HUGH O’BRIAN

(19 April 1925 - 5 September 2016)

If for nothing else the American actor Hugh O’Brian will be remembered for one particular part, the title role in the TV series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was allegedly the first television sex symbol, having been an all-round athlete, and he fitted easily into the role of the western Marshal and all the other action movie roles he played. He was in, among many others, Vengeance Valley, Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas, Cave of Outlaws, Red Ball Express, Son of Ali Baba, The Raiders, The Lawless Breed, Seminole, The Man from the Alamo, etc, and even in the musicals Meet Me at the Fair and There’s No Business Like Show Business (both 1954). Then came television and many shows before Wyatt Earp rode into town for 227 episodes from 1955 to 1961, cementing O’Brian’s status as a star. More television and the odd film – Come Fly With Me, Love Has Many Faces, Ten Little Indians, Africa: Texas Style and John Wayne’s last film The Shootist. He was in Twins with Arnie, did Murder, She Wrote, and reprised his most famous role in TV movies about Wyatt Earp. His last film, Old Soldiers, is in pre-production for release later in 2016. As a philanthropist, Hugh O’Brian was impressed by Dr Albert Schweitzer to set up Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership, which helps inspire young people around the world into team leadership programmes.

MICHAEL DARVELL