John Arthur Doucette (January 21, 1921 – August 16, 1994) was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he proved equally adept at portraying characters in Shakespearean plays, Westerns, and modern crime dramas. He is perhaps best remembered, however, for his villainous roles as a movie and television “tough guy”.
Early years
John Doucette was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, the eldest of three children of Nellie S. (née Bishop) and Arthur J. Doucette. During his childhood, his family moved frequently, as his father sought work during the Great Depression. He completed grammar school in Haverhill, Massachusetts; graduated from Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California; and later, in April 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in Europe as an infantry rifleman during World War II. With regard to Doucette’s early experience and training as an actor, he began to perform on stage at the age of 15 in plays at his high school. He subsequently performed at the Pasadena Playhouse before being cast in Hollywood films in the early 1940s.
Film career
Doucette’s film debut, in an uncredited role as a reporter, was in Footsteps in the Dark in 1941.[citation needed] He appeared uncredited in at least two other movies before his budding film career was interrupted by his military service during World War II. Following his discharge, he resumed acting in Hollywood, where he soon began to receive more substantial, credited roles in releases by smaller production companies, such as The Burning Cross and The Road to the Big House for Somerset Pictures Corporation in 1947.[citation needed] Doucette continued to progress in obtaining dramatic roles for larger studios, including a small part as an architect in The Fountainhead in 1949. His other notable performances include bit parts in High Noon, The Robe, Sierra, and the mega-budget Cleopatra. Doucette also appeared in the John Wayne films The Sea Chase, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit, and Big Jake as well as portraying Gen. Lucian Truscott in the 1970 epic Patton.
Television
Many baby boomers first saw Doucette as the bad guy on television in several episodes of The Lone Ranger. Performing as an outlaw proved to be a natural role for him, considering his rough looks, commanding presence, and skill with a gun. He was considered by many to be among the fastest draws in Hollywood. His roles, however, went well beyond that stereotype. He appeared on a variety of television shows, including The Time Tunnel, Racket Squad, The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show, The Fugitive, The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Cisco Kid, City Detective, Annie Oakley, The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial, My Friend Flicka, Sky King, The Californians, Broken Arrow, The People’s Choice, Sheriff of Cochise, Bat Masterson, Behind Closed Doors, The Texan, Lawman, The Everglades, Mackenzie’s Raiders, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, The Virginian, Have Gun – Will Travel, Kung Fu, The Rat Patrol, Hogan’s Heroes, Adventures of Superman, Sea Hunt, Science Fiction Theatre, Walt Disney Presents, and Tales of Wells Fargo.
Doucette portrayed a police lieutenant, Tom Gregory, on the television version of Big Town. Between 1959 and 1961, he also played Lieutenant Weston on the series Lock-Up, Aaron William Andrews in the comedy The Partners, and bounty hunter Lou Gore in the episode “Dead Aim” on the series Colt .45[citation needed]
Doucette was cast on television as the Apache Chief Geronimo for the 1958 episode “Geronimo” on the Western series Tombstone Territory. He was also cast in 1961 as Captain Cardiff in The Americans, a 17-episode NBC series, starring Darryl Hickman, about how the American Civil War divided families.
Personal life and death
John Doucette in 1948 married opera singer Katherine Sambles, with whom he had eight children. Katherine died in 1991; and three years later, on August 16, 1994, John died at age 73 at his home in Banning, California. His mausoleum is at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Selected filmography
Films
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Television portal
World War II portal
Footsteps in the Dark (1941) as Reporter (uncredited)
King of the Mounties (1942, Serial) as Boat Henchman (ch. 9) (uncredited)
Two Tickets to London (1943) as Larsen (uncredited)
The Burning Cross (1947) as Toby Mason
Ride the Pink Horse (1947) as Thug (uncredited)
The Foxes of Harrow (1947) as Crew Member (uncredited)
Road to the Big House (1947) as Danny
I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948) as Prisoner
Train to Alcatraz (1948) as McHenry
Canon City (1948) as George Bauer
Station West (1948) as Bartender
In This Corner (1948) as Dunkle (Jimmy’s ‘second’)
Rogues’ Regiment (1948) as Foreign Legion recruit found to have Nazi tattoo (uncredited)
The Fighting O’Flynn (1949) as Jack
Criss Cross (1949) as Walt
Outpost in Morocco (1949) as Card-playing Soldier (uncredited)
The Crooked Way (1949) as Sgt. Barrett
Red Stallion in the Rockies (1949) as Ivan (uncredited)
Batman and Robin (1949, serial) as Henchman [Ch. 2, 3, 6, 10–12, 15] (uncredited)
Lust for Gold (1949) as Man in Barber Shop (uncredited)
The Fountainhead (1949) as Gus Webb (uncredited)
Reign of Terror (1949) as Pierre Blanchard (uncredited)
Bandits of El Dorado (1949) as Henchman Tucker (uncredited)
And Baby Makes Three (1949) as Husband (uncredited)
The Pilgrimage Play (1949) as Lord Zadok
Singing Guns (1950) as Miner
The Vicious Years (1950) as Giorgio
Johnny One-Eye (1950) as Police Detective (uncredited)
Customs Agent (1950) as Hank (uncredited)
Return of the Frontiersman (1950) as Evans
Love That Brute (1950) as Gangster in Big Ed’s Cellar (uncredited)
Sierra (1950) as Jed Coulter
Winchester ’73 (1950) as Roan Daley (uncredited)
The Iroquois Trail (1950) as Sam Girty
Broken Arrow (1950) as Mule Driver (uncredited)
Convicted (1950) as Convict Tex (uncredited)
Border Treasure (1950) as Bat
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) as Police Radio Dispatcher (uncredited)
The Breaking Point (1950) as Gotch Goten (uncredited)
Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950) as Larry – a thug
The Flying Missile (1950) as Air Base Civilian Security Officer (uncredited)
Sierra Passage (1950) as Sutter’s Creek Poker Player (uncredited)
Up Front (1951) as Walsh (uncredited)
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) as Muscleman (uncredited)
Thunder in God’s Country (1951) as Slack Breedon
Only the Valiant (1951) as Sergeant (uncredited)
Tales of Robin Hood (1951) as Wilfred
Cavalry Scout (1951) as Varney
The Texas Rangers (1951) as Butch Cassidy
Mask of the Avenger (1951) as Sentry (uncredited)
Strangers on a Train (1951) as Det. Hammond (uncredited)
Yukon Manhunt (1951) as Charles Benson
Corky of Gasoline Alley (1951) as ‘Rocky’ Bobbie (uncredited)
The Lady Pays Off (1951) as Cab Driver
Fixed Bayonets! (1951) as Colonel – 18th Infantry (uncredited)
Rose of Cimarron (1952) as Drunk
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) as Arthur (uncredited)
The Treasure of Lost Canyon (1952) as Gyppo
Rancho Notorious (1952) as Whitey (uncredited)
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) as Bill (uncredited)
Deadline – U.S.A. (1952) as Hal (uncredited)
Carbine Williams (1952) as Gavrey – Prisoner at chain-gang camp (uncredited)
High Noon (1952) as Trumbull (uncredited)
The Pride of St. Louis (1952) as Benny (uncredited)
The San Francisco Story (1952) as Slade (uncredited)
Desert Pursuit (1952) as Kafan
Glory Alley (1952) as Thug in Alley (uncredited)
Back at the Front (1952) as Military Police Sergeant in bar (uncredited)
Toughest Man in Arizona (1952) as Sgt. Wayne (uncredited)
Woman in the Dark (1952) as ‘Dutch’ Bender
The Silver Whip (1953) as Josh – Red Rock citizen (uncredited)
Perils of the Jungle (1953) as Gorman
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953) as Burt – Twin Forks bartender (uncredited)
Julius Caesar (1953) – as Carpenter, citizen of Rome
Goldtown Ghost Riders (1953) as Bailey (uncredited)
War Paint (1953) as Trooper Charnofsky
City of Bad Men (1953) as Cinch (uncredited)
The Robe (1953) as Ship’s Mate (uncredited)
The Big Heat (1953) as Mark Reiner (uncredited)
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) as George (uncredited)
Flight to Tangier (1953) as Tirera
The Wild One (1953) as Sage Valley race steward (uncredited)
Beachhead (1954) as Maj. Scott
Casanova’s Big Night (1954) as Mounted Guard (uncredited)
Executive Suite (1954) as Detective (uncredited)
River of No Return (1954) as Man in Saloon (uncredited)
The Forty-Niners (1954) as Ernie Walker
The Far Country (1954) as Miner who spills gold dust (uncredited)
Return from the Sea (1954) as Jimmy
The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) as Campbell
Cry Vengeance (1954) as Red Miller
Destry (1954) as Cowhand
There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) as Stage Manager (uncredited)
Prince of Players (1955) as Man Who Starts Clapping (uncredited)
New York Confidential (1955) as Shorty
An Annapolis Story (1955) as Boxing Coach
The Sea Chase (1955) as Bos’n
House of Bamboo (1955) as Skipper (uncredited)
Seven Cities of Gold (1955) as Juan Coronel
The Bottom of the Bottle (1956) as Patrolman (uncredited)
Red Sundown (1956) as Billy—Wagon Guard (uncredited)
Ghost Town (1956) as Doc Clawson
Quincannon, Frontier Scout (1956) as Sgt. Calvin
The Maverick Queen (1956) as Loudmouth
The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) as Ben Buddy
Dakota Incident (1956) as Rick Largo
Thunder Over Arizona (1956) as Deputy Rand
The Burning Hills (1956) as Bartender (uncredited)
The True Story of Jesse James (1957) as Sheriff Hillstrom
Last of the Badmen (1957) as Johnson
The Big Land (1957) as Hagan – Livery Stableman (uncredited)
The Phantom Stagecoach (1957) as Harry Farrow
The Lawless Eighties (1957) as Art ‘Pig’ Corbin
The Lonely Man (1957) as Sundown Whipple
The Crooked Circle (1957) as Larry Ellis
Bombers B-52 (1957) as Nielson (uncredited)
Sabu and the Magic Ring (1957) as Kimal (stable master)
Kiss Them for Me (1957) as Shore Patrol Lieutenant (uncredited)
Peyton Place (1957) as Army Sergeant (uncredited)
Gunfire at Indian Gap (1957) as Loder
Too Much, Too Soon (1958) as Crowley (uncredited)
Gang War (1958) as Maxie Meadows
The Hunters (1958) as Chief Master Sergeant (uncredited)
A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958) as Grayson (uncredited)
Here Come the Jets (1959) as Randall
Cleopatra (1963) as Achillas
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) as Lucas
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) as Hyselman (undertaker)
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) as Mr. Belden
Nevada Smith (1966) as Uncle Ben McCanles
Winchester 73 (1967, TV Movie) as Jake Starret
The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) as Max
Alexander the Great (1968, TV Movie) as Kleitos
Journey to Shiloh (1968) as Gen. Braxton Bragg
True Grit (1969) as Sheriff
Patton (1970) as Major General Lucian K. Truscott
One More Train to Rob (1971) as Sheriff Monte
Big Jake (1971) as Buck Duggan (Head Texas Ranger)
One Little Indian (1973) as Sgt. Waller
The Last of the Mohicans (1975, TV Movie) as Chingachgook (voice)
Fighting Mad (1976) as Jeff Hunter
Charge of the Model T’s (1977) as Captain Mundy
The Time Machine (1978) as Sheriff Finley
Every Girl Should Have One (1978) as Policeman
Off the Mark (1987) as Jenell’s men (final film role)
Television
Racket Squad – episode – Accidentally on Purpose – Danny (1952)
The Lone Ranger – episode – The Masked Rider – Dirk Nelson (1949)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Gold Fever – Ox Martin (1950)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Thieves’ Money – Pierre Dumont (1950)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Sheriff at Gunstock – Rocky Hanford (1950)
The Lone Ranger – episode – The Hooded Men – Flack, Gang Leader (1951)
Dick Tracy – episode – The Case of the Dangerous Dollars (1951)
The Roy Rogers Show – episode – Perils From the Past (1952)
Adventures of Superman – episode – The Birthday Letter – Slugger (1952)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Bandits in Uniform – Andrew Gage (1953)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Rendezvous at Whipsaw – Henchman Kelso (1954)
The Lone Ranger – episode – The Fugitive – Blaze (1954)
Adventures of Superman – episode – Lady in Black – Joe (1954)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Counterfeit Redskins – Beau Slate (1955)
Adventures of Superman – episode – Clark Kent, Outlaw – Foster (1955)
The Lone Ranger – episode – Trapped – Deputy Sawyer (1955)
The Lone Ranger – episode – The School Story – Lew Cates (1955)
Cheyenne – episode – Mountain Fortress – Sgt. Cap Daniels (1955)
Science Fiction Theatre – episode – Barrier of Silence – Nielsen (1955)
Science Fiction Theatre – episode – Target Hurricane – Col. Stewart (1955)
Treasury Men in Action – episode – The Case of the Black Sheep – Marty Hinton (1955)
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp – episode – Wichita Is Civilized – Orry Taylor (1956)
Cheyenne – episode – Town of Fear – Bill Jenkins (1957)
Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color – episode – The Saga of Andy Burnett: Andy’s Initiation – Mountain man (uncredited) (1957)
The True Story of Jesse James – Sheriff Hillstrom (1957)
Broken Arrow – episode – The Broken Wire – Bobo Conway (1957)
Gunsmoke – episode – Liar from Blackhawk – Al Janes (1957)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective – episode – The Torch Carriers – Corky(1957)
Zorro – episode – Slaves of the Eagle – Antonio Azuela (uncredited) (1958)
The Rough Riders – episode – The Murderous Sutton Gang – Wes Sutton (1958)
Have Gun – Will Travel – episode – The O’Hare Story – Joe Marsh (1958)
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp – episode – Little Brother – Smiley Dunlap (1958)
Broken Arrow – episode – War Trail – Cagle (1958)
The Thin Man – episode – Unlucky Lucky Number – Hank (1958)
Official Detective “The Policeman’s Bullet” – Longo Sardinia (1958)
U.S. Marshal – episode – Inside Job (1959)
Bat Masterson – episode – Buffalo Kill – Luke Simes (1959)
Have Gun – Will Travel – episode – Lady on the Stagecoach – Ed Rance (1959)
Lock Up – Lt. John Weston – 78 episodes (1959–1961)
Bat Masterson – episode – A Grave Situation – Lemuel Carstairs (1960)
Wagon Train – episode – The Jim Bridger Story – Gen. Jameson (1961)
Wagon Train – episode – The Orly French Story – Marshal Jason Hartman (1962)
Bonanza – Episode: “Knight Errant” (1962) – Walter Prescott
Laramie – episode – Naked Steel – Sheriff Tate (1963)
Wagon Train – episode – The Fort Pierce Story – Col. Wayne Lathrop (1963)
Wagon Train – episode – The Michael McGoo Story – Michael McGoo (1963)
The Lieutenant – episode – A Million Miles From Clary – GySgt Clintock (1963)
Wagon Train – episode – Little Girl Lost – Boone Gilla (1964)
Wagon Train – episode – The Ben Engel Story – Ben Engel (1964)
Wagon Train – episode – The Isaiah Quickfox Story – Burt Enders (1965)
Wagon Train – episode – The Chottsie Gubenheimer Story – Chandler Ames (1965)
The Virginian – episode – The Awakening – Calder (1965)
The Virginian – episode – Six Graves at Cripple Creek – Sheriff Goodbody (1965)
Bonanza – Episode: “Devil on Her Shoulder” (1965) – Reverend Evan Morgan
Hogan’s Heroes – episode – Some of Their Planes Are Missing – Colonel Richard Leman (1967)
The Virginian – episode – Requiem for a Country Doctor – Lumberfield (1967)
Bonanza – Episode: “The Price of Salt” (1968) – Sid Talbott
The Big Valley – episode – Devil’s Masquerade (1968)
Get Smart – episodes -The King Lives?, & To Sire, with Love: Parts 1 & 2 – Colonel Von Klaus (1968–1969)
Here’s Lucy – episode – Lucy and Mannix Are Held Hostage – Vernon (1971)
The Partners – 20 episodes – Capt. Aaron William Andrews (1971–1972)
Mannix – episode – Desert Run – Ward Gillis (1973)
Kung Fu – episode – The Soul Is the Warrior – Ed Rankin (1973)
Tenafly – episode – Man Running – Wilson (1974)
Harry O – episode – Mortal Sin – Bishop Monaghan (1974)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker – episode – Vampire – Officer Sample (1974)
Ironside – episode – Mind for Murder – Ralph Hanson (1973)
Greatest Heroes of the Bible – episode – Joshua and the Battle of Jericho – Reuben (1978)
How the West Was Won – episode – The Slavers – Sheriff Boland (1979)
External Links
Actor John Doucette – Wikipedia
