolley ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1950)​ Marilyn Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 1960)​ Marilyn Fisk ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1985)​ Sheila Forbes ​ ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	3

Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films.^[1] Tucker worked as a vaudeville straight man at the age of fifteen. A mentor provided funds and contacts for a trip to California, where party hostess Cobina Wright persuaded guest Wesley Ruggles to give Tucker a screen test because of Tucker's photogenic good looks, thick wavy hair and height of six feet, five inches.

Tucker was a sight reader who needed only one take and his film career started well despite a perception in most Hollywood studios that blond men were not photogenic. He enlisted in the Army during World War II. After twenty years spent mainly in Westerns and action roles, he returned to his roots, showing versatility as a comedic and stage musical actor. In the television series F Troop, he became identified with the character of Cavalry Sgt. Morgan O'Rourke (a manipulative character quite similar to Phil Silvers' role as MSgt. Ernie Bilko). Tucker struggled with a drinking problem that began to affect his performances in the later years of his career.^[2]