R. G. Armstrong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
R. G. Armstrong
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Armstrong in T.H.E. Cat (1966)
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| Born |
Robert Golden Armstrong Jr.
April 7, 1917 Pleasant Grove, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | July 27, 2012 (aged 95) Studio City, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Howard College University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Neale
(m. 1952; div. 1972) Susan M. Guthrie
(m. 1973; div. 1976) Mary Craven
(m. 1993; died 2003) |
| Children | 4 |
Robert Golden Armstrong Jr. (born April 7, 1917, died July 27, 2012) was an American actor and writer. He was known for playing many different kinds of characters. He acted in dozens of Western movies and TV shows over 40 years. Many people remember him for his work with director Sam Peckinpah.
Contents
Growing Up in Alabama
Armstrong was born in Pleasant Grove, Alabama. He grew up on a small farm near Birmingham. His family was very religious, and his mother hoped he would become a pastor.
After finishing Hueytown High School in 1935, Armstrong went to Howard College. This school is now called Samford University. There, he became interested in acting. He then moved to the University of North Carolina (UNC). At UNC, he started acting on stage with a group called the Carolina Playmakers. After college, he studied acting at the Actors Studio.
Armstrong actually wanted to be a writer more than an actor. In 1966, he said he worked very hard to be a serious writer. While at UNC, he wrote a play that was performed. By 1966, he had written many plays, novels, and poems.
Acting Career Highlights
Armstrong had a long and busy career in acting. He appeared in plays, TV shows, and movies.
Broadway Stage Roles
On Broadway, Armstrong played important roles in famous plays:
- Dr. Baugh and Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955)
- Sheriff Talbott in Orpheus Descending (1957)
- Captain Keller in The Miracle Worker (1959)
He also wrote his own plays, which were performed in smaller theaters.
Early TV Appearances
Armstrong's first movie was Garden of Eden in 1954. But he first became well-known on television. He appeared as a guest star in almost every TV Western show in the 1950s and 1960s. These shows included:
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- The Rifleman
- Bonanza
- Gunsmoke
- Rawhide
- Wagon Train
He also appeared in other popular TV shows like The Twilight Zone with Robert Redford. He was in three episodes of Perry Mason. Armstrong also appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Andy Griffith Show, Hawaii Five-O, and The Dukes of Hazzard. Later, he had a regular role in the horror series Friday the 13th: The Series.
Working with Sam Peckinpah
In 1960, Armstrong met director Sam Peckinpah while working on the show The Westerner. They became good friends. Peckinpah often used Armstrong's background in religious families to create interesting characters. In Peckinpah's films, Armstrong often played religious characters who were a bit wild. They usually carried a Bible in one hand and a shotgun in the other.
You can see this type of character in these movies:
- Ride the High Country (1962)
- Major Dundee (1965)
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
However, Armstrong also played a more friendly character in Peckinpah's film The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970).
Other Notable Film Roles
Even without Peckinpah, Armstrong became a very well-known supporting actor. He appeared in many films, playing both bad guys and good characters. Some of his memorable roles include:
- A friendly rancher in El Dorado (1966)
- Outlaw Clell Miller in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)
- A clumsy outlaw in My Name is Nobody (1973)
- A secret cult sheriff in Race with the Devil (1975)
- The Car (1977)
- Children of the Corn (1984)
- General Phillips in Predator (1987)
He also appeared in several films by Warren Beatty, like Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Reds (1981). He played the character Pruneface in Dick Tracy (1990).
Armstrong mostly stopped acting in films and TV in the late 1990s. But he kept acting in plays in New York and Los Angeles. He fully retired from acting in 2005 because he was almost blind due to cataracts.
In 1991, Armstrong received praise for playing the main character in the music video for "Enter Sandman" by the band Metallica.
Personal Life and Passing
Armstrong was married three times. His first wife was Ann Neale, and they had four children together. He was then married to Susan Guthrie until 1976. His third wife was Mary Craven, who passed away in 2003.
R. G. Armstrong died peacefully at age 95 on July 27, 2012. He passed away at his home in Studio City, California.
Images for kids
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Armstrong in T.H.E. Cat (1966)
