Red West facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Red West
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| Born |
Robert Gene West
March 8, 1936 |
| Died | July 18, 2017 (aged 81) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Jones County Junior College |
| Occupation | Actor, stunt performer, songwriter, author |
| Years active | 1959–2015 |
| Spouse(s) |
Pat Boyd
(m. 1961) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Sonny West (cousin) |
Robert Gene "Red" West (born March 8, 1936 – died July 18, 2017) was an American actor, stuntman, and songwriter. He was well-known for being a close friend and bodyguard for the famous rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. After he was no longer working for Elvis, West wrote a book called Elvis: What Happened?. This book shared details about his time with the singer.
West was also famous for his acting roles. Many people remember him as Red in the movie Road House, where he acted alongside Patrick Swayze. He also received good reviews for his role as William in the 2008 independent film Goodbye Solo.
Contents
Early life
Red West was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His parents were Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was also the cousin of another actor, Sonny West. When Red and Sonny were in high school in Tennessee, they met Elvis Presley.
Red was a very good athlete. He was also a U.S. Marine. He played football for his high school team and for his junior college team at Jones County Junior College. He was also a boxer and competed in the Golden Gloves championships.
In 1961, Red West married his wife, Pat Boyd. They had two children together.
West and Presley
Songwriting career
Red West helped write two songs for Elvis Presley in 1961 and 1962. These songs were "That's Someone You Never Forget" and "You'll Be Gone". Elvis also received credit for these songs.
"That's Someone You Never Forget" was the last song on Elvis's 1962 album, Pot Luck. "You'll Be Gone" was an extra song on the Girl Happy movie soundtrack. Red also co-wrote "If You Think I Don't Need You" with Joey Cooper for the movie Viva Las Vegas. He worked with Joey Cooper again on "I'm A Fool," which was recorded by Ricky Nelson.
In 1972, Red West co-wrote "Separate Ways" with Richard Mainegra for Elvis. He also wrote "If You Talk in Your Sleep" with Johnny Christopher for Elvis's 1975 album Promised Land. Red also wrote "If Every Day Was Like Christmas", which Elvis recorded in 1966.
Besides writing for Elvis, Red's songs were recorded by many other artists. These included Pat Boone, Rick Nelson, Johnny Burnette, Johnny Rivers, Dino, Desi & Billy, Petula Clark, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, and Little Milton.
Elvis's team and leaving
Red West was part of Elvis Presley's close team, often called his "entourage." He worked as a bodyguard and helper for Elvis.
In 1976, Elvis's father, Vernon Presley, decided to let Red West go from Elvis's team. Red's cousin, Sonny, and another bodyguard, David Hebler, were also let go.
After this, the three of them wrote a book called Elvis: What Happened?. They said they wrote the book to share their experiences and try to help Elvis. The book was published shortly before Elvis passed away.
Acting career
When Elvis Presley was making movies in Hollywood in the 1960s, Red West appeared in small roles in sixteen of Elvis's films. During this time, Red became good friends with actor Nick Adams. Because Red was very athletic, he was hired as a stuntman for Adams' TV show, The Rebel.
From there, Red West continued to do stunt work in movies. He also started a career as an actor in many films and on television. He often played a tough guy or a henchman in the TV series The Wild Wild West.
Red West also played Sheriff Tanner in the 1973 film Walking Tall. He played the same role again in the 1975 movie Walking Tall Part 2.
He also played Master Sergeant Andy Micklin on the TV show Baa Baa Black Sheep. He appeared as a guest star on the detective show Magnum, P.I. twice, playing different characters. He also appeared five times on The A-Team. Red was in the pilot episode of Knight Rider called "Knight of the Phoenix". He also appeared on The Fall Guy and Simon & Simon. He was in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Once and Future King", which was about Elvis.
In 1989, West was in the action movie Road House with Patrick Swayze. He played Red Webster, who owned an auto parts store.
Red West played the main role in the 2008 independent film Goodbye Solo. He played William, an older man who was feeling sad. William becomes friends with a man from Senegal in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The movie received good reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert said that Red West played his character so well that it felt very real.
His last movie role was in the 2013 film Safe Haven. He played Roger, an older store clerk in Southport, North Carolina.
Death
Red West passed away on July 18, 2017, when he was 81 years old. He died from an aortic aneurysm at Baptist Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Memphis.
His death happened less than two months after his cousin, actor Sonny West, also passed away in May 2017. Red West's funeral and burial took place on July 24 in Memphis.
