Steve Cochran Biography

Fast Facts

• Attended the University of Wyoming in the late 1930s, where he played basketball
• His grandson is producer Alex Johns, who co-executive produced the animated series "Futurama․"
• Worked as a carpenter and in a department store while gaining acting experience in summer stock theater
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion" in 1945
• Started out under contract with Samuel Goldwyn and later signed with Warner Bros․ in 1949, where he often played supporting characters like boxers and gangsters
• Best known for his role as Cliff in "The Best Years of Our Lives" and as Big Ed Somers in "White Heat․"
• Played Chuck Daniels in the 1951 film "Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison," which was the inspiration for Johnny Cash's song "Folsom Prison Blues․"