Rockne Tarkington

William Rockne Tarkington (July 15, 1931 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor.

Career

Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with guest appearances in episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ben Casey, Mission: Impossible, Bewitched, and many others. Tarkington was also the first credited black actor to appear on The Andy Griffith Show.

Tarkington made recurring appearances on Tarzan (as Young Chief / Ramahit / Ahmid / Rao) and starred as Elihu Morgan on Danger Island on Hanna-Barbera's Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He also played "Too Mean" Malone on the 1983–84 season of Matt Houston and made appearances in episodes of Bearcats!, MacGyver, Baretta and other shows in the 1970s and 1980s.

As a film actor, Tarkington played the title role in the blaxploitation picture Black Samson (1974), and co-starred with Richard X. Slattery in The No Mercy Man (1973) and Zebra Force (1976). He also appeared in films such as Soldier in the Rain (1963); Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965); The Great White Hope (1970); Beware! The Blob (1972), Melinda (1972); The Baltimore Bullet (1980); National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1983); The Ice Pirates (1984), Uphill All the Way (1986) and Death Before Dishonor (1987), and had parts in many television films.

Tarkington was the first choice to play the part of Williams in Enter the Dragon (1973), but just before the start of filming he was replaced by Jim Kelly.

Personal life Tarkington lived in Los Angeles for the majority of his career where he was married to fellow screen actor Joan Blackman from July 1968 to October 1970. In the 1990s he returned home to Kansas when his mother became ill. He eventually became a Mormon after seeing a television commercial for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1970 The Great White Hope Rudy 1972 Beware! The Blob Deputy Williams 1972 Melinda "Tank" 1973 The No Mercy Man Prophet 1973 Enter the Dragon Williams Unexpected Exit, Replaced by Jim Kelly 1974 Home Grown Hank 1974 Black Samson Samson 1974 Black Starlet Ben 1976 The Zebra Force Earl Lovington 1977 The Great Gundown Sutton 1980 The Baltimore Bullet Gunner 1982 National Lampoon's Movie Madness Black Cop, 'Municipalians' 1982 Showdown at Eagle Gap "Enterprise" Jackson 1984 The Ice Pirates "Patch" 1986 Uphill All the Way Leon 1987 Death Before Dishonor "Jihad" 1988 Under the Gun Leon 1989 Fists of Steel Rijar 1994 Wyatt Earp Stable Hand 1994 The Desperate Trail Packo 1995 Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart Bartender Television Year Title Role Notes 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Pete the Police Officer Season 2 Episode 7: "Starring the Defense" 1964 Kraft Suspense Theatre Henry Season 1 Episode 12: "A Truce to Terror" 1964 The Great Adventure Corporal Banks Season 1 Episode 17: "The Special Courage of Captain Pratt" 1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Mr. Morgan Season 1 Episode 4: "The Shark Affair" 1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Sergeant Fanning Season 2 Episode 12: "Exit from a Plane in Flight" 1966 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Poet Season 3 Episode 11: "After the Lion, Jackals" 1966 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Domestic Season 2 Episode 22: "The Foreign Legion Affair" 1966 Bewitched Tommy Carter Season 2 Episode 21: "Fastest Gun on Madison Avenue" 1966 Ben Casey 1 episode 1966 Daktari 1 episode 1966 Tarzan Rao Season 1 Episode 1: "Eyes of the Lion" 1966 Tarzan Rao Season 1 Episode 3: "Leopard on the Loose" 1966 Tarzan Rao Season 1 Episode 4: "A Life for a Life" 1966 Tarzan Rao Season 1 Episode 7: "The Prodigal Puma" 1966 Tarzan Ahmid Season 1 Episode 12: "The Day of the Golden Lion" 1967 Tarzan Ramahit Season 2 Episode 2: "The Voice of the Elephant" 1967 Tarzan Young Chief Season 2 Episode 11: "Mountains of the Moon: Part 1" 1967 Tarzan Young Chief Season 2 Episode 12: "Mountains of the Moon: Part 2" 1967 The Andy Griffith Show Flip Conroy Season 7 Episode 26: "Opie's Piano Lesson" 1967 Mission: Impossible Paul Giroux Season 2 Episode 8: "The Money Machine" 1967 Cowboy in Africa Jacob Season 1 Episode 10: "Lake Sinclair" 1968 The High Chaparral Sergeant Washburn Season 1 Episode 22: "Ride the Savage Land" 1968–1969 Danger Island Elihu Morgan 26 episodes 1968–1970 The Banana Splits Elihu Morgan 10 episodes 1970 Marcus Welby, M.D. Frank Davidson Season 1 Episode 25: "Enid" 1971 Bearcats! Lukas Season 1 Episode 9: "Bitter Flats" 1973 Assignment Vienna Alan Roberts Season 1 Episode 8: "Soldier of Fortune" 1974 Police Story Leonard Gardner Season 1 Episode 11: "Chain of Command" 1975 Police Story Andrew Carver Season 2 Episode 18: "The Execution" 1975 Police Story Stuckley Season 3 Episode 7: "Test of Brotherhood" 1976 Police Story Ripley Season 3 Episode 21: "Officer Dooly" 1976 City of Angels George Season 1 Episode 7: "Palm Springs Answer" 1976 Big John, Little John Magiconi Season 1 Episode 13: "Abracadabra" 1977 Days of Our Lives Kenny's Friend 4 Episodes: 2947, 2948, 2949, 2950 1978 Baretta Captain Johnson Season 4 Episode 17: "The Stone Conspiracy" 1978 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Morrison Television film 1979 Charleston Reverend Duchamp Television film 1979 The Ordeal of Patty Hearst Death Row Television film 1979 Disaster on the Coastliner Television film 1980 Tenspeed and Brown Shoe Mucker Season 1 Episode 9: "It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air" 1980 Roughnecks Lenny Booker Television film 1981 The Intruder Within Mark Television film 1982 Gavilan Joe Season 1 Episode 8: "Best Friend Money Can Buy" 1982 Matt Houston 'Too Mean' Malone Season 1 Episode 4: "Killing Isn't Everything" 1983 Matt Houston 'Too Mean' Malone Season 2 Episode 6: "Marilyn" 1983 Matt Houston Too Mean Malone Season 2 Episode 8: "China Doll" 1983 Women of San Quentin Big William Television film 1984 Matt Houston Malone Season 2 Episode 14: "Waltz of Death" 1984 Matt Houston Too Mean Malone Season 2 Episode 19: "Blood Ties" 1984 Matt Houston Too Mean Malone Season 2 Episode 20: "The Secret Admirer" 1984 Matt Houston Malone Season 3 Episode 6: "Return to Nam: Part 1" 1985 Hollywood Beat Season 1 Episode 13: "Connections" 1985 Handsome Harry's Tank Television film 1986 The Redd Foxx Show Earl Season 1 Episode 13: "High Noon" 1987 MacGyver Jules Season 2 Episode 21: "D.O.A.: MacGyver" 1988 Ohara Randall Season 2 Episode 15: "X" 1992 Lucky Luke Harp Season 1 Episode 4: "Chi è Mr. Josephs?"