Tim McCoy

Tim McCoy

Biography: One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86. Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France. Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death) Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: April 10, 1891

Deathday: January 29, 1978

Popularity:

1.746

Known For

Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days

1956-10-17

Voice in the Night
Voice in the Night

1934-04-06

The Thundering Herd
The Thundering Herd

1925-03-01

The Overland Telegraph
The Overland Telegraph

1929-03-02

Sioux Blood
Sioux Blood

1929-04-20

Texas Cyclone
Texas Cyclone

1932-02-24

Two-Fisted Law
Two-Fisted Law

1932-06-08

Aces and Eights
Aces and Eights

1936-06-06

Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972-01-10

Below the Border
Below the Border

1942-01-30

Forbidden Trails
Forbidden Trails

1941-12-25

Roarin' Guns
Roarin' Guns

1936-01-29

Arizona Bound
Arizona Bound

1941-07-19

Riders of the West
Riders of the West

1942-08-21

Bulldog Courage
Bulldog Courage

1935-12-30

Ghost Town Law
Ghost Town Law

1942-03-27

Down Texas Way
Down Texas Way

1942-05-22

Hell Bent for Love
Hell Bent for Love

1934-05-19

Ghost Patrol
Ghost Patrol

1936-08-02

Border Caballero
Border Caballero

1936-03-01

Lightnin' Bill Carson
Lightnin' Bill Carson

1936-04-14

The Man from Guntown
The Man from Guntown

1935-08-15

The Traitor
The Traitor

1936-08-29

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

1976-05-01

The Gunman From Bodie
The Gunman From Bodie

1941-09-19

Straight Shooter
Straight Shooter

1939-08-12

The Outlaw Deputy
The Outlaw Deputy

1935-06-20

West of Rainbow's End
West of Rainbow's End

1938-01-12

Justice of the Range
Justice of the Range

1935-05-25

Phantom Ranger
Phantom Ranger

1938-05-27

Straightaway
Straightaway

1933-12-22

Six-Gun Trail
Six-Gun Trail

1938-11-25

Lightning Carson Rides Again
Lightning Carson Rides Again

1938-10-09

Speed Wings
Speed Wings

1934-02-05

A Man's Game
A Man's Game

1934-06-16

Fighting Shadows
Fighting Shadows

1935-04-18

Outlaws' Paradise
Outlaws' Paradise

1939-04-18

Code of the Cactus
Code of the Cactus

1939-02-25

Hold the Press
Hold the Press

1933-10-25

The Law of the Range
The Law of the Range

1928-01-21

Hollywood on Parade
Hollywood on Parade

1932-06-05

The Western Code
The Western Code

1932-09-15

Trigger Fingers
Trigger Fingers

1939-11-01

West of the Law
West of the Law

1942-10-02

Code of the Rangers
Code of the Rangers

1938-04-07

The Fighting Renegade
The Fighting Renegade

1939-08-31

Square Shooter
Square Shooter

1935-01-21

The Whirlwind
The Whirlwind

1933-04-13

Silent Men
Silent Men

1933-03-03

Frontier Crusader
Frontier Crusader

1940-06-14

Rusty Rides Alone
Rusty Rides Alone

1933-05-25

Prescott Kid
Prescott Kid

1934-11-08

Winners Of The Wilderness
Winners Of The Wilderness

1927-01-15

Man Of Action
Man Of Action

1933-01-20

Texas Wildcats
Texas Wildcats

1939-04-09

The Texas Marshal
The Texas Marshal

1941-07-12

The Revenge Rider
The Revenge Rider

1935-03-18

Two Gun Justice
Two Gun Justice

1938-04-29

The Lion's Den
The Lion's Den

1936-07-07

Beyond the Law
Beyond the Law

1934-07-31

The Adventurer
The Adventurer

1928-07-14

Foreign Devils
Foreign Devils

1927-09-03

The Frontiersman
The Frontiersman

1927-06-11

War Paint
War Paint

1926-10-09

Law Beyond the Range
Law Beyond the Range

1935-02-15

The Fighting Marshal
The Fighting Marshal

1931-11-25

Gun Code
Gun Code

1940-08-03

Riders of Black Mountain
Riders of Black Mountain

1940-11-11

Requiem for a Gunfighter
Requiem for a Gunfighter

1965-06-30

The Indians Are Coming
The Indians Are Coming

1930-10-09

Beyond the Sierras
Beyond the Sierras

1928-09-15

Cornered
Cornered

1932-08-05

Outlaws of the Rio Grande
Outlaws of the Rio Grande

1941-02-26

Arizona Gang Busters
Arizona Gang Busters

1940-09-16

Run of the Arrow
Run of the Arrow

1957-09-05

Spoilers of the West
Spoilers of the West

1927-12-10

The Desert Rider
The Desert Rider

1929-05-11

Morgan's Last Raid
Morgan's Last Raid

1929-01-05

Police Car 17
Police Car 17

1933-09-30

The One Way Trail
The One Way Trail

1931-10-15

The Riding Tornado
The Riding Tornado

1932-05-04

The Fighting Fool
The Fighting Fool

1932-01-20

Daring Danger
Daring Danger

1932-06-22

Fighting for Justice
Fighting for Justice

1932-08-28

End of the Trail
End of the Trail

1932-12-19

California
California

1927-05-07

Injun Talk
Injun Talk

1946-09-16

Riding Wild
Riding Wild

1935-06-28

Texas Renegades
Texas Renegades

1940-01-17

Shotgun Pass
Shotgun Pass

1931-11-01

The Westerner
The Westerner

1934-12-10