Ben Cooper dead – Western star passes away aged 86 after ‘long illness’
WESTERN movie actor Ben Cooper has died aged 86 after a long illness.
The Jonny Guitar star passed away in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday, February 24.
His nephew confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter and the star is survived by his daughter, Pamela, and her family - as well as his sister Bunny.
The Hollywood star was most famous for his portrayal of the bandit Turkey Ralson in the Joan Crawford drama Johnny Guitar.
But his career began in 1942 when he joined the Broadway production of Life With Father.
The period comedy ran for more than seven years, and then the actor went on to feature in more than 3,000 radio shows.
He attended Columbia University and worked on live TV before making his move to film.
Appearances in Rebel in Town (1956), Duel at Apache Wells (1957), Waco (1966), Roy Orbison's The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) and One More Train to Rob (1971) helped him to become one of the Western film genre’s most notable actors.
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The actor also appeared in Perry Mason and on The Time Tunnel, Adam-12, Mannix, Dallas.
His last credited appearance was playing Sheriff Dowd in 1995's Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
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