Dick Foran

John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor and singer, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. He appeared in dozens of movies of every type during his lengthy career, often with top stars leading the cast.

Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jersey, the first of five sons to Arthur F. Foran and Elizabeth Foran. His father was a Republican member of the New Jersey Senate, as was Dick Foran's younger brother, Walter E. Foran.

He attended Mercersburg Academy, where he competed on the track team under Scots-American athletics coach Jimmy Curran. After graduation he attended the Hun School, a college preparatory school in nearby Princeton, and then enrolled at Princeton University, pursuing a degree in geology. He played on the football team while taking courses in the arts, where he developed an interest in the theater. and later formed his own orchestra.

Film

Foran was still billed as Nick Foran when he signed a contract with Fox in 1934. In 1935, Foran, who stood 6-foot-2 and had red hair, could also sing when called upon in films such as Change of Heart (1934) with Janet Gaynor. His handsome appearance and good-natured personality made him a natural choice for the supporting cast.

Fox didn't pick up Foran's contract option, and he was released after one year. He was soon signed by Warner Bros., which changed his name to Dick Foran and cast him as a singing cowboy, to compete with the successful Gene Autry musical westerns. His first starring role was in Moonlight on the Prairie (1935). His other singing-cowboy features included Song of the Saddle (1936), Guns of the Pecos (1937), and Empty Holsters (1937); some of these were remakes of earlier Warner westerns starring John Wayne.

Foran also appeared as a character actor in Warners' important films, like The Petrified Forest (1936) with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, The Sisters (1938) with Errol Flynn and Bette Davis, and Boy Meets Girl (1938) and The Fighting 69th (1940), both with James Cagney and Pat O'Brien.

In 1940, Foran moved to Universal Studios, where he acted in many different genres of film from horror to comedy, such as My Little Chickadee (1940) with Mae West and W.C. Fields; Keep 'Em Flying (1941) In The Navy (1941) and Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942), all three with Abbott and Costello;

Television In 1954, Foran guest-starred on NBC's Justice, a legal drama starring Dane Clark and Gary Merrill, on CBS's The Public Defender starring Reed Hadley and Hugh Beaumont, and on NBC's The Martha Raye Show, a comedy/variety show.

Foran appeared in at least four episodes of Science Fiction Theatre (1955). One of these, "The Miracle Hour", aired December 22, 1956. Foran appeared three times (1955–1956) as Father Brophy on the ABC anthology series Crossroads. He guest-starred in the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise starring John Bromfield. He also appeared as Burt, a carnival hustler, in 1957 on NBC's Father Knows Best with Robert Young.

Foran was prominently featured as a sheriff in the episode "The Third Rider" in the first season (1957) of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series Maverick starring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, the brother of James Garner's character Bret Maverick. He also portrayed Tuck Degan in the 1957 episode "Final Payment" of another ABC/WB Western series, Colt .45 starring Wayde Preston.

In the January 1959 episode "The Spurs", he portrayed Sheriff Wilkes on Wanted Dead or Alive starring Steve McQueen. He made another guest appearance in the December 1960 episode: "The Choice", portraying aging bounty hunter Frank Koster. Also in 1959, Foran portrayed defendant Dr. David Craig on CBS's Perry Mason in the episode "The Case of the Bedeviled Doctor". Later that year, he played defendant Steve Benton in another Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Garrulous Gambler". He was also featured as Perry Mason's client in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Renegade Refugee". In 1959, Foran was cast as David Steele in the episode "The Adjuster" of the NBC crime drama series Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring David Janssen. Dabbs Greer and DeForest Kelley also appeared in this episode.

In 1962, Foran appeared with Marie Windsor in the roles of Frank and Ann Jesse in the episode "The Wanted Man" of the ABC/WB Western series Lawman, starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop.

Foran later appeared as Gabriel Marion, brother of title character Francis Marion (Leslie Nielsen), in the Walt Disney Presents miniseries The Swamp Fox. In 1965–1966, he had his only regular role on a TV series playing "Slim" on O.K. Crackerby!. In 1968, Foran was cast in the role of "Fred Haines" in season one, episode 13, of the NBC television series Adam-12.

Death On August 10, 1979, Foran died aged 69 of respiratory ailments and pneumonia in Burbank, California. He was buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Recognition Foran has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to television, at 1600 Vine Street. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

Selected filmography

Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) as Nick Foran Change of Heart (1934) as Nick Student Tour (1934) as Assistant Manager (uncredited) Gentlemen Are Born (1934) as Smudge Casey The Lottery Lover (1935) as Cadet One More Spring (1935) as Park Policeman It's a Small World (1935) as Cop Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) as Walt Lansing (uncredited) Accent of Youth (1935) as Butch Ladies Love Danger (1935) as Sergeant Bender Shipmates Forever (1935) as Gifford Moonlight on the Prairie (1935) as Ace Andrews Dangerous (1935) as Teddy The Petrified Forest (1936) as Boze Hertzlinger Song of the Saddle (1936) as Frank Wilson Jr. aka The Singing Kid Treachery Rides the Range (1936) as Captain Red Taylor The Golden Arrow (1936) as Tommy Blake The Big Noise (1936) as Don Andrews Public Enemy's Wife (1936) as Thomas Duncan McKay Earthworm Tractors (1936) as Emmet McManus Trailin' West (1936) as Lieutenant Red Colton California Mail (1936) as Bill Harkins Guns of the Pecos (1937) as Steve Ainslee Black Legion (1937) as Ed Jackson Land Beyond the Law (1937) as John 'Chip' Douglas Jr. The Cherokee Strip (1937) as Dick Hudson Blazing Sixes (1937) as Red Barton Empty Holsters (1937) as Clay Brent The Devil's Saddle Legion (1937) as Tal Holladay Prairie Thunder (1937) as Rod Farrell The Perfect Specimen (1937) as Jink Carter She Loved a Fireman (1937) as James 'Red' Tyler Love, Honor and Behave (1938) as Pete Martin Over the Wall (1938) as Jerry Davis Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) as Sam Thorne Four Daughters (1938) as Ernest Boy Meets Girl (1938) as Larry Toms The Sisters (1938) as Tom Knivel Secrets of a Nurse (1938) as Lee Burke Heart of the North (1938) as Sergeant Alan Baker Inside Information (1939) as Danny Blake Daughters Courageous (1939) as Eddie Moore I Stole a Million (1939) as Paul Carver Hero for a Day (1939) as Brainy Thornton Private Detective (1939) as Jim Rickey Four Wives (1939) as Ernest Talbot The Fighting 69th (1940) as Lt. 'Long John' Wynn My Little Chickadee (1940) as Wayne Carter The House of Seven Gables (1940) as Matthew Holgrave Winners of the West (1940, Serial) as Jeff Ramsay Rangers of Fortune (1940) as Johnny Cash The Mummy's Hand (1940) as Steve Banning Four Mothers (1941) as Ernest Talbot Horror Island (1941) as Bill Martin In the Navy (1941) as Dynamite Dugan Riders of Death Valley (1941) as Jim Benton Unfinished Business (1941) as Frank The Kid from Kansas (1941) as Kansas Mob Town (1941) as Sgt. Frank Conroy Keep 'Em Flying (1941) as Jinx Roberts Road Agent (1941) as Duke Masters Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942) as Bronco Bob Mitchell Butch Minds the Baby (1942) as Dennis Devlin Private Buckaroo (1942) as Lon Prentice The Mummy's Tomb (1942) as Stephen Banning Behind the Eight Ball (1942) as Bill Edwards Hi, Buddy (1943) as Dave O'Connor He's My Guy (1943) as Van Moore Guest Wife (1945) as Christopher Price Easy Come, Easy Go (1947) as Dale Whipple Fort Apache (1948) as Sgt. Quincannon El Paso (1949) as Sheriff La Farge Deputy Marshall (1949) as Joel Benton / Jed Northey Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) as Frank Jennings Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955) as Alan Doran Please Murder Me (1956) as Joe Leeds Sierra Stranger (1957) as Bert Gaines Chicago Confidential (1957) as Arthur 'Artie' Blane Violent Road (aka Hell's Highway) (1958) as Frank 'Sarge' Miller Thundering Jets (1958) as Lt. Col. Henry Spalding The Fearmakers (1958) as Jim McGinnis The Atomic Submarine (1959) as Cmdr. Dan Wendover The Big Night (1960) as Ed Studs Lonigan (1960) as Patrick Lonigan Lassie as the fire chief Ed Washburne (TV series, 7 episodes, 1961–64) Donovan's Reef (1963) as Australian Navy Officer Sean O'Brien Taggart (1964) as Adam Stark Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1966) as Old Timer, the Prospector

Selected television