Russell Hayden
Encyclopedia
Russell "Lucky" Hayden was an American
film
and television
actor
.
He was born as Hayden Michael "Pate" Lucid, son of Francis J. and Minnie Harvey Lucid, but later took the name Russell Hayden in honor of his friend, cameraman Russell Harlan
.
and was voted one of the Top Ten cowboy
stars.
He played Lucky Jenkins, one of a trio of heroes in the
Hopalong Cassidy
westerns starring William Boyd
, then co-starred with Charles Starrett
in other westerns. In 1947, he played both the main hero and villain in the film Trail of the Mounties
. In 1950, Hayden appeared as "Marshal #1" in several episodes of the live-broadcast and short-lived ABC
series The Marshal of Gunsight Pass
. In the 1952-1953 season, Hayden teamed with Jackie Coogan
(1914–1984), a former child actor
in the 39-episode syndicated
series Cowboy G-Men
. In the late 1950s, he produced and directed two syndicated western series, 26 Men
, starring Tristram Coffin, and Judge Roy Bean
, with Edgar Buchanan
and Jack Buetel
. Hayden also appeared as Steve, a Texas Ranger
, in Judge Roy Bean
.
Hayden and fellow western actor Dick Curtis
helped to develop Pioneertown, a western movie set near Palm Springs, which has been used in many western films and television episodes. He is buried in Chatsworth, California's Oakwood Memorial Park.
Hayden was married from 1938 to 1943 to actress Jan Clayton
, cast as the first mother on the Lassie
television series. The couple had a daughter, Sandra Hayden (1940-1956).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
He was born as Hayden Michael "Pate" Lucid, son of Francis J. and Minnie Harvey Lucid, but later took the name Russell Hayden in honor of his friend, cameraman Russell Harlan
Russell Harlan
Russell B. Harlan, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer.Born in Los Angeles, California, Russell Harlan witnessed the city's development from the construction of its first film studio to being the center for motion picture production in the United States...
.
Early life
Hayden worked behind the scenes in films in jobs such as sound recorder, film cutter, and assistant cameraman before he became an actor in the mid-1930s. In the beginning of his acting career, he mainly starred in westernsWestern (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
and was voted one of the Top Ten cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
stars.
He played Lucky Jenkins, one of a trio of heroes in the
Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....
westerns starring William Boyd
William Boyd (actor)
William Lawrence Boyd was an American film actor best known for portraying Hopalong Cassidy.-Biography:...
, then co-starred with Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett was an American actor best known for his starring role in the Durango Kid Columbia Pictures western series. He was born in Athol, Massachusetts.-Career:...
in other westerns. In 1947, he played both the main hero and villain in the film Trail of the Mounties
Trail of the Mounties
Trail of the Mounties is a 1947 American film about Sandy Sanderson, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, who is seeking to thwart a gang of fur thieves led by his twin brother Johnny. The film uses a screenplay by Betty Burbridge and was directed by Howard Bretherton...
. In 1950, Hayden appeared as "Marshal #1" in several episodes of the live-broadcast and short-lived 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...
series The Marshal of Gunsight Pass
The Marshal of Gunsight Pass
The Marshal of Gunsight Pass is a 1950 live broadcast western television series starring Russell Hayden , former Country music singer Eddie Dean , and Riley Hill as Marshal #1, Marshal #2, and Marshal #3, respectively. Hayden is not identified by a character name. Dean uses his own name in the...
. In the 1952-1953 season, Hayden teamed with Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
(1914–1984), a former child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
in the 39-episode syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series Cowboy G-Men
Cowboy G-Men
Cowboy G-Men is an American Western series that aired in syndication from September 1952 to June 1953, for a total of thirty-nine episodes.-Synopsis:...
. In the late 1950s, he produced and directed two syndicated western series, 26 Men
26 Men
26 Men is a syndicated American western television series about the Arizona Rangers, an elite group commissioned in 1901 by the legislature of the Arizona Territory and limited, for financial reasons, to twenty-six active members. Russell Hayden was the producer of the series and the co-composer of...
, starring Tristram Coffin, and Judge Roy Bean
Judge Roy Bean (TV series)
Judge Roy Bean is a syndicated American Western series starring Edgar Buchanan as the legendary Kentucky-born Judge Roy Bean, a justice of the peace known as "The law west of the Pecos".-Synopsis:...
, with Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
and Jack Buetel
Jack Buetel
Jack Buetel was an American film and television actor.Born in Dallas, Texas, Buetel moved to Los Angeles, California in the late 1930s with the intention of establishing a film career...
. Hayden also appeared as Steve, a Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
, in Judge Roy Bean
Judge Roy Bean (TV series)
Judge Roy Bean is a syndicated American Western series starring Edgar Buchanan as the legendary Kentucky-born Judge Roy Bean, a justice of the peace known as "The law west of the Pecos".-Synopsis:...
.
Hayden and fellow western actor Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.-Career:Curtis was born Richard Dye in Newport, Kentucky. A tall, hulking actor, standing at 6' 3", Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his...
helped to develop Pioneertown, a western movie set near Palm Springs, which has been used in many western films and television episodes. He is buried in Chatsworth, California's Oakwood Memorial Park.
Hayden was married from 1938 to 1943 to actress Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton was a film, musical theatre, and television actress.-Career:...
, cast as the first mother on the Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
television series. The couple had a daughter, Sandra Hayden (1940-1956).