Gary Vinson
Encyclopedia
Gary Vinson was an American actor who appeared in significant roles in three television series of the 1960s: The Roaring 20s
, McHale's Navy
, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats
.
, Vinson began acting in 1957. He went on to guest star on various television series including Whirlybirds
, Perry Mason
, Gunsmoke
, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
, Bat Masterson
, Harbor Command
, and The Rough Riders
.
In 1960, Vinson was cast in his first recurring role in a series as copy-boy Chris Higbee in thirty-nine episodes of ABC's The Roaring 20's. The series was canceled in 1962.
That same year, Vinson was cast as Quartermaster George "Christy" Christopher on the ABC
comedy series McHale's Navy
, starring Ernest Borgnine
. Vinson appeared in seventy-nine episodes from 1962 to 1966, when the series ended. After McHale's Navy, Vinson was cast as Sheriff Harold Sikes in CBS's Pistols 'n' Petticoats
.
In 1968, he starred with Doug McClure
and David Hartman
in the film Nobody's Perfect, a naval comedy about the USS Bustard. The following year he guest starred on The Virginian
, and The F.B.I..
During the 1970s and 1980s, Vinson continued with guest roles on episodic television appearing in Love, American Style
, McCloud
, The Streets of San Francisco
, The Waltons
, S.W.A.T.
, Baa Baa Black Sheep
, Battlestar Galactica
, and Barnaby Jones
. He made his last on-screen appearance in a 1982 episode of The Incredible Hulk.
. He was 47 years old.
The Roaring Twenties (TV series)
The Roaring 20s is an American drama series that aired on the ABC network beginning on October 15, 1960, and ending on September 21, 1962.-Synopsis:...
, McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom that ran on CBS during the 1966-1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966 to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song...
.
Early life and career
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Vinson began acting in 1957. He went on to guest star on various television series including Whirlybirds
Whirlybirds
Whirlybirds is an American drama television series....
, Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years...
, Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson (TV series)
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
, Harbor Command
Harbor Command
Harbor Command is a syndicated adventure/drama television series starring Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, a fictitious officer of the United States Coast Guard. The 39-episode Ziv program aired in black and white from October 11, 1957, to July 4, 1958. Casey Walters appeared in all episodes...
, and The Rough Riders
The Rough Riders (TV series)
The Rough Riders is an American Western television series set in the West after the American Civil War. It aired on ABC for the 1958-1959 television season...
.
In 1960, Vinson was cast in his first recurring role in a series as copy-boy Chris Higbee in thirty-nine episodes of ABC's The Roaring 20's. The series was canceled in 1962.
That same year, Vinson was cast as Quartermaster George "Christy" Christopher on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
comedy series McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
, starring Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
. Vinson appeared in seventy-nine episodes from 1962 to 1966, when the series ended. After McHale's Navy, Vinson was cast as Sheriff Harold Sikes in CBS's Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom that ran on CBS during the 1966-1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966 to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song...
.
In 1968, he starred with Doug McClure
Doug McClure
Douglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
and David Hartman
David Hartman (TV personality)
David Downs Hartman is an American journalist and media host who began his media career as an actor. He currently anchors and hosts documentary programs on cable TV's History and on PBS. Hartman is best known as the first host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975 to 1987. As an actor, he...
in the film Nobody's Perfect, a naval comedy about the USS Bustard. The following year he guest starred on The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, and The F.B.I..
During the 1970s and 1980s, Vinson continued with guest roles on episodic television appearing in Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
, McCloud
McCloud
McCloud is an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1977. The title role was played by Dennis Weaver as Marshal Sam McCloud, a law officer from Taos, New Mexico on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.-History:The first choice for...
, The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
, The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. (TV series)
----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city....
, Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)
Baa Baa Black Sheep is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Pappy Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell...
, Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
, and Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
. He made his last on-screen appearance in a 1982 episode of The Incredible Hulk.
Death
On October 15, 1984, Vinson committed suicide in Redondo BeachRedondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
. He was 47 years old.