On this day, March 13, 1901, Paul Fix, of "The Rifleman," was born.

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Paul Fix

Born: Peter Paul Fix; March 13, 1901; Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S.
Died: October 14, 1983 (aged 82); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Relatives: Harry Carey Jr. (son-in-law)

Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career between 1925 and 1981. Fix was best known for portraying Marshal Micah Torrance, opposite Chuck Connors's character in The Rifleman from 1958 to 1963. He later appeared with Connors in the 1966 Western film Ride Beyond Vengeance and The Time Tunnel episode, ""End of the World".

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Stage and films

Following the war, Fix became a busy character actor, who got his start in local productions in New York. By the 1920s, he had moved to Hollywood, and performed in the first of almost 350 movie and television appearances. In the 1930s, he became friends with John Wayne. He was Wayne's acting coach and eventually appeared as a featured player in about 27 of Wayne's films.

Fix worked in early films such as Lucky Star (1929) with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell and Ladies Love Brutes (1930), and became a regular performer for the film's director, Frank Borzage, on a further eight occasions. Fix later appeared as Richard Bravo in the 1950s cult classic, The Bad Seed (1956) with Nancy Kelly, The Sea Chase (1955) with John Wayne and Lana Turner, playing Heinz the cook, and in George Stevens' Giant (1956) with James Dean, portraying Elizabeth Taylor's father.

Fix appeared as the presiding judge in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) with Gregory Peck. He played the sheriff in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) with John Wayne and Dean Martin. In 1966, he appeared in the film El Dorado with Wayne and Robert Mitchum. In 1972, he was cast in the film Night of the Lepus, and the following year, he portrayed the New Mexico rancher Pete Maxwell in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid with James Coburn. In 1979, he appeared in Wanda Nevada. Fix co-wrote the screenplay for the John Wayne film Tall in the Saddle.

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Television

Although Fix is best-remembered for his recurring role as Marshal Micah Torrance on ABC's Western series The Rifleman,[citation needed]he also performed in guest-starring roles in many other television programs between the 1950s and late 1970s. In the 1958 episode "The Golden Gun" on the ABC/Warner Bros.' Western Colt .45, he portrayed Frank Wilson, Sr., the father of Frank, Jr., played by Edd Byrnes.[citation needed]



Fix in The Rifleman as his regular character in the series, Marshal Torrance.

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Fix played Dr Mark Piper in the second pilot episode of Star Trek, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". When the first series was filmed, his character was replaced by Leonard McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley.

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#classictv #classicwesterns #westerntv
The Rifleman - Season 3, Episode 17 - Long Trek - Full Episode

FilmRise
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Lucas and Marshall Torrance run into trouble while transporting a captured killer back to face trial.


This classic hit-series is about the adventures of a dedicated rancher trying to raise his son in the untamed West. Starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford.

#classictv #classicwesterns #westerntv #therifleman