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Bob Steele (January 23, 1907 - December 21, 1988) was an American actor. He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. After years of touring, the family settled down in Hollywood in the late 1910s, where his father, Robert N. Bradbury, soon found work in the movies, first as an actor, later as a director, and by 1920, he hired Bob and his twin brother Bill (1907–1971) as juvenile leads for a series of adventure movies entitled "The Adventures of Bob and Bill".
Bob's career began to take off for good in 1927, when he was hired by production company Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) to star in a series of Westerns. Bob—who was rechristened Bob Steele at FBO—soon made a name for himself, and in the late 1920s, 1930s and 1940s starred in B-Westerns for almost every minor film studio, including Monogram, Supreme, Tiffany, Syndicate, Republic (including several films of the Three Mesquiteers series) and Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) (including the initial films of their "Billy the Kid" series), plus he had the occasional role in an A-movie, as in the adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men from 1939.
In the 1940s, Bob's career as a cowboy hero was on the decline, but he kept himself working by accepting supporting roles in many big movies like Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep, or the John Wayne vehicles Island in the Sky, Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo. Besides these he also made occasional appearances in science fiction films like Atomic Submarine and Giant from the Unknown and did lots of television work, culminating in a regular supporting role in the army comedy F Troop (1965–1967), which allowed him to show his comic talent. Steele played the character of Trooper Duffy who claimed to have been "shoulder to shoulder with Davy Crockett at the Alamo"-in fact Steele played in With Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo in 1926.
Bob Steele died on December 21, 1988 from emphysema after a long sickness.
Bob Steele is said to have been the inspiration for the character "Cowboy Bob" in the Dennis The Menace comic strip.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Bob Steele (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
The Big Sleep
(1946)
Lash Canino
Rio Bravo
(1959)
Matt Harris (uncredited)
Hang 'em High
(1968)
Jenkins
The Comancheros
(1961)
Pa Schofield (uncredited)
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Rio Lobo Deputy (uncredited)
McLintock!
(1963)
Train Engineer
Shenandoah
(1965)
Union Train Guard
Charley Varrick
(1973)
Bank Guard (uncredited)
The Shootist
(1976)
Books' Victim in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
The Enforcer
(1951)
Herman
Decision at Sundown
(1957)
Irv
Pork Chop Hill
(1959)
Col. Kern
4 for Texas
(1963)
Bank Board Member
Pardners
(1956)
Shorty
Full Filmography
Acting
The Adventures of Bob and Bill
(1920)
Bob
Trapping the Wildcat
(1921)
Bob
Trapping the Mountain Lion
(1921)
Bob
Trailing the Coyote
(1921)
Bob
Trapping the Coyote
(1921)
Bob
Trapping The Bob Cat
(1921)
Bob
Outwitting the Timber Wolf
(1921)
The American Badger
(1921)
Bob
Catching a Koala Bear
(1921)
Bob
The Civet Cat
(1921)
Bob
A Day in the Wilds
(1921)
Bob
Catching a Coon
(1921)
Bob
Catching a Fox
(1921)
Bob
The Skunk
(1921)
Bob
Capturing a Canadian Lynx
(1921)
Bob
Mysterious Tracks
(1922)
The Opossum
(1922)
Dangerous Trails
(1922)
Bob
Just Plain Folks
(1925)
The College Boob
(1926)
Shorty Buzelle (as Bob Bradbury Jr.)
With Daniel Boone Thru the Wilderness
(1926)
Jim Bryan
With Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo
(1926)
'Pinky' Smith
With Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre
(1927)
Bob Keefe (as Bob Bradbury Jr.)
The Bandit's Son
(1927)
Bob McCall
The Mojave Kid
(1927)
Bob Saunders
Lightning Speed
(1928)
Jack Pemberton
Headin' for Danger
(1928)
Jimmy Marshall
Driftin' Sands
(1928)
'Driftin' Sands
Man in the Rough
(1928)
Bruce Sherwood
The Riding Renegade
(1928)
Bob Taylor
Breed of the Sunsets
(1928)
Jim Collins
Trail of Courage
(1928)
Tex Reeves
Captain Careless
(1928)
Bob Gordon
Sliding Home
(1928)
Student (as Robert Bradbury Jr.)
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
(1929)
George Hardcastle
Laughing at Death
(1929)
Bob Thornton
The Amazing Vagabond
(1929)
Jimmy Hobbs
A Texas Cowboy
(1929)
Dick Carlysle
The Invaders
(1929)
Come and Get It!
(1929)
Breezy Smith
The Oklahoma Cyclone
(1930)
Jim Smith aka The Oklahoma Cyclone
The Man from Nowhere
(1930)
Terry Norton
The Land of Missing Men
(1930)
Steve O'Neil
The Oklahoma Sheriff
(1930)
The Hunted Men
(1930)
Dick Stockdale
Breezy Bill
(1930)
Breezy Bill
Western Honor
(1930)
Bob
Near the Rainbow's End
(1930)
Jim Bledsoe
Headin' North
(1930)
Jim Curtis
The Nevada Buckaroo
(1931)
Buck Hurley, aka The Nevada Kid
The Sunrise Trail
(1931)
Texas, aka Tex
Near the Trail's End
(1931)
Marshal Johnny Day
The Ridin' Fool
(1931)
Steve Kendall
Riders of the Desert
(1932)
Bob Houston
South of Santa Fe
(1932)
Tom Keene
Hidden Valley
(1932)
Bob Harding
Texas Buddies
(1932)
Ted Garner
Law of the West
(1932)
Bob Carruthers, alias Bob Morgan
Son of Oklahoma
(1932)
Dan Clayton
Young Blood
(1932)
Nick aka The Kid
The Man from Hell's Edges
(1932)
Bob Williams aka 'Flash' Manning
The Fighting Champ
(1932)
Brick Loring
Ranger's Code
(1933)
Bob Baxter
Trailing North
(1933)
Lee Evans aka Curly the Kid
Breed of the Border
(1933)
Speed Brent
The Gallant Fool
(1933)
Kit Denton
The Mystery Squadron
(1933)
Fred Cromwell
Galloping Romeo
(1933)
Bob Rivers
A Demon for Trouble
(1934)
Bob Worth
The Brand of Hate
(1934)
Rod Camp
Western Justice
(1934)
Jim / Ace
Trail of Terror
(1935)
Spike Manning
Tombstone Terror
(1935)
Jimmy Dixon / Duke Dixon
Big Calibre
(1935)
Bob Neal
Kid Courageous
(1935)
Bob Bannister
Sundown Saunders
(1935)
Jim Sundown Saunders
The Rider of the Law
(1935)
Bob Marlow
No Man's Range
(1935)
Jim Hale
Powdersmoke Range
(1935)
Jeff Ferguson aka Guadalupe Kid
Alias John Law
(1935)
Everett Tarkington 'John' Clark
Smokey Smith
(1935)
Smokey Smith
The Kid Ranger
(1936)
Ray Burton
The Gun Ranger
(1936)
Dan Larson
Cavalry
(1936)
Ted Thorne
Last of the Warrens
(1936)
Ted Warren
Brand of the Outlaws
(1936)
Gary Gray
The Law Rides
(1936)
Bruce Conway
Lightnin' Crandall
(1937)
Bob Crandall, aka Lightnin' Crandall
The Red Rope
(1937)
Tom Shaw
Border Phantom
(1937)
Larry O'Day
The Trusted Outlaw
(1937)
Dan Ward
Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin
(1937)
Dan Stockton
Arizona Gunfighter
(1937)
Colt Ferron
Ridin' the Lone Trail
(1937)
Bob McArthur
Colorado Kid
(1937)
Colorado Kid
Doomed at Sundown
(1937)
Dave Austin
Thunder in the Desert
(1938)
Bob Radford
The Feud Maker
(1938)
Tex Ryan aka Wind River Kid
Desert Patrol
(1938)
Dave Austin
Paroled - To Die
(1938)
Doug Redfern
Durango Valley Raiders
(1938)
Keene Cordner
Riders of the Sage
(1939)
Bob Burke
Feud of the Range
(1939)
Bob Gray
Of Mice and Men
(1939)
Curley
El Diablo Rides
(1939)
Bob
The Pal from Texas
(1939)
Bob Barton
Mesquite Buckaroo
(1939)
Bob Allen
Smoky Trails
(1939)
Bob Archer
Lone Star Raiders
(1940)
Tucson Smith
The Trail Blazers
(1940)
Tucson Smith
City for Conquest
(1940)
Kid Callahan (uncredited)
Pinto Canyon
(1940)
Sheriff Bob Hall
Billy the Kid in Texas
(1940)
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid's Gun Justice
(1940)
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid Outlawed
(1940)
Billy the Kid
The Carson City Kid
(1940)
Lee Jessup, aka Morgan Reynolds
Under Texas Skies
(1940)
Tucson Smith
Wild Horse Valley
(1940)
Bob Evans
Pals of the Pecos
(1941)
Tucson Smith
Billy The Kid's Fighting Pals
(1941)
Billy the Kid
The Great Train Robbery
(1941)
Tom Logan
West of Cimarron
(1941)
Tucson Smith
Billy the Kid in Santa Fe
(1941)
Billy the Kid
Outlaws of Cherokee Trail
(1941)
'Tucson' Smith
Gangs of Sonora
(1941)
'Tucson' Smith
Gauchos of El Dorado
(1941)
'Tucson' Smith
Prairie Pioneers
(1941)
Tucson Smith
Billy the Kid's Range War
(1941)
Billy the Kid
Saddlemates
(1941)
Tucson Smith
Westward Ho
(1942)
Tucson Smith
Shadows on the Sage
(1942)
'Tucson' Smith / Curly Joe
Code of the Outlaw
(1942)
Tucson Smith
Raiders of the Range
(1942)
Tucson Smith
The Phantom Plainsmen
(1942)
Tucson Smith
Valley of Hunted Men
(1942)
Tucson Smith
Santa Fe Scouts
(1943)
Tucson Smith
The Blocked Trail
(1943)
Tucson Smith
Revenge of the Zombies
(1943)
Sheriff
Death Valley Rangers
(1943)
Bob Steele
Riders of the Rio Grande
(1943)
Tucson Smith
Thundering Trails
(1943)
Tucson Smith
Arizona Whirlwind
(1944)
Bob Steele
Outlaw Trail
(1944)
Bob
Westward Bound
(1944)
Bob Steele
Marked Trails
(1944)
Bob Stevens
Sonora Stagecoach
(1944)
Bob Steele
The Utah Kid
(1944)
Bob Roberts
Trigger Law
(1944)
Bob Steele
Wildfire
(1945)
Happy Haye
Northwest Trail
(1945)
RCMP Matt O'Brien
Navajo Kid
(1945)
Tom "The Navajo Kid" Kirk
Six Gun Man
(1946)
Stormy Storm
Thunder Town
(1946)
Jim Brandon
Rio Grande Raiders
(1946)
Jeff Carson
Sheriff of Redwood Valley
(1946)
The Reno Kid
The Big Sleep
(1946)
Lash Canino
Ambush Trail
(1946)
Curley Thompson
Killer McCoy
(1947)
Sailor Graves
Bandits of Dark Canyon
(1947)
Ed Archer
Twilight on the Rio Grande
(1947)
Dusty Morgan
Cheyenne
(1947)
Bucky
Exposed
(1947)
Chicago
South of St. Louis
(1949)
Slim Hansen
The Savage Horde
(1950)
Dancer
Fort Worth
(1951)
Shorty
Cattle Drive
(1951)
Charlie "Careless" Morgan
The Enforcer
(1951)
Herman
Silver Canyon
(1951)
Walt Middler
Bugles in the Afternoon
(1952)
Rider Who Announces Custer Is Dead
Rose of Cimarron
(1952)
Rio
The Lion and the Horse
(1952)
Matt Jennings
Island in the Sky
(1953)
Wilson
San Antone
(1953)
Bob Coolidge
Savage Frontier
(1953)
Sam Webb
Column South
(1953)
McAfee
The Outcast
(1954)
Dude Rankin
Drums Across the River
(1954)
Billy Costa
The Fighting Chance
(1955)
Curly
The Spoilers
(1955)
Miner
Last of the Desperados
(1955)
Charlie Bowdre
Pardners
(1956)
Shorty
Gun for a Coward
(1956)
Durkee
The Steel Jungle
(1956)
Dan Bucci
Decision at Sundown
(1957)
Irv
The Parson and the Outlaw
(1957)
Ace Jardine
Duel at Apache Wells
(1957)
Joe Dunn
Once Upon a Horse...
(1958)
Bob Steele
The Bonnie Parker Story
(1958)
Armored Truck Guard (uncredited)
Giant from the Unknown
(1958)
Sheriff Parker
Rio Bravo
(1959)
Matt Harris (uncredited)
The Atomic Submarine
(1959)
"Grif" Griffin
Pork Chop Hill
(1959)
Col. Kern
Texas John Slaughter: Geronimo's Revenge
(1960)
Ben
Hell Bent for Leather
(1960)
Jared
The Comancheros
(1961)
Pa Schofield (uncredited)
The Wild Westerners
(1962)
Casey Banner
Six Black Horses
(1962)
Puncher
Wall of Noise
(1963)
Trainer
4 for Texas
(1963)
Bank Board Member
McLintock!
(1963)
Train Engineer
Bullet for a Badman
(1964)
Sheriff (uncredited)
Town Tamer
(1965)
Ken
Shenandoah
(1965)
Union Train Guard
Taggart
(1965)
The Bounty Killer
(1965)
Red - Henchman
Requiem for a Gunfighter
(1965)
Max Smith
Hang 'em High
(1968)
Jenkins
The Great Bank Robbery
(1969)
First Guard
Doc
(1969)
Toby
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Rio Lobo Deputy (uncredited)
Skin Game
(1971)
Bidder (uncredited)
Something Big
(1971)
Teamster #3
Charley Varrick
(1973)
Bank Guard (uncredited)
Nightmare Honeymoon
(1974)
Charlie
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(1976)
(archive footage)
The Shootist
(1976)
Books' Victim in Flashback (archive footage / uncredited)
Writing