Peter_Brown_(actor)

Peter Brown (actor)

Peter Brown (actor)

American actor (1935-2016)

This article is about the American actor. For other uses, see Peter Brown (disambiguation).

Pierre Lynn de Lappe (October 5, 1935[1] – March 21, 2016[2]), also known as Peter Brown, was an American actor. He portrayed Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop in the 1958 to 1962 ABC-Warner Brothers western television series Lawman and Texas Ranger Chad Cooper on NBC's Laredo from 1965 to 1967.[3]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early life

Brown supported himself by working in a gasoline station on the Sunset Strip. One night a man paid for his purchase with a credit card reading "Jack L. Warner". Brown asked the customer whether he was one of the Warner Brothers, the man replied "I'm the last one left".[4]

Career

As a contract player for Warner Bros., Brown appeared in the theatrical film Darby's Rangers (1958) with James Garner and Stuart Whitman. He also appeared in the 1962 films Merrill's Marauders, which was co-written and directed by Samuel Fuller starring Jeff Chandler, and Red Nightmare with Jack Kelly.

Lawman

Brown portrayed deputy Johnny McKay in Lawman.

Maverick

Brown appeared in dozens of other television shows and did several crossovers with other western series as Johnny McKay, including Maverick, in the 1961 episode "Hadley's Hunters". He also appeared on Maverick playing different characters in the 1957 episode "Point Blank" (as Clay Semple) and "Stage West", playing a villain named Rip Fallon.

Cheyenne

In 1957 Brown appeared as Clay Conover in Cheyenne in the episode "Top Hand." In 1958 he appeared as Billy Younger in Cheyenne in the episode "Ghost of the Cimarron." In the Cheyenne episode "Renegades" (1958), Brown portrayed Jed Wayne.

Colt .45

Brown twice guest-starred in another ABC/WB western, Colt .45, with Wayde Preston. He appeared as Dave in "The Peacemaker" or "Judgment Day", the series premiere in 1957. That same season, he was cast as Jimmy Benedict in the episode "Young Gun".

Post-Warner Bros.

After his contract with Warner Bros. lapsed, Brown made two films for Walt Disney Studios, including Summer Magic with Hayley Mills and Burl Ives. He appeared in other television series too, such as Redigo, starring Richard Egan as a New Mexico rancher. He contracted to Universal Pictures for the 1965 NBC Western television series Laredo, set on the Mexican border in and about Laredo, Texas.

Brown appeared in the pilot for Police Woman, starring Angie Dickinson. Brown appeared in several exploitation films such as Foxy Brown, Chrome and Hot Leather, and Act of Vengeance.

Soap operas

Brown also appeared on several soap operas. On Days of Our Lives, he played Dr. Greg Peters from 1972-1979 who was involved in a romance with Amanda Howard (Mary Frann). He was Laurie Brooks' attorney, Robert Laurence, on The Young and the Restless (1981-1982) when she was on trial for the murder of her former mother-in-law, Vanessa Prentiss. He would return briefly to "Y&R" in between soap stints in the late 1980s.

Brown replaced John Shearin as Roger Forbes on Loving during its early days, but was written out after only a couple of months. From 1986-1987, he played Charles Sanders, former ambassador to Mendorra, on One Life to Live. The character had a heart attack and died on the evening of his wedding to Lee Halpern. He subsequently played Blake Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful, the ex-husband of Dr. Taylor Hamilton Hayes.

Personal life

Brown was married five times. His wives were:

  • Diane Jergens, an actress; they wed on September 6, 1958, in Las Vegas and divorced in June 1960.[citation needed]
  • Sandy Edmundson, a model; they wed on May 26, 1964, in Palos Verdes and divorced in 1969. They had a son.[1]
  • Liliane Alice Yvette Safargy, a model; they wed on November 14, 1971, in Beverly Hills and divorced in September 1974.[1]
  • Mary Kathleen Gauba, they wed on November 29, 1986, in Santa Fe and divorced in 1999.[1]
  • Kerstin Kern; they wed on September 6, 2008, in Newbury Park, California.[1]

Brown had three children as follows:

  • Matthew, born 1965, by Sandy Edmundson[1]
  • Joshua, by Amber Karlson, with whom Brown lived from 1974 until 1979.[1]
  • Christi, by Merle Pertile.[1]

Filmography

More information Year, Title ...
More information Year, Title ...

Notes

  1. [1]
    Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company. p. 70. ISBN 978-1476662503.
  2. [2]
    Rosenberg, Eli (March 25, 2016). "Peter Brown, Star in TV Westerns and Soap Opera, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  3. [3]
    Thomas, Bob (February 8, 1959). "Peter Brown Major Reason 'Lawman' Show Popular". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 11. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  4. [4]
    "Peter Brown Biography". Official Peter Brown Fan Site. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20.

References

  • Brown, Peter; Stuart, Alexx (2014). The Fastest Gun in Hollywood: The Life Story of Peter Brown. Wild Horse Press. ASIN B00HRHANJ2.
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