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Steve Cochran
Actor

Steve Cochran

25 May 1917Born
15 Jun 1965Died
48Age at death
56Credits

Biography

He is perhaps best remembered for his role of Big Ed Somers, the power hungry gangster pal of James Cagney in "White Heat" (1949). Born Robert Alexander Cochran in Eureka, California, he was the son of a California lumberjack, who moved the family to Wyoming in the 1920s, where Cochran grew to adulthood. After graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1939, Cochran began working steadily as a Wyoming cowboy, while developing his acting skills working in summer stock and regional theaters and gradually moving on to Broadway. In 1945, he signed with MGM, and for the next several years, played mostly secondary roles as gangsters or boxers.

Read the full biography

He made his film debut with "Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion" (1945) and quickly followed with "Wonder Man" (1945). Released from his contract in 1948, he returned to Broadway where he worked with Mae West; the next year he signed on with Warner Brothers, where he earned leading roles in such films as "The Damned Don't Cry" (1950), "Highway 301" (1950) and "Tomorrow is Another Day" (1951). Warner Brothers often had him playing the villain in several of its western films, such as "Dallas" (1950), and "Back to God's Country" (1953). With the end of his contract in 1953, he began his own film company, Robert Alexander Productions, while also freelancing for other studios and moving on to guest star roles on television shows. He would show up in such television shows as Death Valley Days, Burke's Law, The Untouchables, Naked City, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, and The Virginian. A notorious womanizer, Cochran was married and divorced three times, and was often in the Hollywood tabloids reportedly having affairs with such actresses as Mae West, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Crawford, Merle Oberon, Ida Lupino and Mamie Van Doren. Cochran died under mysterious circumstances. In May 1965, Cochran had revived his production company, and together with three women, whom he had hired as his assistants, boarded his 40-foot yacht to travel to Central and South America to look for filming locations. On June 25, 1965, the yacht drifted into Port Champerico, Guatemala, with three alive but very distraught women aboard and the body of Steve Cochran, who had died ten days earlier. The women did not know how to operate the boat, and were dependent upon its drifting to shore after his death. There were numerous rumors of murder and poisoning, and actress / former lover Merle Oberon used her influence to push for further police investigation, but no evidence of foul play was ever determined. The official cause of his death was given as Acute Infectious Edema (lung infection).

Known for

Filmography

  1. 1965Tell Me In The SunlightFilm: Dave, Director, Screenplay
  2. 1964MozambiqueFilm: Brad Webster
  3. 1964Mr. BroadwaySeries (1 episode)
  4. 1963Burke's LawSeries: St. John Carlisle, Fletcher Seamway, Phil Ross (1 episode)
  5. 1963Of Love and DesireFilm: Steve Corey
  6. 1962Stoney BurkeSeries (1 episode)
  7. 1962The VirginianSeries: Jamie Dobbs (1 episode)
  8. 1961Bus StopSeries (1 episode)
  9. 1961The Deadly CompanionsFilm: Billy Keplinger
  10. 1960Route 66Series (1 episode)
  11. 1959The Twilight ZoneSeries: Fred Renard (1 episode)
  12. 1959The Big OperatorFilm: Bill Gibson
  13. 1959The Beat GenerationFilm: Dave Culloran
  14. 1959I, MobsterFilm: Joe Sante
  15. 1958Naked CitySeries: Niccolo Mori (1 episode)
  16. 1958Quantrill's RaidersFilm: Captain Alan 'Wes' Westcott
  17. 1957Il GridoFilm: Aldo
  18. 1957SlanderFilm: H.R. Manley
  19. 1956Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreSeries: Marshal Cam Tolby (1 episode)
  20. 1956The WeaponFilm: Mark Andrews
  21. 1956Come Next SpringFilm: Matt Ballot
  22. 1956Fremont: The TrailblazerFilm: John C. Fremont
  23. 1954Climax!Series: Ralph Leslie, Jack Rice (1 episode)
  24. 1954Private Hell 36Film: Police Sgt. Cal Bruner
  25. 1954Carnival StoryFilm: Joe Hammond
  26. 1953Shark RiverFilm: Dan Webley
  27. 1953Back to God's CountryFilm: Paul Blake
  28. 1953Letter to LorettaSeries: Joe (1 episode)
  29. 1953The Desert SongFilm: Captain Claude Fontaine
  30. 1953She's Back on BroadwayFilm: Rick Sommers
  31. 1953General Electric TheaterSeries: Drogo (1 episode)
  32. 1952Operation SecretFilm: Marcel Brevoort
  33. 1952The Lion and the HorseFilm: Ben Kirby
  34. 1951The Tanks Are ComingFilm: Francis Aloysius 'Sully' Sullivan
  35. 1951Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSeries (1 episode)
  36. 1951Jim Thorpe – All-AmericanFilm: Peter Allendine
  37. 1951Tomorrow Is Another DayFilm: Bill Clark / Mike Lewis
  38. 1951Inside the Walls of Folsom PrisonFilm: Chuck Daniels
  39. 1951Raton PassFilm: Cy Van Cleave
  40. 1951Storm WarningFilm: Hank Rice
  41. 1950DallasFilm: Bryant Marlow
  42. 1950Highway 301Film: George Legenza
  43. 1950Lux Video TheatreSeries: Luke Martens (1 episode)
  44. 1950The Damned Don't CryFilm: Nick Prenta
  45. 1950Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries: Captain John Pringle (1 episode)
  46. 1949White HeatFilm: 'Big Ed' Somers
  47. 1948Studio OneSeries: Peter Hadley, Dan (1 episode)
  48. 1948A Song Is BornFilm: Tony Crow
  49. 1947CopacabanaFilm: Steve Hunt
  50. 1946The Best Years of Our LivesFilm: Cliff Scully
  51. 1946The ChaseFilm: Eddie Roman
  52. 1946The Kid from BrooklynFilm: Speed McFarlane
  53. 1945The Gay SenoritaFilm: Tim O'Brien
  54. 1945Boston Blackie's RendezvousFilm: Jimmy Casey
  55. 1945Wonder ManFilm: Ten Grand Jackson
  56. 1945Boston Blackie Booked on SuspicionFilm: Jack Higgins

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.