Roy Rogers

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November 5, 1911

July 6, 1998 (age 86) in Apple Valley, California, USA congestive heart failure

Leonard Franklin Slye

Dale Evans (31 December 1947 - 6 July 1998) (his death)

Grace Arline Wilkins (11 June 1936 - 3 November 1946) (her death) 3 children

Lucile Ascolese (8 May 1933 - 8 June 1936) (divorced)

Actor:

"The Fall Guy" (2 episodes, 1983-1984)

"The New Adventures of Wonder Woman" (1 episode, 1977)

Mackintosh and T.J. (1975)

The Mickie Finns Finally Present How the West Was Lost (1975) (TV) Narrator

The Red Skelton Show (1 episode, 1968)

Alias Jesse James (1959) (uncredited)

"The Roy Rogers Show" (100 episodes, 1951-1957)

Tournament of Roses (1954)

Son of Paleface (1952)

Pals of the Golden West (1951)

South of Caliente (1951)

In Old Amarillo (1951)

Heart of the Rockies (1951)

Spoilers of the Plains (1951)

North of the Great Divide (1950)

Sunset in the West (1950)

Trigger, Jr. (1950)

Twilight in the Sierras (1950)

Bells of Coronado (1950)

The Golden Stallion (1949)

Down Dakota Way (1949)

Screen Snapshots 1860: Howdy, Podner (1949)

Susanna Pass (1949)

The Far Frontier (1948)

Grand Canyon Trail (1948)

Night Time in Nevada (1948)

Eyes of Texas (1948)

Under California Stars (1948)

Unusual Occupations L-7-3 Modern Pioneers (1948)

The Gay Ranchero (1948)

Pecos Bill (1948)

On the Old Spanish Trail (1947)

Springtime in the Sierras (1947)

Bells of San Angelo (1947)

Hit Parade of 1947 (1947)

Apache Rose (1947)

Heldorado (1946)

Home in Oklahoma (1946)

Roll on Texas Moon (1946)

Under Nevada Skies (1946)

My Pal Trigger (1946)

Rainbow Over Texas (1946)

Song of Arizona (1946)

Don't Fence Me In (1945)

Sunset in El Dorado (1945)

Along the Navajo Trail (1945)

Man from Oklahoma (1945)

Bells of Rosarita (1945)

Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) (scenes deleted)

Utah (1945)

Lake Placid Serenade (1944)

Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944)

San Fernando Valley (1944)

Song of Nevada (1944)

The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944)

Cowboy and the Senorita (1944)

Hands Across the Border (1944)

Silver Spurs (1943)

Song of Texas (1943)

King of the Cowboys (1943)

Idaho (1943)

Ridin' Down the Canyon (1942)

Heart of the Golden West (1942)

Sunset Serenade (1942)

Sons of the Pioneers (1942)

Romance on the Range (1942)

Sunset on the Desert (1942)

South of Santa Fe (1942)

Man from Cheyenne (1942)

Red River Valley (1941)

Jesse James at Bay (1941)

Bad Man of Deadwood (1941)

Nevada City (1941)

Sheriff of Tombstone (1941)

In Old Cheyenne (1941)

Arkansas Judge (1941)

Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941)

The Border Legion (1940)

Young Bill Hickok (1940)

Colorado (1940)

The Ranger and the Lady (1940)

The Carson City Kid (1940)

Young Buffalo Bill (1940)

Dark Command (1940)

Days of Jesse James (1939)

Saga of Death Valley (1939)

Jeepers Creepers (1939)

The Arizona Kid (1939)

Wall Street Cowboy (1939)

In Old Caliente (1939)

Frontier Pony Express (1939)

Southward Ho (1939)

Rough Riders' Round-up (1939)

Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938)

Come On, Rangers (1938)

A Feud There Was (1938) (uncredited)

Billy the Kid Returns (1938)

Under Western Stars (1938)

The Old Barn Dance (1938)

Wild Horse Rodeo (1937)

The Old Wyoming Trail (1937) (uncredited)

The Old Corral (1936)

The Big Show (1936) (uncredited)

California Mail (1936) (uncredited)

Rhythm on the Range (1936) (uncredited)

Song of the Saddle (1936) (uncredited)

The Mysterious Avenger (1936)

Gallant Defender (1935) (uncredited)

Way Up Thar (1935)

The Old Homestead (1935)

Slightly Static (1935) (uncredited)

Producer:

"The Roy Rogers Show" (1951) TV series (executive producer)

Appearances

All My Friends Are Cowboys (1998)

Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys (1992)

The 34th Annual Grammy Awards 1992 (TV)

Holiday Greetings from 'The Ed Sullivan Show' (1992) (TV)

The Republic Pictures Story (1991) (TV)

24th Annual Country Music Association Awards (1990) (TV)

The 61st Annual Academy Awards 1989 (TV)

Cowboys of the Saturday Matinee (1984)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (3 episodes, 1976-1979)

"Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" (1 episode, 1978)

Mickey's 50 (1978)

Good Morning America (1 episode, 1978)

"Over Easy" (1 episode, 1978)

"The Muppet Show" (1 episode, 1978)

"The Mike Douglas Show" (2 episodes, 1970-1977)

"All You Need Is Love" (1 episode)

"The Hollywood Squares" (1 episode, 1976)

"Celebrity Bowling" (2 episodes, 1972-1975)

At Long Last Cole (1975) (TV)

Saga of Sonora (1973) (TV)

"Stand Up and Cheer" (1 episode, 1972)

Hee Haw (2 episodes, 1970-1971)

"The David Frost Show" (1 episode, 1970)

The Ed Sullivan Show (3 episodes, 1952-1970)

"The Hollywood Palace" (8 episodes, 1964-1970)

"Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters" (1 episode, 1969)

"The Andy Williams Show" (1 episode, 1969)

Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music (1969) (uncredited)

"The Red Skelton Hour" (1 episode, 1969)

"The Kraft Music Hall" (2 episodes, 1968)

"The Dean Martin Comedy Hour" (1 episode, 1967)

"The Andy Williams Show" (5 episodes, 1963-1966)

"The Bell Telephone Hour" (2 episodes, 1961-1965)

"The Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Show" (10 episodes, 1962)

"I've Got a Secret" (1 episode, 1961)

"The Dinah Shore Chevy Show" (17 episodes, 1956-1961)

What's My Line? (2 episodes, 1954-1958)

"Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall" (1 episode, 1957)

The Heart of Show Business (1957) Narrator

Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Small Fry (1956)

Person to Person (1 episode, 1955)

Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Invisible Man (1954)

"This Is Your Life" (1 episode, 1953)

Screen Snapshots: Hollywood on the Ball (1952)

"The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1 episode, 1951)

Trail of Robin Hood (1950)

Melody Time (1948)

Screen Snapshots Series 27, No. 1: Hollywood Cowboys (1947)

Out California Way (1946)

Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Brazil (1944)

The Man from Music Mountain (1943)

Picture People No. 2: Hollywood Sports (1941)

Meet the Stars #7: Meet Roy Rogers (1941)

Rodeo Dough (1940)

Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 8: Cowboy Jubilee (1940)

Screen Snapshots Series 19, No 6: Hollywood Recreations (1940)

Screen Snapshots: Seeing Hollywood (1940)

Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 3: Outdoor Parties (1939)

The Star Reporter in Hollywood (1937) (uncredited)

1970 The Country Side of Roy Rogers

1971 A Man from Duck Run

1975 Happy Trails to You

1991 Tribute

Golden Apple Awards

1953 Won Golden Apple Most Cooperative Actor

Golden Boot Awards

1996 Won Founder's Award

1983 Won Golden Boot

Walk of Fame

Star on the Walk of Fame Motion Picture At 1750 Vine Street. Television At 1620 Vine Street.

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Originally a singer under his real name of Leonard Slye, Roy Rogers changed his name to Dick Wesson when he became part of the Sons of the Pioneers singing group. The group first appeared onscreen in the Western Slightly Static (1935). By the end of the 1930s he had established himself in B Westerns under his screen name of Roy Rogers. When Gene Autry went into the military during World War II, Rogers succeeded him as the top Western star.

Together with his horse Trigger, dog Bullet, and his fourth wife, Dale Evans, Rogers appeared in nearly 100 movies from the late 1930s until the demise of the B Western in the early 1950s. He earned the sobriquet "King of the Cowboys," and Dale was known as "Queen of the West."

Representative titles include Sunset Serenade (1942), Roll On Texas Moon (1946), and Night Time in Nevada (1948). The formula never varied, alternating action in the form of fistfights, gunplay, and chases on horseback; comedy, often supplied by Gabby Hayes; and country style singing by Rogers, frequently accompanied by the Sons of the Pioneers. Rogers made occasional appearances in A features, for example in the Bob Hope comedy Western Son of Paleface (1952) and in Raoul Walsh's classic Dark Command (1940). He also starred in his own TV program, The Roy Rogers Show, from 1951 to 1964. On Trigger's death, the thirty-three-year-old horse was stuffed and put on display in the Roy Rogers Museum. But Rogers's memory lived on in other ways, too. As a child, Hollywood actor Val Kilmer lived next door to Rogers, and, as an adult, bought Rogers's old ranch. In 1999, Kilmer led Trigger's grandson onto the stage at the Academy Awards ceremony in honor of Rogers and his equine sidekick.

If there were no valleys of sadness and death, we could never really appreciate the sunshine of happiness on the mountain top.

When I die, just skin me out and put me up on old Trigger and I'll be happy.

His dog's name was Bullet and appeared in almost as many of his films as did Trigger.

Once received 78,852 fan letters in a single month.

Was a Master Mason

Was a strong opponent of gun control, and once appeared in TV commercials put out by the National Rifle Association opposing a proposed ban outlawing certain types of guns in California.

Salary

Under Western Stars (1938) $75/week