Famous for playing Lucas McCain in “The Rifleman,” Chuck Connors had a remarkable transformation from a skilled athlete to a multifaceted actor.
He was born in 1921 and showed promise in baseball, which attracted the Brooklyn Dodgers’ attention in 1940.
Connors made his way into acting in the early 1950s, despite a brief time in Major League Baseball, thanks to his breakthrough performance in the 1952 movie “Pat and Mike.
”He reached his zenith in 1958 when he played McCain, a rancher from New Mexico, in “The Rifleman.” Connors relished the role both emotionally and physically, becoming proficient in stunt work and horseback riding. Connors’ strong presence and sincere connection with on-screen son Johnny Crawford were major factors in the show’s success.
Even though Connors was shown on television as the perfect father, his personal life was complicated. His benign on-screen character was contradicted by numerous marriages, infidelity, and a significant age difference in partnerships. As a prominent conservative who backed leaders like Nixon and Reagan.
Connors also made a name for himself in liberal Hollywood.After “Rifleman,” Connors tried to break free from McCain’s shadow by taking on a variety of TV and movie roles. Before his fight with lung disease ultimately led to his death in 1992 at the age of 71, he made a comeback as the legendary figure in his twilight years in a 1991 television film.
