Tim McCoy
Biography
One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86. Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France. Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death) Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)
Known For
Colonel
Around the World in 80 Days
Tim Dale
Voice in the Night
Burn Hudnall
The Thundering Herd
Captain Allen
The Overland Telegraph
Flood
Sioux Blood
Tim Clark
Two-Fisted Law
Texas Grant
Texas Cyclone
Tim Madigan
Aces and Eights
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Marshal Tim McCall
Below the Border
Marshal Tim McCall
Forbidden Trails
Tim Corwin
Roarin' Guns
Tim McCall
Arizona Bound
Marshal Tim McCall
Riders of the West
Slim Braddock / Tim Braddock
Bulldog Courage
Marshal Tim McCall
Ghost Town Law
U. S. Marshal Tim McCall
Down Texas Way
Police Captain Tim Daley
Hell Bent for Love
Tim Caverly
Ghost Patrol
Tim Ross
Border Caballero
Marshal Lightnin' Bill Carson
Lightnin' Bill Carson
Tim McCoy: Sergeant Tim Vallance - Texas Ranger
The Traitor
Tim Hanlon
The Man from Guntown
(archive footage)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Marshal Tim McCall
The Gunman From Bodie
"Lightning" Bill Carson
Straight Shooter
Tim Mallory
The Outlaw Deputy
Tim Hart
West of Rainbow's End
Tim Condon
Justice of the Range
Tim Hayes
Phantom Ranger
Tim Dawson
Straightaway
Captain William Carson
Six-Gun Trail
Lightning Bill Carson / Jose
Lightning Carson Rides Again
Tim
Speed Wings
Tim Bradley
A Man's Game
Constable Tim O'Hara
Fighting Shadows
William Carson / Trigger Mallory
Outlaws' Paradise
Bill Carson
Code of the Cactus
Tim Collins
Hold the Press
Jim Lockhart
The Law of the Range
Self
Hollywood on Parade
Tim Barrett
The Western Code
'Lightning' Bill Carson
Trigger Fingers
Marshal Tim McCall
West of the Law
Tim Strong
Code of the Rangers
Bill Carson posing as El Puma
The Fighting Renegade
Tim Baxter
Square Shooter
Tim Reynolds
The Whirlwind
Trigger Tim Rand
Frontier Crusader
Tim Richards
Silent Men
Tim Burke
Rusty Rides Alone
Tim Hamlin
Prescott Kid
Col. Sir Dennis O'Hara
Winners Of The Wilderness
Ranger Tim Barlow
Man Of Action
'Lightning' Bill Carson
Texas Wildcats
Marshal Trigger Tim Rand
The Texas Marshal
Tim O'Neil
The Revenge Rider
Tim
Two Gun Justice
Tim Barton
The Lion's Den
Tim Weston
Beyond the Law
Jim McClellan
The Adventurer
Lt. Tim Marshall
War Paint
Capt. Robert Kelly
Foreign Devils
John Dale
The Frontiersman
Tim McDonald
Law Beyond the Range
Tim Benton
The Fighting Marshal
Marshal Tim Donovan
Riders of Black Mountain
Marshal Tim Hammond posing as Tim Hays
Gun Code
Judge Irving Short
Requiem for a Gunfighter
Jack Manning
The Indians Are Coming
The Masked Stranger
Beyond the Sierras
Sheriff Tim Laramie
Cornered
Tim Barton
Outlaws of the Rio Grande
Trigger Tim Rand
Arizona Gang Busters
Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Run of the Arrow
Lieutenant Lang
Spoilers of the West
Jed Tyler
The Desert Rider
Capt. Daniel Clairbourne
Morgan's Last Raid
Tim Conlon
Police Car 17
Tim Torrant
The Riding Tornado
Sheriff Tim Collins
The Fighting Fool
Tim Keene
Fighting for Justice
Tim Madigan
Daring Danger
Tim Allen
The One Way Trail
Captain Tim Travers
End of the Trail
Capt. Archibald Gillespie
California
Himself
Injun Talk
Tim Malloy / Tex Ravelle
Riding Wild
'Silent' Tim Smith
Texas Renegades
Tim Walker
Shotgun Pass
Tim Addison
The Westerner
Edward
The Bushranger
Lt. Crane
Riders of the Dark
Lt. Jack Colton
Wyoming
The Man Who Would Not Die
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
95
Gender
Male
Birthday
1891-04-10
Place of Birth
Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Also Known As
Timothy John Fitzgerald McCoy