Dan Blocker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dan Blocker
Blocker on the set of Bonanza as Hoss Cartwright
Born	Bobby Dan Davis Blocker (1928-12-10)December 10, 1928 De Kalb, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 13, 1972(1972-05-13) (aged 43) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb, Texas
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955–1972
Spouse(s)	Dolphia Parker Blocker ​ (m. 1952)​
Children	4, including Dirk and David

Bobby Dan Davis Blocker (born December 10, 1928 – died May 13, 1972) was an American actor. He was also a veteran of the Korean War. Blocker was best known for playing Hoss Cartwright in the popular NBC Western TV show Bonanza.

Dan Blocker's Early Life and Education

Dan Blocker was born in De Kalb, Texas, United States. His parents were Ora "Shack" Blocker and Mary Arizona Blocker.

Abandoned grocery store once run by Blocker's parents in downtown O'Donnell, Texas, 2010

As a boy, he went to Texas Military Institute. In 1940, he studied at Hardin-Simmons University and Sul Ross State University. He earned a degree in speech and drama.

In 1946, he played football at Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. In 1947, he moved to Sul Ross State Teacher's College in Alpine, Texas. He was a star football player there and graduated in 1950. After serving in the military, he earned a master's degree in dramatic arts.

While he was a student, he worked as a rodeo performer. He also worked as a bouncer at a bar. People remembered him from school because he was very tall, about 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m). He also weighed around 300 pounds (136 kg). Even with his large size, he was known for being kind and good-natured.

Blocker taught English and drama in high school in Sonora, Texas, from 1953 to 1954. He also taught sixth grade and coached at Eddy Elementary School in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Later, he became a teacher in California. Dan and his wife, Dolphia, moved to Los Angeles. There, he started getting acting jobs.

Military Service in the U.S. Army

Blocker was called to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. He had his basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He served as an infantry sergeant in Korea from December 1951 to August 1952. He was part of the 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.

He received a Purple Heart medal because he was wounded during combat. Besides the Purple Heart, Blocker also received several other military awards. These included the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean Service Medal.

Dan Blocker's Acting Career

In 1957, Blocker appeared in a Three Stooges short film called Outer Space Jitters. He played a character named the Goon. He also appeared twice on Gunsmoke as a blacksmith. In 1957, he was in an episode of the Western series Colt .45.

Vaughn Monroe, Susie Scott, and Dan Blocker dance in Bonanza (1962)

Dan Blocker in Bonanza

Blocker was cast in episodes of David Dortort's NBC series The Restless Gun. He played a blacksmith and a cattleman. That same year, he played a bartender in an episode of Sheriff of Cochise. He also appeared in the film Gunsight Ridge. In 1957, he was in the Cheyenne episode "Land Beyond the Law". He also appeared in The Rifleman. In 1958, he played a prison guard. Later, he had a recurring role as Tiny Budinger in the NBC Western series Cimarron City. He was also seen in an episode of Walt Disney's Zorro series.

In March 1958, he appeared as Joe, a thief, in an episode of Have Gun Will Travel. Blocker also played Cloudy Sims, a poker-playing rodeo performer, in a 1958 episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Another role in 1959 was as Del Pierce in the first episode of The Rebel.

Becoming Hoss Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1972)

Blocker's biggest opportunity came in 1959. He was cast as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on the NBC TV show Bonanza. He played this role in 415 episodes until he passed away. Blocker said he played Hoss as a kind-hearted character. He kept a quote in mind: "We shall pass this way on Earth but once... let us do it now, for we will never pass this way again."

Jack Benny and Blocker

In 1963, Blocker acted with Frank Sinatra in the comedy Come Blow Your Horn. He worked with Sinatra again in 1968 in the film Lady in Cement. He played a tough guy in that movie.

Director Robert Altman became friends with Blocker while directing episodes of Bonanza. Years later, Altman wanted to cast Blocker in his film The Long Goodbye. However, Blocker died before filming started. The role then went to Sterling Hayden, and the film was dedicated to Blocker.

Also in 1963, Blocker helped start a successful chain of Bonanza Steakhouse restaurants. He even owned part of them. In return, he acted as their spokesperson, appearing as Hoss in commercials. He also made personal appearances at the restaurants.

Dan Blocker's Personal Life

Dan Blocker was originally from Bowie County, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles in 1958. He planned to do graduate work at UCLA. However, he started getting acting roles instead. He had a non-speaking part in a play while in college and found he liked acting.

Blocker with his four children, circa 1960s

Hoss Cartwright and Dan Blocker plaque in O'Donnell, Texas, 1973

Blocker is listed on the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock.

Blocker was a member of the Free Methodist Church. He married Dolphia Parker, whom he met while studying at Sul Ross State University. They had four children: Dirk Blocker, who became a Hollywood actor; David Blocker, a Hollywood producer; and twin daughters Debra Lee and Danna Lynn. David Blocker won an Emmy award in 1998 for producing a TV movie.

Blocker owned a house in Inglewood, California. He also had a large Tudor-style mansion in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. This house was later bought by heavy metal singer Rob Zombie.

On a 2010 TV special, actor Mitch Vogel spoke about Blocker. Vogel played Jamie Cartwright on Bonanza. He said Blocker "was so easy to get to know—the kind of guy you could go and have a beer with."

Blocker was a fan of performance cars. He owned a 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396. Chevrolet was a sponsor of the Bonanza show. He also owned a 1965 Huffaker Genie MK10 race car.

Dan Blocker's Death

On May 13, 1972, Dan Blocker passed away in Los Angeles. He was 43 years old. He died from a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lung. This happened after he had surgery on his gallbladder.

The writers of Bonanza decided to include the death of Hoss Cartwright in the show's story. This was unusual for TV shows at the time. A report from 2011 said this was the first time a TV show had dealt with or even mentioned the death of one of its main characters. The show did not explain how Hoss died. However, in a later series, Bonanza: The Next Generation, a character said that Hoss drowned trying to save someone else's life.

Bonanza continued for one more season without Hoss. The 14th and final season ended on January 16, 1973. This last season was not as popular as the others. Bonanza co-star Michael Landon later said that when he needed to cry for a scene, he would think about Dan Blocker's death.

Blocker was buried in a family plot at Woodmen Cemetery in De Kalb, Texas. His grave is marked by a simple stone with his name, "B. Dan D. Blocker." His father, mother, and sister are buried next to him.

Filmography

Places Named After Dan Blocker

Several places are named in honor of Dan Blocker:

• The Dan Blocker Room is on the second floor of the O'Donnell Heritage Museum in O'Donnell, Texas. This is where he grew up.
• Dan Blocker Beach is located in Malibu, California.
• Dan Blocker Avenue is a street in the Boulder Ranch development in Henderson, Nevada.

See also

In Spanish: Dan Blocker para niños