
Jock Mahoney
Biography
Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney, known professionally as Jock Mahoney, was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in two Western television series, The Range Rider and Yancy Derringer. He played Tarzan in two feature films and was associated in various capacities with several other Tarzan productions. He was sometimes credited as Jack O'Mahoney or Jock O'Mahoney.
Jock entered the University of Iowa in Iowa City and excelled at swimming and diving, but dropped out to enlist in the United States Marine Corps when World War II began. He served as a pilot, flight instructor, and war correspondent.
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After his discharge from the Marine Corps, Mahoney moved to Los Angeles, and for a time was a horse breeder. However, he soon became a movie stuntman, doubling for Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn, and John Wayne. Most of Mahoney's films of the late 1940s and early 1950s were produced by Columbia Pictures. Like many Columbia contract players, Mahoney worked in the studio's two-reel comedies. Beginning in 1947, he starred with the Three Stooges in their films Out West, Squareheads of the Round Table (and its remake, Knutzy Knights), Fuelin' Around, and Punchy Cowpunchers.
Beginning in 1950, Columbia management gave him starring roles in adventure serials. Mahoney contributed so much to this series that he was awarded featured billing and major supporting roles as well, first as villains and then as sympathetic characters. By 1952 Columbia was billing him as Jack Mahoney. Cowboy star Gene Autry, then working at Columbia, hired Mahoney to star in a television series. Autry's Flying A Productions filmed 79 half-hour episodes of the syndicated The Range Rider from 1951 to 1953.
For the 1958 television season, he starred in the somewhat Western Yancy Derringer series for 34 episodes, which aired on CBS. Yancy Derringer was a gentleman adventurer living in New Orleans, Louisiana, after the American Civil War. He had a Pawnee Indian companion named Pahoo Katchewa ("Wolf Who Stands in Water"), who did not speak, played by X Brands. Pahoo had saved the life of Derringer, and thereafter was responsible for Derringer's life.
In 1962, Mahoney became the 13th actor to portray Tarzan when he appeared in Tarzan Goes to India, shot on location in India. A year later, he again played the role in Tarzan's Three Challenges, shot in Thailand. Dysentery and dengue fever plagued Mahoney during the shoot in the Thai jungles, and he plummeted to 175 pounds. He needed a year and a half to regain his health. Owing to his health problems and the fact that producer Weintraub had decided to go for a "younger look" for the apeman, his contract was mutually dissolved. In the 1980s, Mahoney made guest appearances on the television series B. J. and the Bear and The Fall Guy. During the final years of his life, he was a popular guest at film conventions and autograph shows.
Mahoney died of a second stroke at age 70, two days after being involved in an automobile accident in Bremerton, Washington. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.
Known for
The Love BugDriver6.6
BatmanLeo, H.L. Hunter7.3
Kung FuDavidson7.7
The Fall GuyWild Dan Wilde7.6
Hawaii Five-OColey Bennett7.2
Bandolero!Stoner6.6
The Streets of San FranciscoMr. Morley7.1
A Time to Love and a Time to DieImmerman7.2
Simon & SimonOldtimer #1 in Saloon6.7
Emergency!Hoyt Herrold8.0
The Land UnknownCommander Harold 'Alan' Roberts5.6
RawhideCaptain Brian Donahoe, Vance7.3
Filmography
The 80 most recent of 81 credits.
- 2017Tarzan: Lord of the MoviesFilm: Tarzan (Archive Footage)
- 1996Tarzan at the Movies, Part 2: The Many Faces of TarzanFilm: Tarzan (archive footage)
- 1984The MasterSeries: Mark Richards (1 episode)
- 1981Simon & SimonSeries: Oldtimer #1 in Saloon (1 episode)
- 1981The Fall GuySeries: Wild Dan Wilde (1 episode)
- 1979B. J. and the BearSeries (2 episodes)
- 1973The Bad BunchFilm: Sgt. Berry
- 1972Kung FuSeries: Davidson (1 episode)
- 1972The Streets of San FranciscoSeries: Mr. Morley (1 episode)
- 1972BanacekSeries: Albert Bates (1 episode)
- 1972Emergency!Series: Hoyt Herrold (2 episodes)
- 1970Tarzan's Deadly SilenceFilm: The Colonel
- 1969Hawaii Five-OSeries: Coley Bennett (2 episodes)
- 1968The Love BugFilm: Driver
- 1968Bandolero!Film: Stoner
- 1967The Glory StompersFilm: Smiley
- 1966TarzanSeries: Hoby Wallington (4 episodes)
- 1966BatmanSeries: Leo, H.L. Hunter (2 episodes)
- 1965Runaway GirlFilm: Randy Minola
- 1964Moro Witch DoctorFilm: Jefferson Stark
- 1964Daniel BooneSeries: O'Connor (1 episode)
- 1964The Walls of HellFilm: Lt. Jim Sorenson
- 1963CaliforniaFilm: Don Michael O'Casey
- 1963Tarzan's Three ChallengesFilm: Tarzan
- 1962Tarzan Goes to IndiaFilm: Tarzan
- 1961Three Blondes In His LifeFilm: Duke Wallace
- 1961GunslingerSeries: Halsey Roland (1 episode)
- 1960Tarzan the MagnificentFilm: Coy Banton
- 1959RawhideSeries: Captain Brian Donahoe, Vance (1 episode)
- 195877 Sunset StripSeries: Barry James (1 episode)
- 1958Yancy DerringerSeries: Yancy Derringer (34 episodes)
- 1958Money, Women and GunsFilm: 'Silver' Ward Hogan
- 1958A Time to Love and a Time to DieFilm: Immerman
- 1958The Last of the Fast GunsFilm: Brad Ellison
- 1957Slim CarterFilm: Slim Carter (Hugh Mack)
- 1957Joe DakotaFilm: The Stranger
- 1957The Land UnknownFilm: Commander Harold 'Alan' Roberts
- 1957Battle HymnFilm: Maj. Frank Moore
- 1956Showdown at AbileneFilm: Jim Trask
- 1956I've Lived BeforeFilm: John Bolan / Lt. Peter Stevens
- 1956Away All BoatsFilm: Alvick
- 1956A Day of FuryFilm: Marshal Allan Burnett
- 1955The MillionaireSeries: Vance Ludlow (1 episode)
- 1954The Wonderful World of DisneySeries: Driver (1 episode)
- 1954Overland PacificFilm: Ross Granger
- 1954Knutzy KnightsFilm: Cedric the Blacksmith
- 1954Gunfighters of the NorthwestFilm: Joe Ward
- 1953Letter to LorettaSeries: Andy Hagen, Ernie McNally, Mike Elliott, Jim Vessey, Kim Ryan, Dan O'Hara (1 episode)
- 1952The Kid from Broken GunFilm: Jack Mahoney
- 1952Junction CityFilm: Jack Mahoney
- 1952The Rough, Tough WestFilm: Big Jack Mahoney
- 1952Laramie MountainsFilm: Swift Eagle
- 1952The Hawk of Wild RiverFilm: Jack Mahoney
- 1952Smoky CanyonFilm: Jack Mahoney
- 1951Pecos RiverFilm: Jack Mahoney
- 1951The Lady and the BanditFilm: Tavern Troublemaker
- 1951The Texas RangersFilm: Duke Fisher
- 1951Roar of the Iron HorseFilm: Jim Grant
- 1951The Range RiderSeries: The Range Rider (77 episodes)
- 1951Santa FeFilm: Crake
- 1950Frontier OutpostFilm: Lieutenant Peck (uncredited)
- 1950Lightning GunsFilm: Rob Saunders
- 1950The Kangaroo KidFilm: Tex Kinnane
- 1950HoedownFilm: Stoney Rhodes
- 1950Texas DynamoFilm: Bill Beck
- 1950Cow TownFilm: Tod Jeffreys
- 1950Cody of the Pony ExpressFilm: Jim Archer
- 1950The NevadanFilm: Sandy
- 1950Punchy CowpunchersFilm: Elmer
- 1949Renegades of the SageFilm: Lieutenant Hunter
- 1949Horsemen of the SierrasFilm: Bill Grant
- 1949Bandits of El DoradoFilm: Tim Starling (uncredited)
- 1949Rim of the CanyonFilm: Pete Reagan
- 1949The Blazing TrailFilm: Full-House Patterson
- 1949The Doolins of OklahomaFilm: Tulsa Jack Blake
- 1949Fuelin' AroundFilm: Guard
- 1948Squareheads of the Round TableFilm: Cedric the Blacksmith
- 1947The Stranger From Ponca CityFilm: Henchman Tensleep (uncredited)
- 1947Out WestFilm: Arizona Kid
- 1946The Fighting FrontiersmanFilm: Waco (uncredited)
Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.