In 1974, the network decided to turn it into a weekly series. Majors's co-starring role on Owen Marshall led him to a starring role as United States Air Force Colonel Steve Austin, an ex- astronaut with bionic implants in The Six Million Dollar Man, a 1973 television movie broadcast on ABC. In 1971, he landed the role of Arthur Hill's partner, Jess Brandon, on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, which garnered critical acclaim during its three seasons on ABC. Majors with Britt Ekland in The Six Million Dollar Man (1973) Majors was called a "blond Elvis Presley" because of his resemblance to Elvis during this period of his career. Jones, and joined the cast of The Virginian for its final season when the show was restructured as "The Men From Shiloh" featuring four alternating leads. In 1970, Majors appeared in William Wyler's final movie The Liberation of L.B. When The Big Valley was cancelled in 1969, he signed a long-term contract with Universal Studios. That same year, he was offered the chance to star in Midnight Cowboy (1969), but The Big Valley was renewed for another season and he was forced to decline the role (which later went to Jon Voight). The film was one of the first films to deal with the subject matter of Vietnam veterans "coming home". During the series, Majors co-starred in the 1968 Charlton Heston film Will Penny, for which he received an "Introducing" credit, and landed the lead role in The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969), a made-for-television film which was first broadcast by ABC. One of Heath's frequently used expressions during the series was "Boy howdy!" Big Valley was an immediate hit. Richard Long and Peter Breck played his brothers Jarrod and Nick, respectively. Also starring on the show was another newcomer, Linda Evans, who played Heath's younger sister, Audra. Majors got his big break when he was chosen out of over 400 young actors, including Burt Reynolds, for the co-starring role of Heath Barkley in a new ABC western series, The Big Valley, which starred Barbara Stanwyck. After appearing in a 1965 episode of Gunsmoke, he starred later that year as Howard White in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "The Monkey's Paw – A Retelling", based on the short story by W. ![]() Career Early roles Īt age 25, Majors landed his first, although uncredited, role in Strait-Jacket (1964), as Joan Crawford's cheating husband. Majors also studied at Estelle Harman's acting school at MGM. At this time, he picked up the stage name Lee Majors as a tribute to childhood hero Johnny Majors who was a player and future coach for the University of Tennessee. After one year of acting school, Clayton felt that Majors was ready to start his career. In Los Angeles, Majors met many actors and industry professionals, including Dick Clayton, who had been James Dean's agent, and Clayton suggested he attend his acting school. Instead, he moved to Los Angeles and found work at the Los Angeles Park and Recreation Department as the recreation director for North Hollywood Park. Īfter college, he received an offer to try out for the St. Majors graduated from Eastern Kentucky in 1962 with a degree in history and physical education. Following his injury, he turned his attention to acting and performed in plays at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. He played in his first football game the following year, but suffered a severe back injury which left him paralyzed for two weeks and ruined his college athletic career. Majors transferred to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1959. He graduated in 1957, and earned a scholarship to Indiana University, where he again competed in sports. He participated in track and football at Middlesboro High School. (His father died in a work accident six months prior to his birth, and his mother was killed in a car accident when he was almost eighteen months old.) At the age of two, Majors was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Harvey and Mildred Yeary, and he moved with them to Middlesboro, Kentucky. His parents, Carl and Alice Yeary, were both killed in separate accidents. ![]() ![]() Majors was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |