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Quick Facts
Biography
Lane Chandler (born Robert Chandler Oakes, June 4, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American actor specializing mainly in Westerns.
Biography
Early life
Chandler was born on a ranch near Culbertson, Montana, the son of a horse rancher. (Some sources indicate that he was born in North Dakota, rather than in Montana.) The family relocated to Helena, Montana, when he was a youngster, and he graduated from high school there. He briefly attended Montana Wesleyan College (which later merged and became part of Rocky Mountain College), but quit to drive a tour bus at Yellowstone National Park.
Career
In the early 1920s he moved to Los Angeles, California, and started working as an auto mechanic. His real-life experiences growing up on a horse ranch landed him bit parts in westerns from 1925, for Paramount Pictures. Studio executives suggested changing his name to Lane Chandler, and as such he began achieving leading roles opposite stars like Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, Betty Bronson and Esther Ralston. His first lead role was in The Legion of the Condemned.
As a silent film star Chandler performed well, but when talkies arrived he was cast more in supporting roles, as in The Great Mike of 1944. He starred in a few low-budget westerns in the 1930s, but was more often cast as the leading man's partner, or saddle pal, or a sheriff or army officer.With the advent of television Chandler began making appearance on numerous series, often in Westerns such as The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Lawman, Have Gun – Will Travel, Rawhide, Maverick, Cheyenne, and Gunsmoke. He continued acting on TV and in films through 1966, retiring comfortably due to his holdings in both residential and commercial properties.
He died in Los Angeles of heart disease in 1972, aged 73.
Selected filmography
- The Last Outlaw (1927) - Rancher (uncredited)
- Open Range (1927) - Tex Smith
- Love and Learn (1928) - Anthony Cowles
- Red Hair (1928) (with Clara Bow) - Robert Lennon
- The Legion of the Condemned (1928) (with Fay Wray and Gary Cooper) - Charles Holabird
- The Big Killing (1928) - George Hicks
- The First Kiss (1928) (with Fay Wray and Gary Cooper) - William Talbot
- The Wolf of Wall Street (1929) - (uncredited)
- The Studio Murder Mystery (1929) - Bill Martin (uncredited)
- The Single Standard (1929) (with Greta Garbo) - Ding Stuart
- The Forward Pass (1929) - "Assistant Coach Kane"
- Firebrand Jordan (1930) - Firebrand Jordan
- The Lightning Express (1930, Serial) - Jack Venable
- Rough Waters (1930) - Cal Morton
- Beyond the Law (1930) - Jack-Knife
- Under Texas Skies (1930) - Singer Martin - Secret Service Agent
- Riders of the Rio (1930)
- The Cheyenne Cyclone (1931)
- The Hurricane Horseman (1931)
- Guns for Hire (1932)
- The Battling Buckaroo (1932)
- The Texas Tornado (1932)
- Sagebrush Trail (1933) (with John Wayne and Yakima Canutt)
- Via Pony Express (1933)
- Trouble Busters (1933)
- Heroes of the Alamo (1937) - Davy Crockett
- Come On, Rangers (1938)
- Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938, Serial) - Flight Commander [Chs. 2-3]
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
- The Taming of the West (1939)
- Hi-Yo Silver (1940)
- Wild Horse Rustlers (1943)
- Law of the Saddle (1943)
- Rustlers' Hideout (1944)
- Terror Trail (1946)
- Behind Prison Walls (1946)
- Gunning for Vengeance (1946)
- The Hawk of Wild River (1946)
- The Vigilantes Return (1947)
- Cattle Queen (1951)
- Thunder Over the Plains (1953) (with Randolph Scott and Phyllis Kirk)
- Border River (1954) (with Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo)
- Quantrill's Raiders (1958)