One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86.
One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86.
Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974.
During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France.
Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death)
Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0003706
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1571497
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Filmography (Movies)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:01/05/1976
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:10/01/1972
Requiem for a Gunfighter
Character:Judge Irving Short
Release Date:30/06/1965
Run of the Arrow
Character:Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Release Date:05/09/1957
Around the World in 80 Days
Character:Colonel
Release Date:17/10/1956
Injun Talk
Character:Himself
Release Date:16/09/1946
West of the Law
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:02/10/1942
Riders of the West
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:21/08/1942
Down Texas Way
Character:U. S. Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:22/05/1942
Ghost Town Law
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:27/03/1942
Below the Border
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:30/01/1942
Forbidden Trails
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:25/12/1941
The Gunman From Bodie
Character:Marshal Tim McCall
Release Date:19/09/1941
Arizona Bound
Character:Tim McCall
Release Date:19/07/1941
The Texas Marshal
Character:Marshal Trigger Tim Rand
Release Date:12/07/1941
Outlaws of the Rio Grande
Character:Tim Barton
Release Date:26/02/1941
Riders of Black Mountain
Character:Marshal Tim Donovan
Release Date:11/11/1940
Arizona Gang Busters
Character:Trigger Tim Rand
Release Date:16/09/1940
Gun Code
Character:Marshal Tim Hammond posing as Tim Hays
Release Date:03/08/1940
Frontier Crusader
Character:Trigger Tim Rand
Release Date:14/06/1940
Texas Renegades
Character:'Silent' Tim Smith
Release Date:17/01/1940
Trigger Fingers
Character:'Lightning' Bill Carson
Release Date:01/11/1939
The Fighting Renegade
Character:Bill Carson posing as El Puma
Release Date:31/08/1939
Straight Shooter
Character:"Lightning" Bill Carson
Release Date:12/08/1939
Outlaws' Paradise
Character:William Carson / Trigger Mallory
Release Date:18/04/1939
Texas Wildcats
Character:'Lightning' Bill Carson
Release Date:09/04/1939
Code of the Cactus
Character:Bill Carson
Release Date:25/02/1939
Six-Gun Trail
Character:Captain William Carson
Release Date:25/11/1938
Lightning Carson Rides Again
Character:Lightning Bill Carson / Jose
Release Date:09/10/1938
Phantom Ranger
Character:Tim Hayes
Release Date:27/05/1938
Two Gun Justice
Character:Tim
Release Date:29/04/1938
Code of the Rangers
Character:Tim Strong
Release Date:07/04/1938
West of Rainbow's End
Character:Tim Hart
Release Date:12/01/1938
The Traitor
Character:Tim McCoy: Sergeant Tim Vallance - Texas Ranger
Release Date:29/08/1936
Ghost Patrol
Character:Tim Caverly
Release Date:02/08/1936
The Lion's Den
Character:Tim Barton
Release Date:07/07/1936
Aces and Eights
Character:Tim Madigan
Release Date:06/06/1936
Lightnin' Bill Carson
Character:Marshal Lightnin' Bill Carson
Release Date:14/04/1936
Border Caballero
Character:Tim Ross
Release Date:01/03/1936
Roarin' Guns
Character:Tim Corwin
Release Date:29/01/1936
Bulldog Courage
Character:Slim Braddock / Tim Braddock
Release Date:30/12/1935
The Man from Guntown
Character:Tim Hanlon
Release Date:15/08/1935
Riding Wild
Character:Tim Malloy / Tex Ravelle
Release Date:28/06/1935
The Outlaw Deputy
Character:Tim Mallory
Release Date:20/06/1935
Justice of the Range
Character:Tim Condon
Release Date:25/05/1935
Fighting Shadows
Character:Constable Tim O'Hara
Release Date:18/04/1935
The Revenge Rider
Character:Tim O'Neil
Release Date:18/03/1935
Law Beyond the Range
Character:Tim McDonald
Release Date:15/02/1935
Square Shooter
Character:Tim Baxter
Release Date:21/01/1935
The Westerner
Character:Tim Addison
Release Date:10/12/1934
Prescott Kid
Character:Tim Hamlin
Release Date:08/11/1934
Beyond the Law
Character:Tim Weston
Release Date:31/07/1934
A Man's Game
Character:Tim Bradley
Release Date:16/06/1934
Hell Bent for Love
Character:Police Captain Tim Daley
Release Date:19/05/1934
Voice in the Night
Character:Tim Dale
Release Date:06/04/1934
Speed Wings
Character:Tim
Release Date:05/02/1934
Straightaway
Character:Tim Dawson
Release Date:22/12/1933
Hold the Press
Character:Tim Collins
Release Date:25/10/1933
Police Car 17
Character:Tim Conlon
Release Date:30/09/1933
Rusty Rides Alone
Character:Tim Burke
Release Date:25/05/1933
The Whirlwind
Character:Tim Reynolds
Release Date:13/04/1933
Silent Men
Character:Tim Richards
Release Date:03/03/1933
Man Of Action
Character:Ranger Tim Barlow
Release Date:20/01/1933
End of the Trail
Character:Captain Tim Travers
Release Date:19/12/1932
The Western Code
Character:Tim Barrett
Release Date:15/09/1932
Fighting for Justice
Character:Tim Keene
Release Date:28/08/1932
Cornered
Character:Sheriff Tim Laramie
Release Date:05/08/1932
Daring Danger
Character:Tim Madigan
Release Date:22/06/1932
Two-Fisted Law
Character:Tim Clark
Release Date:08/06/1932
Hollywood on Parade
Character:Self
Release Date:05/06/1932
The Riding Tornado
Character:Tim Torrant
Release Date:04/05/1932
Texas Cyclone
Character:Texas Grant
Release Date:24/02/1932
The Fighting Fool
Character:Sheriff Tim Collins
Release Date:20/01/1932
The Fighting Marshal
Character:Tim Benton
Release Date:25/11/1931
Shotgun Pass
Character:Tim Walker
Release Date:01/11/1931
The One Way Trail
Character:Tim Allen
Release Date:15/10/1931
The Indians Are Coming
Character:Jack Manning
Release Date:09/10/1930
The Desert Rider
Character:Jed Tyler
Release Date:11/05/1929
Sioux Blood
Character:Flood
Release Date:20/04/1929
The Overland Telegraph
Character:Captain Allen
Release Date:02/03/1929
Morgan's Last Raid
Character:Capt. Daniel Clairbourne
Release Date:05/01/1929
The Bushranger
Character:Edward
Release Date:17/11/1928
Beyond the Sierras
Character:The Masked Stranger
Release Date:15/09/1928
The Adventurer
Character:Jim McClellan
Release Date:14/07/1928
Riders of the Dark
Character:Lt. Crane
Release Date:21/04/1928
Wyoming
Character:Lt. Jack Colton
Release Date:24/03/1928
The Law of the Range
Character:Jim Lockhart
Release Date:21/01/1928
Spoilers of the West
Character:Lieutenant Lang
Release Date:10/12/1927
Foreign Devils
Character:Capt. Robert Kelly
Release Date:03/09/1927
The Frontiersman
Character:John Dale
Release Date:11/06/1927
California
Character:Capt. Archibald Gillespie
Release Date:07/05/1927
Winners Of The Wilderness
Character:Col. Sir Dennis O'Hara
Release Date:15/01/1927
War Paint
Character:Lt. Tim Marshall
Release Date:09/10/1926
The Thundering Herd
Character:Burn Hudnall
Release Date:01/03/1925
The Man Who Would Not Die
Character:
Release Date:03/02/1924
Images
