Richard Coogan

Born: 1914-04-04

Richard Coogan (born April 4, 1914) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Video from 1949-1950. Born in Short Hills, New Jersey, Coogan worked in radio for some time, including appearing as Abie Levy in Abie's Irish Rose. He also appeared on Broadway in five different productions between 1945 and 1955, all of them short-lived except for Diamond Lil with Mae West, and The Rainmaker. He was still appearing on Broadway with West when he took the role of Captain Video on the DuMont Television Network on June 27, 1949. After the live telecast each day, ending at about 7:30 p.m. EST, he would take a cab to the theatre where Diamond Lil was playing. As the popularity of Captain Video increased, Coogan grew less and less comfortable with both the role and the very, very low budget of the production. He left Captain Video in December 1950, replaced by Al Hodge, who played the part for the remainder of the run of the series, until April 1, 1955. Hodge became so completely identified with the character that he was never able to escape it. Coogan transferred to the soap opera Love of Life, where he played the heroic Paul Raven. Between 1954 and 1961, Coogan appeared in such films as Three Hours to Kill, The Revolt of Mamie Stover, Vice Raid, and Girl on the Run. On the NBC television series The Californians (1957–1959) set in the San Francisco gold rush of the 1850s, Coogan appeared as Marshal Matthew Wayne, a character who struck most viewers and critics as a deliberate clone of Gunsmoke's Marshal Matt Dillon. He also had a continuing role on the police procedural series Vice Raid (1960–1961), as Sergeant Whitney Brandon. During 1951–1963 he guest-starred on a number of other TV series, mainly Westerns such as Gunsmoke, Laramie, Bonanza, Maverick, Stagecoach West, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bronco, and Wichita Town, as well as detective series such as Perry Mason, Surfside 6, and 77 Sunset Strip. Coogan retired from film and television around 1964. In later life he was best known as a professional golfer and golf instructor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Coogan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


Placeholder

The Revolt of Mamie Stover

as Capt. Eldon Sumac
Released: 1956-05-11

In the early ’40s, a San Francisco prostitute is run out of town just as World War II has begun...

Movie page

Three Hours to Kill

as Niles Hendricks
Released: 1954-11-04

After three years on the run, Jim Guthrie returns with the scar of a rope burn on his neck. In a...

Movie page

Vice Raid

as Police Sgt. Whitey Brandon
Released: 1959-12-01

A prostitute sets out to frame a cop.

Movie page

Girl on the Run

as Bill Martin
Released: 1953-12-15

A hootchy-kootchy whodunit set at a small seedy carnival where a reporter tries to discover who...

Movie page

Cheyenne

as uncredited
First aired: 1955-09-20

Cheyenne is an American western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on...

TV Show page

Suspense

as Investigator Westcott
First aired: 1949-01-06

An anthology series adapted from the radio program of the same name. Like the radio program,...

TV Show page

Suspense

as uncredited
First aired: 1949-01-06

An anthology series adapted from the radio program of the same name. Like the radio program,...

TV Show page

Surfside 6

as uncredited
First aired: 1960-10-06

Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a...

TV Show page

Perry Mason

as Police Sgt. Gifford
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

TV Show page

Maverick

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-22

The Maverick boys - Bret, Bart, Beau and Brent - are a clan of well-dressed dandies, gamblers...

TV Show page

The Philco Television Playhouse

as uncredited
First aired: 1948-10-03

The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC...

TV Show page

Bronco

as uncredited
First aired: 1958-09-23

Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United...

TV Show page

Robert Montgomery Presents

as uncredited
First aired: 1950-01-30

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC...

TV Show page

Sugarfoot

as Judd Mallory
First aired: 1957-09-17

Sugarfoot is an American western television series that aired on ABC from 1957 to 1961. The...

TV Show page

77 Sunset Strip

as uncredited
First aired: 1958-10-10

Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this...

TV Show page

Gunsmoke

as Luke
First aired: 1955-09-10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman...

TV Show page

Wichita Town

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-09-30

Wichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos...

TV Show page

Johnny Midnight

as Hans Weidman
First aired: 1960-01-03

Johnny Midnight is an American crime drama that aired for one season in syndicated from January...

TV Show page

The Californians

as Marshal Matthew Wayne
First aired: 1957-09-24

San Franciscans during the goldrush of the 1850s attempt to maintain law and order in their wild...

TV Show page

Letter to Loretta

as Henry Roberts
First aired: 1953-09-20

Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to...

TV Show page