Gene Evans

Actor Gene Evans began acting in his youth, refining his skills as a performer in a G.I. acting troupe while he served as an engineer. It is perhaps for this reason that Evans was often cast as strong, weathered men in westerns and war films. He first appeared on film with a small role in the 1947 horse opera "Under Colorado Skies," but it wasn't until he was cast as Sergeant Zack in Samuel Fuller's 1951 Korean War drama "The Steel Helmet" that Evans showed mastery over his craft. Widely considered to be his best role, it is also one of the greatest characterizations within the genre. Both Fuller and Evans had been soldiers, and, appropriately, the film is infused with meditations on war and survival.

Forming a strong working relationship, the two made several films together, including the Golden Globe-nominated mystery "Shock Corridor." Making several films a year though the '50s, Evans ended the decade with the World War II comedy "Operation Petticoat," starring Cary Grant. With the rise of television in the 1960s, Evans began making guest appearances on western-themed television shows, including stints on "Rawhide" and "Gunsmoke." While he continued to work mainly in television for the rest of his career, Evans played supporting roles in former "Gunsmoke" writer Sam Peckinpah's "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" and "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." Evans' last major role was the title character in the 1976 series "Spencer's Pilots."