Ben Johnson (actor)

Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr. (June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996) was an American film and television actor, stuntman, and world-champion rodeo cowboy.

Johnson brought authenticity to many roles in Westerns with his droll manner and expert horsemanship.

The son of a rancher, Johnson arrived in Hollywood to deliver a consignment of horses for a film.

He did stunt-double work for several years before breaking into acting with the help of John Ford.

His work as a stuntman caught the eye of director John Ford, who hired Johnson for stunt work in the 1948 film Fort Apache, and as the riding double for Henry Fonda.

During shooting, the horses pulling a wagon with three men in it stampeded.

Johnson, who "happened to be settin' on a horse", stopped the runaway wagon and saved the men.

When Ford promised that he would be rewarded, Johnson hoped it would be with another doubling job, or maybe a small speaking role.

Instead, he received a seven-year acting contract from Ford.

Ford called Johnson into his office, and handed him an envelope with a contract in it.

Johnson started reading it, and when he got to the fifth line and it said "$5,000 a week," he stopped reading, grabbed a pen, signed it, and gave it back to Ford.

His first credited role was in Ford's 3 Godfathers; the film is notable for the riding skills demonstrated by both Johnson and star Pedro Armendáriz.

He later said the film was the most physically challenging of his career.

Ford then suggested a starring role for him in the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young; he played Gregg opposite Terry Moore.

Ford cast him in the remaining two of the three films that have come to be known as Ford's cavalry trilogy, all starring John Wayne: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Rio Grande (1950) joining Fort Apache.

Both roles showcased Johnson's riding ability.

An elegiac portrayal of a former cowboy theater owner in the 1950s coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show won Johnson the 1971 Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Johnson also operated a horse-breeding ranch throughout his career.

Although he said he had succeeded by sticking to what he knew, shrewd real estate investments made Johnson worth an estimated $100 million by his later years.

Johnson was born in Foraker, Oklahoma, on the Osage Indian Reservation, of self-identified Irish and Cherokee ancestry, the son of Ollie Susan Johnson (née Workmon) and Ben Johnson Sr. His father was a rancher and rodeo champion in Osage County.

Johnson's film career began with the Howard Hughes film The Outlaw.

Johnson liked to say later that he got to Hollywood in a carload of horses.

Ford also cast Johnson as the lead in Wagon Master (1950), one of Ford's favorites.

In real life, Johnson did not show any bad temper; his demeanor in tense situations was calm but firm.

Although known for avoiding drama, he had definite boundaries; during the making of Rio Grande he defied Ford, who was notorious for browbeating his actors, and reportedly told him to go to hell.

Johnson thought the incident had been forgotten, but Ford did not use him in a film for over a decade.

Johnson also appeared in four films of Sam Peckinpah and had a good relationship with the tempestuous director.

Peckinpah appreciated Johnson's authenticity and lack of acting airs.

Johnson played in supporting roles in Shane (1953), where he appeared as Chris Calloway, a "bad guy who makes good" after being beaten senseless by Alan Ladd, and One-Eyed Jacks (1961) starring Marlon Brando.

Johnson played Bartlett in the 1962–63 season of Have Gun Will Travel, which featured a short scene of his riding skills.

In 1963, Johnson appeared as Spinner on the TV Western The Virginian in the episode titled "Duel at Shiloh".

In 1964, he worked with Ford again in Cheyenne Autumn.

He also appeared in four Peckinpah-directed films: Major Dundee (1965, with Charlton Heston), The Wild Bunch (1969, with William Holden and Robert Ryan), and back-to-back Steve McQueen films, The Getaway and the rodeo film Junior Bonner (both 1972).

In the 1966–67 television season, Johnson appeared as the character Sleeve in all 26 episodes of the ABC family Western The Monroes with co-stars Michael Anderson Jr. and Barbara Hershey.

He teamed up with John Wayne again, and director Andrew V. McLaglen, in two films, appearing with Rock Hudson in The Undefeated (1969) and in a fairly prominent role in Chisum (1970).

The apex of Johnson's career was reached in 1971, with Johnson winning an Academy Award for his performance as Sam the Lion in The Last Picture Show, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

In 1973, he co-starred as Melvin Purvis in John Milius' Dillinger with Warren Oates; he also appeared in Milius' 1984 film Red Dawn.

In 1975, he played the character Mister in Bite the Bullet, starring Gene Hackman and James Coburn.

He also appeared with Charles Bronson in 1975's Breakheart Pass.

In 1980, he was cast as Sheriff Isum Gorch in Soggy Bottom U.S.A.