Seeking name of famous Westerns character actor

March 3, 2005 8:28 AM

Looking for the name of an actor who was typecast in many westers as a "crazy old coot".

My best recollection of him is from The Muppet Movie but I don't see him in the credits. I think he was also in the Maverick movie as well.

He was always typecast as a "crazy old coot" often with gray bristles from an unshaved beard, squinty eyes, a raspy drawling cackle of a laugh and a squashed top hat or bowler instead of a cowboy hat.

Any ideas?

posted by bkdelong to media & arts (25 comments total)

Jack Elam?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:31 AM on March 3, 2005

He's definitely similar...but no, he's not the one. I don't remember him as the bowler hat type.
posted by bkdelong at 8:38 AM on March 3, 2005

Walter Brennan?
posted by geekyguy at 8:59 AM on March 3, 2005

Walter Brennan is my first guess, too. My second guess would be George "Gabby" Hayes.
posted by mds35 at 9:03 AM on March 3, 2005

If it weren't for the "squinty eyes" in your description I'd say it is definitely Elam.

Maybe Lee Van Cleef?
posted by googly at 9:09 AM on March 3, 2005

James Coburn? He's on the IMDB as being in the Muppet Movie and Maverick...
posted by kittyb at 9:16 AM on March 3, 2005

James Coburn?

Better Picture.
posted by steelbuddha at 9:17 AM on March 3, 2005

Durn it, kittyb.
posted by steelbuddha at 9:17 AM on March 3, 2005

Maybe Denver Pyle? (Dukes of Hazzard, Escape from Witch Mountain, etc.) He was in 1994's Maverick.
posted by mds35 at 9:18 AM on March 3, 2005

Less facial hair than Gabby Hayes, less head hair than Walter Brennan, and he has a more round face and beady eyes then both.

Denver Pyle's hair is way too long and too much beard hair.

Definitely not Lee Van Cleef - complexion is too dark, this guy didn't have a mustache, head is too "thin" etc.

Elam's face is too saggy and there's the blind left eye.

Not James Coburn either. Coburn is too thin.

He really donesn't have facial hair that I remember...just often looked unshaven for several days.

Man..I guess there were more character actors than I thought. I think this guy was also more background ambience than as prestigious as some of these actors were.

My recollection must suck ;)
posted by bkdelong at 9:22 AM on March 3, 2005

Hank Worden, who played the wacky Mose Harper in "The Searchers" (1956)?
posted by inksyndicate at 9:26 AM on March 3, 2005

Andy Devine seems unlikely, but I thought I'd throw him out there.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:31 AM on March 3, 2005

Tracey Walter?

He also played Miller in Repo Man.

"The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."
posted by bondcliff at 9:34 AM on March 3, 2005

When I think of crazy old western coots I think of Gabby Hayes who was in the Gunsmoke TV series as well as dozens of westerns. He was the definitive crotchety, bearded cowboy sidekick that always looked like he just came from the river fishin' for gold.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 9:44 AM on March 3, 2005

Oh, I somehow missed your Gabby Hayes reference above.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 9:46 AM on March 3, 2005

Walter Huston?
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:52 AM on March 3, 2005

Hank Worden is too skinny, head not round enough.

Andy Devine has too much head hair.

Tracey Walter is much too young. This guy is about James Coburn or Denver Pyle's age

Walter Huston died too long ago.

This guy was in movies in the 80s and 90s.

Boy I'm at a loss here.
posted by bkdelong at 10:22 AM on March 3, 2005

You could go to What a Character (a database of character actors) and see if you can find him. I'm looking now too, but none of the names so far are matching up with names from the muppet movie, except H.B. Haggerty, who doesn't fit your description. Tell us if you find him...this kind of stuff drives me nuts.
posted by iconomy at 10:25 AM on March 3, 2005

I just found "What a Character" myself. His name is Dub Taylor.

These are the type of pictures I was talking about.

It looks like my Muppet Movie reference was wrong...so I apologize.
posted by bkdelong at 10:48 AM on March 3, 2005

Holy crap - 160 movies!
posted by grateful at 11:07 AM on March 3, 2005

Oh him.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:12 AM on March 3, 2005

Dub Taylor, who always gave me the creeps:



I just found "What a Character" myself.

Yeah. That's what they all say.
posted by iconomy at 11:35 AM on March 3, 2005

Walter Brennan

Thats who immediately came to my mind. My favorite line: "Have you ever been stung by a dead bee?"
posted by goethean at 11:43 AM on March 3, 2005

Haha, I love that guy. Although Denver Pyle was the crazy old coot who immediately sprang to mind.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:55 PM on March 3, 2005

"Have you ever been bit by a dead bee?"
posted by CunningLinguist at 3:48 PM on March 3, 2005