Peter Brown (actor)
Encyclopedia
Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell
(who played Marshal Dan Troop) in the 1958 Warner Bros.
western series Lawman
.
as Pierre Lind de Lappe. His mother, Mina Reaume, was a stage and radio actress, playing the "Dragon Lady
" on the Terry and the Pirates
radio serial. He has an older brother, Phillip, and two younger half brothers, Paul and Michael. Peter took the name Brown from his stepfather, Albert Brown.
During his US Army service in Alaska
with the 2nd Infantry Division (United States), Brown became involved in writing, directing and acting in plays to entertain the other troops. Upon his discharge, Brown studied Drama at UCLA and soon was appearing in plays and on NBC Matinee Theatre. Brown also supported himself by working in a gas 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". The next day Brown was offered a screen test at the studio. In 1958, he married actress Diane Jergens. They were divorced in 1959.
and Darby's Rangers
. Though his role in Onionhead
was cut from the completed film, the producer Julius Schermer hired him for Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell
in Lawman
that lasted from 1958 to 1962. Brown also appeared in Merrill's Marauders
(1962).
Brown appeared on 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," featuring Jack Kelly
as Bart Maverick, along with a host of characters from other Warner Bros. westerns, including Cheyenne
(Clint Walker
), Bronco
(Ty Hardin
), and Sugarfoot
(Will Hutchins
).
With his Warner Brothers contract finished, Brown made two films for Walt Disney Studios
, then was contracted to Universal Pictures
for the 1965 western TV series Laredo
.
Brown finished out the 1960s and started the 1970s in exploitation films such as Foxy Brown, Chrome and Hot Leather, and Rape Squad and soap operas such as Days of our Lives
and The Bold and the Beautiful
. He continues to perform in various American television guest star roles.
John Russell (actor)
John Lawrence Russell was an American actor, and World War II veteran, most noted for playing Marshal Dan Troop in the successful ABC western television series Lawman from 1958 to 1962....
(who played Marshal Dan Troop) in the 1958 Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
western series Lawman
Lawman (tv series)
Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
.
Early life
Brown was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as Pierre Lind de Lappe. His mother, Mina Reaume, was a stage and radio actress, playing the "Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady is a phrase referring to a seductive, treacherous, domineering, and/or tyrannical woman, especially an Asian one. Women famously referred to as "Dragon Lady" include:*Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, First Lady of South Vietnam...
" on the Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates (radio serial)
Terry and the Pirates was a radio serial adapted from the comic strip of the same name created in 1934 by Milton Caniff. With storylines of action, high adventure and foreign intrigue, the popular radio series entralled listeners from 1937 through 1948...
radio serial. He has an older brother, Phillip, and two younger half brothers, Paul and Michael. Peter took the name Brown from his stepfather, Albert Brown.
During his US Army service in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
with the 2nd Infantry Division (United States), Brown became involved in writing, directing and acting in plays to entertain the other troops. Upon his discharge, Brown studied Drama at UCLA and soon was appearing in plays and on NBC Matinee Theatre. Brown also supported himself by working in a gas station on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
. 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". The next day Brown was offered a screen test at the studio. In 1958, he married actress Diane Jergens. They were divorced in 1959.
Career
Brown was signed as a contract player for Warner Brothers appearing in Red NightmareRed Nightmare
Red Nightmare is the best known title of Armed Forces Information Film 120, Freedom and You. It was meant to educate the U.S. armed forces about the nature of Communism...
and Darby's Rangers
Darby's Rangers (1958 film)
Darby's Rangers is a 1958 war film starring James Garner as William Orlando Darby, World War II commander of the 1st Ranger Battalion. The movie was shot by Warner Brothers Studios in black and white to match wartime stock footage included in the production and was directed by William...
. Though his role in Onionhead
Onionhead
Onionhead is a 1958 movie, set on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter during World War II, starring Andy Griffith and featuring Felicia Farr, Walter Matthau, and Erin O'Brien....
was cut from the completed film, the producer Julius Schermer hired him for Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell
John Russell (actor)
John Lawrence Russell was an American actor, and World War II veteran, most noted for playing Marshal Dan Troop in the successful ABC western television series Lawman from 1958 to 1962....
in Lawman
Lawman (tv series)
Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
that lasted from 1958 to 1962. Brown also appeared in Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders (film)
Merrill's Marauders is a 1962 Cinemascope war film directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller based on the exploits of the jungle warfare unit of the same name in the Burma Campaign. The source is the non-fiction book The Marauders, written by Charlton Ogburn Jr., a communications officer who served...
(1962).
Brown appeared on dozens of other television shows and did several crossovers
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
with other western series as Johnny McKay, including Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, in the 1961 episode "Hadley's Hunters," featuring Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
as Bart Maverick, along with a host of characters from other Warner Bros. westerns, including Cheyenne
Cheyenne (TV series)
Cheyenne is a western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC from 1955 to 1963. The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season...
(Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
), Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
(Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin, born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr., is a former American actor best known as the star of the 1950s ABC western television series Bronco.-Early life:...
), and Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson...
(Will Hutchins
Will Hutchins
Will Hutchins is an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster in the Warner Brothers Western television series Sugarfoot on ABC from 1957-1961.-Biography:...
).
With his Warner Brothers contract finished, Brown made two films for Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, then was contracted to Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
for the 1965 western TV series Laredo
Laredo (TV series)
Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
.
Brown finished out the 1960s and started the 1970s in exploitation films such as Foxy Brown, Chrome and Hot Leather, and Rape Squad and soap operas such as Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
. He continues to perform in various American television guest star roles.