Dan Blocker
| Dan Blocker | |
|---|---|
Blocker as Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza
|
|
| Born |
Bobby Dan Davis Blocker December 10, 1928 DeKalb, Bowie County Texas, USA |
| Died | May 13, 1972 (aged 43) Los Angeles United States |
| Cause of death | Pulmonary embolism |
| Resting place | Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb, Texas |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–72 |
| Spouse(s) | Dolphia Parker Blocker (1952–72); his death |
| Children |
|
Bobby Dan Davis Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran. He is best remembered for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.
Blocker was born Bobby Dan Davis Blocker in De Kalb, Bowie County, Texas, son of Ora "Shack" Blocker (1895–1960) and his wife Mary Arizona Blocker, née Davis (1901–1998). The family moved to O'Donnell, south of Lubbock in West Texas, where they operated a store.
As a boy he attended Texas Military Institute, and in 1946 played football at Southern Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. In 1947, he transferred to and later graduated from Sul Ross State Teacher's College in Alpine, Texas, in 1950, where he was a star football player. After doing two years of military service he went on to earn a master's degree in the dramatic arts.
Blocker was a high school English and drama teacher in Sonora, Texas, from 1953 to 1958; a sixth-grade teacher and coach at Eddy Elementary School in Carlsbad, New Mexico; and then a teacher in California. He had worked as a rodeo performer and as a bouncer in a beer bar while a student. He is remembered from his school days for his size of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weight of 300 pounds (140 kilograms; 21 stone 6 pounds), and for being good-natured despite his intimidating size.
...
Wikipedia