Brad Johnson

Johnson restored old Winchester Model 1886 rifles before turning to selling ranch real estate in North Texas.

Johnson died from complications of COVID-19 in Fort Worth, on February 18, 2022, at age 62.

His death was publicly announced four months later by his former agent Linda McAlister.

Brad William Johnson (October 24, 1959 – February 18, 2022) was an American actor, model, real estate agent, and Marlboro Man.

Johnson was born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Grove and Virginia Johnson.

The family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, and later, Dallas, Texas, where Johnson graduated high school in 1977.

After competing in rodeos as a youth, he began his professional rodeo career in 1984 and was discovered by a movie scout looking for cowboys to star in a beer commercial.

This led to his stint as the Marlboro Man and modeling gigs for Calvin Klein before he started acting.

His first role was in a 1986 episode of the CBS soap opera Dallas.

His first film credit was in the low-budget biker film Nam Angels (1989), and shortly after he had his first co-starring role, in Steven Spielberg's 1989 film Always.

Other films included Flight of the Intruder, Philadelphia Experiment II, The Birds II: Land's End, Copperhead and Supergator.

He played Rayford Steele in the Left Behind film series and played Dr. Dominick O'Malley on Melrose Place.

Johnson played the lead character Major Matthew Sheppard in the syndicated action drama series Soldier of Fortune, Inc. for two seasons and thirty seven episodes from 1997 to 1999.

His co-stars included Melinda Clarke and Dennis Rodman.

His work as an actor and as a Marlboro Man — one of a succession used by the brand — brought Johnson and his wife, Laurie, to California.

They eventually moved their family to a ranch in New Mexico and the Colorado mountains before settling in North Texas.

Johnson retired from acting and became a real estate agent.

In 2014, he established Johnson Land and Home, LLC, a family owned business with over 25 years of experience in investment, acquisition, marketing, and development of luxury and destination properties, as well as ranch, hunting, and recreational land.

Johnson was married to his wife Laurie, a former model, for 35 years.

They had eight children : Shane, Bellamy, Rachel, Eliana, Eden, Rebekah, Annabeth and William.