Who's Who: My Favorite Old West Heroes Quiz

Answer: Chuck Connors

Chuck Connors has a long list of television and movie credits, but his first lead role was in "The Rifleman" (1958-63), a show about a widowed father with a young son and a custom-made Winchester.

Connors enlisted in the army during WWII, and served as a tank warfare instructor, first at Fort Campbell, and eventually made his way to West Point. A talented athlete, after the war he played baseball for the Cubs in 1951 and basketball for the Celtics from 1947-48. He went into show business when he realized that a sports career wouldn't offer much longevity.

Interestingly, in June 1973 he met Leonid Brezhnev at a Western White House party hosted by President Nixon. He brought a pair of Colt revolvers as a gift for Brezhnev, and saw the Soviet leader the next day at the airport, where he learned that "The Rifleman" was Brezhnev's favorite show, and therefore, was allowed to be shown in the Soviet Union. Connors even accepted an invitation to visit Moscow later in 1973.

Answer: James Arness

James Arness played Matt Dillon, the wise and quick on the draw sheriff of Dodge City, from 1955-1975 on "Gunsmoke"; the show was the longest running prime time drama until it tied with "Law and Order" (20 seasons each) and was surpassed by "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2019. In 1987 Arness reprised the role in a made for television movie, and followed up with four more during the 1990s.

Arness was drafted into the army during WWII; he had wanted to be a fighter pilot, but his height prevented that from taking place. He served as a rifleman in the 3rd Infantry Division. At the Battle of Anzio he received a leg wound which led to his honorable discharge after receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

A good friend of John Wayne - who, incidentally, taped an introduction that was played before the first episode of "Gunsmoke" - Arness also starred with him in movies such as "Big Jim McLain" (1952) and "Hondo" (1953).

Answer: Clayton Moore

Clayton Moore starred as the Lone Ranger from 1949-1952, and again from 1953-1957 in 169/221 episodes of the show. The story revolved around the only Texas Ranger in the group who had survived an ambush and subsequent massacre. With his faithful companion, Tonto, the Lone Ranger traveled the Old West, tried to help people, and right the wrong doings of others.

Prior to that, Moore made a living in a variety of ways; as a young boy he was even a circus acrobat! During WWII he joined the U.S. Army Air Force, and, as a member of the First Motion Picture Unit, helped to make training films.

Moore said that he always identified with his Lone Ranger character, and after the show concluded he made public appearances dressed in his costume, sometimes with Jay Silverheels, who had starred in the series as Tonto.

Answer: Lorne Greene

Greene played the role of the widower, Ben Cartwright, who was left with three sons to raise, on "Bonanza" from 1959-1973. The early shows contained flashbacks which gave some insight into what happened with the deceased wives. Cartwright was honest, upright, and respected by all.

As a Flying Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Greene was a broadcaster on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation National News. He became known as the "Voice of Doom", as he read stories about Canada's entry into WWII, and the much-feared casualty lists. He also narrated documentary films.

Did you know that Greene is credited with inventing a type of stop watch? It was especially made with radio announcers in mind - it counted backwards rather than forwards so that they would be able to see how much time remained to finish their speaking.

Answer: Steve McQueen

McQueen had minor roles until he was cast as Josh Randall in "Wanted Dead or Alive", a show that ran from 1958-1961. He played a bounty hunter with good intentions; if someone needed help or money, he helped them. Randall also was very proficient in utilizing a modified Winchester Model 182, called a Mare's Leg gun.

After a troubled childhood, McQueen enlisted in the Marines, where he continued to have problems, being demoted to private seven times and sentenced to a stay in military prison for forty-one days before deciding to change his attitude. He served from 1947-1950 and. at one time, was assigned to a detail which guarded the president's yacht.

While trying to break into acting, McQueen supported himself by racing motorcycles on the weekends. He became a member of the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978, and of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Answer: Leif Erickson

Big John Cannon was Erickson's character on "The High Chaparral", which ran from 1967-71. After the Civil War, Big John moved his family to Arizona to begin a cattle ranch. He wife was killed shortly thereafter by Apaches led by Cochise. Big John had to keep his family in line while trying to find a way to get along with the Apaches, his Mexican neighbors, and the U.S. Cavalry.

Erickson enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was a military photographer for four years. He filmed combat zones, and received two Purple Hearts after being shot down and wounded twice. He was even part of the group that filmed the Japanese surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri.

His birth name was William Anderson, but the name Leif Erickson was chosen because of his supposed "Nordic appearance". Before he became an actor, Erickson sang and played trombone with Ted Fio Rito and His orchestra.

Answer: Dennis Weaver

"Oh, gee, Mr. Dillon"! Was there ever a more guileless sidekick than Chester Goode? Weaver played the character from 1955-1964, and, in 1959, won the Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series Emmy. When told that the main hero's sidekick needed an imperfection, Weaver decided that Chester should limp. Do you think he ever regretted that choice?

During WWII, Weaver flew Vought F4U Corsair airplanes. He joined the Navy after graduating from high school.

A track star at Oklahoma State University, Weaver tried out for the Olympics in 1948 in the decathlon event when he returned home from the war - but finished in sixth place. He also married his high school sweetheart. An environmentalist Weaver was interested in sustainable architecture before it became trendy; his family lived in a home called Earthship, which was partly made from recycled materials.

Answer: Clint Eastwood

Even though Eastwood earned minor roles in television shows like "West Point" (1956-1958), his first major break was being cast as Rowdy Yates in "Rawhide", which ran from 1959-1965. Apparently he didn't much care for the way that Yates was portrayed - especially at first - when he was shown as being a young greenhorn.

Drafted into the Army during the Korean War, Eastwood took his basic training at Fort Ord in northern California, a training base and staging area for troops leaving to fight in the war. He became a lifeguard there and also served as a bouncer at the NCO club. While some may say that his contribution to the war effort was insignificant, he made contacts at Fort Ord who helped him get into show business.

Eastwood went on to star, direct, and produce numerous movies and win a variety of awards, including, to date, four Oscars. He has also served as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and on the California State Park and Recreation Commission.

Answer: James Garner

James Garner played Bret Maverick, the roguish good guy ethical gambler, from 1957-1962. Along with his brother, Bart, Bret traveled around the Old West, playing poker and letting his conscience be his guide.

Garner joined the United States Merchant Marine when he was sixteen years old; his home life was not especially happy. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried a lot. When he found that he suffered from seasickness, Garner then joined the California Army National Guard, becoming a rifleman. While serving during the Korean War with the 5th Regimental Combat Team, he was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts.

Garner was a Democrat and supported many different candidates for office over the years. In fact, there was even some who wanted him to run for Governor of California in 1990; Dianne Feinstein was nominated instead. He met his wife in 1956 at a political rally for Adlai Stevenson. In his autobiography he wrote, "Stevenson lost. I won". The couple was married almost fifty-eight years before his death.

Answer: Hugh O'Brian

Hugh O'Brian was cast in the leading role in the "Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" from 1955-1961, filming 229 episodes. The show has the distinction of being the first Western program for adults; it premiered four days before "Gunsmoke". The show chronicled the life of Earp as he served as a lawman in various towns in Kansas and eventually moved to Tombstone, Arizona.

When he was seventeen years old, O'Brian enlisted in the Marines and served for four years; he had wanted to join a year earlier, but his father would not sign the necessary papers. According to his website, O'Brian is credited with being the youngest drill instructor on record.

While O'Brian went on to appear in other television series and in movies, he also became a great philanthropist after visiting Dr. Albert Schweitzer in 1958. His organization HOBY, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, is credited with providing leadership seminars to over 530,000 young people since its inception.