Dennis Weaver
Actor
About This Interview
Dennis Weaver (1924-2006) was interviewed for two hours in Malibu, CA. Weaver reminisced about growing up in Missouri during the Great Depression, and remembered working as a migrant worker in his summers. He talked about his move to New York and his early acting experience, on the stage and on television. He described his move to Hollywood under contract with Universal, and his move from feature films into television in the mid-1950s. Next, he spoke at length about his co-starring role on the long-running classic Gunsmoke, detailing the origins of his character Chester’s limp and country bumpkin accent. He also talked about his subsequent work on series including Kentucky Jones and Gentle Ben, and discussed his leading role on NBC’s McCloud. Finally, he spoke about his more recent work, from movies made-for-television including Duel to the series Stone and Buck Jones. The interview was conducted by Henry Colman on September 24, 2002.
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Watch By Chapter
- Chapter 1
- On his childhood, education, interest in acting and his first roles in television
- Chapter 2
- On working in a Pall Mall commercial; on studying acting; on getting a contract with Universal; and on working in various episodic series including Dragnet
- On working with Orson Welles in his feature film Touch of Evil
- On the concept of Gunsmoke; on being cast as Chester; on developing the character's limp
- Chapter 3
- On working with cast and crew of Gunsmoke; the production details; on leaving the series and its legacy
- On starring in Kentucky Jones
- On starring in Gentle Ben
- On being cast in McCloud and the concept of the series
- Chapter 4
- On the production of McCloud
- On starring in the TV movie Duel
- On starring in the TV movie Amber Waves
- On starring in Stone
- On starring in Emerald Point, NAS
- On starring in Buck James
- On his philanthropic efforts with LIFE, a hunger organization
- On appearing in Lonesome Dove, The Virginian, and High Noon TV movies
- Chapter 5
- On his Institute of Ecolonomics which focuses on the interdependence of ecology and economics
- On summing up his career, on his acting style, on his advice to aspiring actors, on changes in the industry and the popularity of the western genre, and how he'd like to be remembered






