Dale Robertson Biography

Fast Facts

• Served in the U․S․ Army during World War II in Africa and Europe, earning bronze and silver stars
• Won the Golden Boot Award in 1985, which is given to those who make significant contributions to the western genre by the Motion Picture & Television Fund
• By the time he was 10 years old, he was a skilled horse rider and soon became proficient at training polo ponies
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "The Boy with Green Hair" in 1948
• Was contacted by talent scouts after the photo shop where he got a portrait taken for his mother, as a keepsake while he was in the Army, displayed the picture in their window and it attracted their attention
• Quote: "(On referring to himself as a "personality" rather than an "actor"): "An actor can change himself to fit a part, whereas a personality has to change the part to fit himself․ The personality has to say it his own way․""
• Best known for his role as Jim Hardie in "Tales of Wells Fargo" and as Ben Calhoun in "Iron Horse․"
• Often said that he became a professional actor in order to save up enough money to start a horse farm in Oklahoma, which he later did