Glenn Strange
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- August 16, 1899
- Died
- September 20, 1973
- Birthplace
- Weed, New Mexico, USA
At various times in his life a rancher, deputy sheriff and rodeo performer, this huge, towering (6' 5") beast of a man was born George Glenn Strange in Weed, New Mexico, on August 16, 1899, but grew up a real-life cowboy in Cross Cut, Texas. Of Irish and Cherokee Indian descent, he taught himself (by ear) the fiddle and guitar at a young age and started performing at local functions as a teen. In the late 1920s, Glenn and his cousin, Taylor McPeters, better known later as the western character actor Cactus Mack, joined a radio singing group known as the "Arizona Wranglers" that toured throughout the country. Gunsmoke Strange first appeared on Gunsmoke in 1960 after James Arness asked him, "When are you going to do a Gunsmoke? I like to work with big guys." During Gunsmoke's sixth season, Strange played a Long Branch customer in "Old Faces" and a cowboy in "Melinda Miles". Strange began playing Sam Noonan during the seventh season and continued in the role for 222 episodes. In 1972 Strange was diagnosed with lung cancer but worked as long as he was able. Five of his episodes were broadcast after his death. His last appearance was on the November 26, 1973, episode "The Hanging of Newly O'Brien". Death On September 20, 1973, at age 74, Strange died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California. Singer Eddie Dean, with whom Strange had collaborated on various songs and opening themes for films, sang at Strange's funeral service as a final tribute. Strange is interred at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. CLR
Filmography
I Was a Teenage Movie Maker: Don Glut's Amateur Movies 2006
as Self
The Many Faces of Dracula 2000
as The Monster (archive footage)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' 1999
as Self (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld 1994
as Self (archive footage)
Dracula in the Movies 1992
as (archive footage)
- Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook 1991
as The Monster (archive footage)
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook 1991
as The Monster (archive footage)
The Horror Show 1979
as (archive footage)
Spaceship to the Unknown 1966
as Robot / Ming soldier / Gocko (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Adventures of the Spirit 1963
as Frankenstein Monster
Last Train from Gun Hill 1959
as Gun Hill Bouncer
Alias Jesse James 1959
as James Gang Member
Terror in a Texas Town 1958
as Train Passenger (uncredited)
Quantrill's Raiders 1958
as Todd
Gunfire at Indian Gap 1957
as Matt
Last Stagecoach West 1957
as Sheriff
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 1957
as Pierce Henchman in Saloon (uncredited)
The Halliday Brand 1957
as Townsman
The Fastest Gun Alive 1956
as Sheriff in Silver Rapids (uncredited)
Backlash 1956
as Milliken, Stage Driver (uncredited)
The Vanishing American 1955
as Beleanth
The Road to Denver 1955
as Big George
Marty 1955
as (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger Story 1955
as Self - Butch Cavendish
Cattle Queen of Montana 1954
as Indian Chief (uncredited)
Escape from Fort Bravo 1953
as Sergeant Compton (uncredited), as Sgt. Compton (uncredited)
Calamity Jane 1953
as Prospector (uncredited)
The Veils of Bagdad 1953
as Mik-Kel
Devil's Canyon 1953
as Marshal (uncredited)
The Great Sioux Uprising 1953
as Stand Watie
Born to the Saddle 1953
as Tom Roper
The Lawless Breed 1952
as Ben Hanley
The Lusty Men 1952
as Rig Ferris - Foreman (uncredited)
Wagons West 1952
as Marshal Jim
The Legend Of The Lone Ranger 1952
as Butch Cavendish
Callaway Went Thataway 1951
as Cowboy Actor on Saloon set (uncredited)
Texas Carnival 1951
as Tex Hodgkins
The Red Badge of Courage 1951
as Colonel (uncredited)
Comin' Round the Mountain 1951
as Devil Dan Winfield
Double Crossbones 1951
as Capt. Ben Avery
Comanche Territory 1950
as Big Joe
Master Minds 1949
as Atlas the Monster
Roll, Thunder, Roll! 1949
as Ace Hanlon
Rimfire 1949
as Curt Calvin
Disaster 1948
as Foreman Davis (uncredited)
Red River 1948
as Naylor (uncredited)
Four Faces West 1948
as Posse Deputy (uncredited)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948
as The Monster
The Gallant Legion 1948
as Renegade
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap 1947
as Lefty
Hollywood Wonderland 1947
as Singing Cowboy (clip from "Ride, Cowboy, Ride", 1939) (uncredited)
The Sea of Grass 1947
as Bill Roach - Brewton Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Sinbad the Sailor 1947
as Chief Galley Overseer (uncredited)
Up Goes Maisie 1946
as Cop (Uncredited)
House of Dracula 1945
as The Frankenstein Monster
Saratoga Trunk 1945
as Cowboy (uncredited)
Renegades of the Rio Grande 1945
as Bart Drummond
Bad Men of the Border 1945
as Sheriff Peters
House of Frankenstein 1944
as Frankenstein Monster
Harmony Trail 1944
as Marshal Taylor
Alaska 1944
as Miner
Trail to Gunsight 1944
as Duke Ellis, Gang Leader
San Antonio Kid 1944
as Frank 'Ace' Hanlon
Silver City Kid 1944
as Henchman Garvey
Forty Thieves 1944
as Ike Simmons
Sonora Stagecoach 1944
as Paul Kenton
The Contender 1944
as Biff Benham
Valley Of Vengeance 1944
as Barker
The Monster Maker 1944
as Giant
Knickerbocker Holiday 1944
as Big Muscle
The Woman of the Town 1943
as Walker
Death Valley Rangers 1943
as The Marshall
False Colors 1943
as Sonora
Bullets and Saddles 1943
as Jack Hammond
The Return of the Rangers 1943
as Frank Martin
Arizona Trail 1943
as Henchman Matt
The Kansan 1943
as 2nd Gate Guard
Black Market Rustlers 1943
as Corbin (as Glen Strange)
Cattle Stampede 1943
as Boss Coulter
Action in the North Atlantic 1943
as Jake (uncredited)
The Black Raven 1943
as Andy
The Desperadoes 1943
as Lem - Jack's Gang Member
Western Cyclone 1943
as Dirk Randall
Mission to Moscow 1943
as Southerner in Montage (uncredited)
Wild Horse Stampede 1943
as Henchman Tip
Haunted Ranch 1943
as Rance Austin
The Kid Rides Again 1943
as Tom Slade
Little Joe, the Wrangler 1942
as Banker Jeff Corey
Beyond the Line of Duty 1942
as Cal (uncredited)
The Mummy's Tomb 1942
as Farmer Holding Horse (uncredited)
Overland Stagecoach 1942
as Harlen Kent
Bandit Ranger 1942
as Frank Curtis
Texas Trouble Shooters 1942
as Roger Denby
The Spoilers 1942
as Deputy (uncredited)
Come on Danger 1942
as Henchman Sloan
Down Texas Way 1942
as Sheriff Trump
Romance on the Range 1942
as Lead Henchman Stokes
The Mad Monster 1942
as Petro
Boot Hill Bandits 1942
as The Maverick
Rolling Down the Great Divide 1942
as Joe Duncan
Sunset on the Desert 1942
as Deputy Louie Meade
Billy the Kid Trapped 1942
as Boss Stanton
Raiders of the West 1942
as Hank Reynolds
Western Mail 1942
as Sheriff Big Bill Collins
Stagecoach Buckaroo 1942
as Henchman Bill
The Lone Rider and the Bandit 1942
as Luke Miller
Billy The Kid's Round-Up 1941
as Vic Landreau
Dude Cowboy 1941
as Henchman Krinkle
Lone Star Law Men 1941
as Marshal Scott (as Glen Strange)
Go West, Young Lady 1941
as Townsman
Arizona Cyclone 1941
as Roy Jessup
The Driftin' Kid 1941
as Jeff Payson (as Glen Strange)
The Bandit Trail 1941
as Idaho
Billy the Kid Wanted 1941
as Matt Brawley
Badlands of Dakota 1941
as Bob Russell
Westward Ho-Hum 1941
Actor
Wide Open Town 1941
as Henchman Ed Stark
Fugitive Valley 1941
as Gray
Riders of Death Valley 1941
as Tex, a Benton Rider
Saddlemates 1941
as Little Bear
The Kid's Last Ride 1941
as Bart Gill / Ike Breeden
San Francisco Docks 1940
as Mike
The Fargo Kid 1940
as Sheriff Dave
Three Men from Texas 1940
as Stokes
Wagon Train 1940
as Stagecoach driver
Triple Justice 1940
as Frank Wiley
Wyoming 1940
as Bill Smalley - Henchman
The Cowboy from Sundown 1940
as Bret Stockton
Stage to Chino 1940
as Bill Hoagland
Land of the Six Guns 1940
as Manny
Pals of the Silver Sage 1940
as Vic Insley
Dark Command 1940
as Tough Yankee #1
Covered Wagon Trails 1940
as Fletcher - Henchman
Rhythm of the Rio Grande 1940
as Sheriff Hays (as Glen Strange)
Teddy the Rough Rider 1940
as Jim Rawlins
Pioneer Days 1940
as Sheriff
Days of Jesse James 1939
as Cole Younger
The Llano Kid 1939
as Henderson
Overland Mail 1939
as Sheriff Dawson
Law of the Pampas 1939
as Slim Schultz
Range War 1939
as Sheriff
Oklahoma Terror 1939
as Ross Haddon
The Fighting Gringo 1939
as Rance Potter
Across the Plains 1939
as Jeff Masters
Blue Montana Skies 1939
as Bob Causer
The Night Riders 1939
as Angry Riverboat Gambler
Rough Riders' Round-up 1939
as Boggs
The Lone Ranger Rides Again 1939
as Raider Thorne
Sunset Trail 1939
as Bouncer
The Phantom Stage 1939
as Sheriff
Arizona Legion 1939
as George Kirby
Honor of the West 1939
as Bat Morrison
Ghost Town Riders 1938
as Tex - Henchman
California Frontier 1938
as Blackie
Gun Packer 1938
as Sheriff
Guilty Trail 1938
as Sheriff
The Mysterious Rider 1938
as Henchman Cramer
Black Bandit 1938
Actor
The Mexicali Kid 1938
as Foreman Jed
In Old Mexico 1938
as Burke
Pride of the West 1938
as Saunders
Six Shootin' Sheriff 1938
as Kendal Henchman
Air Devils 1938
as Messenger
Whirlwind Horseman 1938
as Henchman Bull
Call of the Rockies 1938
as Henchman Kelso
The Last Stand 1938
Actor
State Police 1938
as Henchman
Border Wolves 1938
as Deputy Joe O'Connell
The Painted Trail 1938
as Sheriff Ed
The Spy Ring 1938
as The 'Champ' (uncredited)
Adventure's End 1937
as Barzeck
The Devil's Saddle Legion 1937
as Pewee
Empty Holsters 1937
as Tex Roberts
Blazing Sixes 1937
as Peewee
The Cherokee Strip 1937
as Harry, Fiddle Player and Band Leader
Land Beyond the Law 1937
as Bandy Malarkey
Arizona Days 1937
as Henchman Pete
Guns of the Pecos 1936
as Wedding Groom / Rustler
California Mail 1936
as Henchman Bud
The Sunday Round-Up 1936
as Master of Ceremonies
The Fugitive Sheriff 1936
as Trial Spectator (uncredited)
A Tenderfoot Goes West 1936
as Prankster Butch
Trailin' West 1936
as Henchman Tim / Trooper (uncredited)
Avenging Waters 1936
as Henchman Jake
Flash Gordon 1936
as Gocko/Robot/Soldier
The Law of 45's 1935
as Monte
Lawless Range 1935
as Burn's Henchman
Moonlight on the Prairie 1935
as Stew-Bum
The New Frontier 1935
as Norton
Stormy 1935
as Arizona Wranglers Band Member 'Peewee' Strange (uncredited)
Westward Ho 1935
as Carter
Cyclone of the Saddle 1935
as Singer / Fiddler / Townsman
The Man from Hell 1934
as Singer
The Star Packer 1934
as Loco Frank
The Thrill Hunter 1933
as Studio Western Cowboy
Ride Him, Cowboy 1932
as Hawk Henchman (uncredited), Stunts
The Hurricane Express 1932
as Jim
Cavalier of the West 1931
as Trooper
The Range Feud 1931
Actor
Wild Horse 1931
as Cowboy Who Refuses to Ride
Credits from TMDB.