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The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.



(Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)
Myron Healey

Full name:
Myron Daniel Healey

1923 - 2005



(Courtesy of Bill Sasser)
Myron Healey was born June 8, 1923, in Petaluma California, and began his Hollywood career during the early 1940s in bit parts and minor supporting roles at various studios. Healey served in World War II as an Air Corps navigator and bombadier, flying in B-26 Martin Marauders in the European Theater. He continued that military duty, retiring in the early 1960s as a Captain in the Air Force Reserve.

Returning to film work after WW2, Healey became entrenched as a baddie and henchman in low budget sagebrush yarns. In the post World War II period, he is often seen in Monogram oaters starring Johnny Mack Brown, Jimmy Wakely and Whip Wilson.

As B westerns began to fade in the 1950s, Healey moved to more bad guy roles in other A and B features including the Bomba and Jungle Jim series, crime dramas, and more westerns. Playing a good guy for a change, he was Phyllis Coates' helper in one of the last cliffhangers, PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO (Republic, 1955).

During the 1950s and 1960s, he was a very frequent performer in TV shows such as WAGON TRAIN, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, PERRY MASON, ADVENTURES OF RIN TIN TIN, more. He became a regular on western TV shows produced by Gene Autry's Flying-A production company such as ANNIE OAKLEY, BUFFALO BILL JR., RANGE RIDER, THE GENE AUTRY SHOW, etc. And he was still working on TV in the 1970s and 1980s in KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, KNIGHT RIDER, more. The TV role that Healey may be best remembered is that of "Doc Holliday" in THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP TV series which starred Hugh O'Brian. He played that role for one season when Douglas Fowley, the regular Doc Holliday on the series, was away on a movie job. Healey's prolific TV work totals hundreds of shows.

Les Adams has Healey identified in about 140 films - that number includes 81 westerns and 3 serials.

At the 2000 Golden Boot awards, Healey - along with Gregg Barton, Walter Reed and House Peters, Jr. - were given the "Backbone of the B's Award" for all of their work and accomplishments in western films.

Boyd Magers was contacted by Myron Healey's daughter and son-in-law who reported that Healey passed away on December 21, 2005. In Fall, 2005, Healey broke his hip in a fall. Along with some other complications, he never fully recovered and passed away at a hospital near his home in Simi Valley, California.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Myron Healey: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372271/

Boyd Magers' Western Clippings website has a profile on Myron Healey: http://www.westernclippings.com/heavies/myronhealey_charactersheavies.shtml




(From Old Corral image collection)

Above - an older Johnny Mack Brown has the drop on baddie Myron Healy in a lobby card from Monogram's TRAILS END (Monogram, 1949).



Above is a crop of Healey from the Johnny Mack Brown TRAILS END (Monogram, 1949) lobby card.



(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

L-to-R are Myron Healey, Steve Clark, Marshall Reed, John Merton, Max Terhune, and on the far right wearing the suit is Hugh Prosser. Guy in the center background with the balding head and mustache is William Ruhl. From WESTERN RENEGADES (Monogram, 1949), an entry in the Johnny Mack Brown series.



Above from left to right are Myron Healy, Henry Rowland and Bill Elliott in a scene from VIGILANTE TERROR (Allied Artists, 1953).



(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

Above - from L-to-R are Myron Healey and Monte Hale pondering some questions from the audience during one of the 1970s film conventions.



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