Ben Johnson (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Johnson
Johnson in 1969
Born	Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr. (1918-06-13)June 13, 1918 Foraker, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	April 8, 1996(1996-04-08) (aged 77) Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
Resting place	Pawhuska City Cemetery
Occupation	Actor stuntman rodeo cowboy
Years active	1939–1996
Spouse(s)	Carol Elaine Jones ​ ​ (m. 1941; died 1994)​

Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr. (born June 13, 1918 – died April 8, 1996) was an American actor. He was also a skilled stuntman and a world-champion rodeo cowboy. Ben Johnson was known for his quiet way and amazing horse riding skills. These talents made him perfect for many roles in Western movies.

Ben Johnson grew up on a ranch. He first came to Hollywood to bring horses for a movie. For several years, he worked as a stunt double, meaning he performed dangerous scenes for other actors. Later, with help from director John Ford, he started acting. He won an Oscar for his role in the 1971 movie The Last Picture Show. He also won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for this film.

Throughout his life, Johnson also ran a horse-breeding ranch. He believed in sticking to what he knew best.

Early life

Ben Johnson was born in Foraker, Oklahoma. This area is part of the Osage Indian Reservation. He had both Irish and Cherokee family roots. His mother was Ollie Susan Workmon, and his father was Ben Johnson Sr. His father was a rancher and a rodeo champion in Osage County.

Film career

Ben Johnson's movie career began with the Howard Hughes film The Outlaw. He often joked that he arrived in Hollywood "in a carload of horses."

His stunt work caught the eye of director John Ford. Ford hired Johnson for stunt work in the 1948 movie Fort Apache. He was also the riding double for actor Henry Fonda. During filming, horses pulling a wagon with three men inside ran wild. Johnson, who was on a horse nearby, stopped the runaway wagon and saved the men. Ford promised to reward him. Johnson hoped for another stunt job or a small speaking role. Instead, Ford offered him a seven-year acting contract. When Johnson saw the contract offered "$5,000 a week," he quickly signed it.

Johnson in Wagon Master (1950)

His first credited role was in Ford's 3 Godfathers. This movie showed off the great riding skills of both Johnson and star Pedro Armendáriz. Johnson later said this film was the most physically demanding of his career. Ford then gave him a starring role in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young, where he played Gregg. Ford also cast him in two more films of his "cavalry trilogy" with John Wayne: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950). Both movies highlighted Johnson's excellent riding ability. Ford also chose Johnson for the main role in Wagon Master (1950), which was one of Ford's favorite films.

In real life, Ben Johnson was known for being calm and firm, not easily angered. He usually avoided arguments. However, during the making of Rio Grande, he stood up to director John Ford, who was known for being tough on actors. Johnson reportedly told Ford to "go to hell." Johnson thought Ford had forgotten the incident, but Ford did not use him in a movie for over ten years after that.

Johnson also worked in four films by director Sam Peckinpah. He had a good relationship with Peckinpah, who liked Johnson's natural acting style and honesty.

Johnson played supporting roles in many other films. These include Shane (1953), where he played Chris Calloway, and One-Eyed Jacks (1961) with Marlon Brando. In 1964, he worked with Ford again in Cheyenne Autumn. He also appeared in Peckinpah's Major Dundee (1965) and The Wild Bunch (1969). He was in two Steve McQueen films: The Getaway and the rodeo movie Junior Bonner (both 1972). In 1973, he played Melvin Purvis in John Milius' Dillinger. He also appeared in Milius' 1984 film Red Dawn. In 1975, he played Mister in Bite the Bullet and was in Breakheart Pass with Charles Bronson.

On television, Johnson played Bartlett in the 1962–63 season of Have Gun Will Travel. In 1963, he appeared on The Virginian. From 1966 to 1967, Johnson was a regular on the Western TV show The Monroes.

He worked with John Wayne again in The Undefeated (1969) and Chisum (1970). The most important part of Johnson's acting career came in 1971. He won an Oscar for his role as Sam the Lion in The Last Picture Show, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

In 1972, after winning the Oscar, Johnson said it would not change him. He explained, "I grew up on a ranch and I know livestock, so I like working in Westerns. All my life I've been afraid of failure. To avoid it, I've stuck with doing things I know how to do, and it's made me a good living."

He played Cap Roundtree in the 1979 miniseries The Sacketts. He was also in Ruckus (1980) and Red Dawn (1984). His last film role was in the 1994 movie Angels in the Outfield.

Even while acting, he continued to run his horse-breeding ranch in Sylmar, California. He also sponsored rodeo events like the Ben Johnson Pro Celebrity Team Roping and Penning competition. The money raised from these events goes to help children's hospitals and medical research.

Rodeo championship

Ben Johnson loved rodeos and horse breeding from his early years. In 1953, he took a break from his well-paying film work to compete in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA). He became the Team Roping World Champion that year.

In 1979, Johnson was honored by being inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. He once said, "I've won a rodeo world championship, and I'm prouder of that than anything else I've ever done."

Personal life

Ben Johnson married Carol Elaine Jones in 1941. Their marriage lasted until her death in 1994. They did not have any children. Carol was the daughter of Clarence "Fat" Jones, a famous Hollywood horse wrangler.

Johnson continued to work steadily until he passed away from a heart attack at age 77. This happened on April 8, 1996, while he was visiting his mother in Mesa, Arizona. Johnson was buried in the Pawhuska City Cemetery in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. His mother, Ollie, lived to be 101 years old, passing away in 2000.

In 2003, Johnson was added to the Texas Trail of Fame.

Legacy

Ben Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard. This honors his work in the movie industry. In 1982, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

In 1996, a documentary film about Johnson's life was made. It was called Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right.

The Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum opened in his hometown of Pawhuska in June 2019. The museum shows the lives and careers of Ben Johnson and his father, Ben Johnson Sr., who was also a world-champion cowboy. It also features other famous cowboys and cowgirls, ranches, and cowboy artists from the area.

Two annual rodeo events are held in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in his memory: the Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping and the International Roundup Cavalcade.

A bronze sculpture of Ben Johnson riding a horse and roping a steer was created by John D. Free. It is located in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

Filmography

Film (actor and stuntman)

Television

See also

In Spanish: Ben Johnson (actor) para niños