Randy Boone

Boone was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Clyde Wilson Boone and Rhumel E. Boone.[1] He is related to frontiersman Daniel Boone, actor Richard Boone, and singers Pat Boone and Debby Boone.[2] Randy Boone graduated from Fayetteville Senior High School (now named Terry Sanford High School).[1] In 1960, Boone entered North Carolina State University at Raleigh but dropped out to tour the country and play his guitar, spending a lot of time in his early adulthood in coffeehouses.[2]

At twenty, Boone co-starred in his first acting role as Vern Hodges in the 1962–1963 NBC comedy-drama It's a Man's World, based on the activities of four young men living on a houseboat on the Ohio River.[1][3]

After It's a Man's World, Boone's career skyrocketed. He guest starred in the episode "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans" on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.[4] Thereafter he appeared on Wagon Train and The Twilight Zone, in an episode titled "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms".[4]

In 1963, Boone joined The Virginian cast as the singing cowboy Randy Benton.[1] Boone appeared in 46 episodes over two seasons. Boone composed original songs that were featured in the series.[1]

He won the Bronze Wrangler award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1966 for his acting in the episode titled "The Horse Fighter" with the following cast and crew: Lee J. Cobb, James Drury, Doug McClure, Harry Guardino, Clu Gulager and Diane Roter (actors), Norman Macdonnell and James Duff McAdams (producers), Richard Fielder (writer), and Anton Leader (director).[5]

While on The Virginian, he guest starred on David Janssen's ABC series The Fugitive.[4] He also starred in the 1966 film Country Boy[1] After The Virginian, Boone guest starred on episodes of Bonanza ("Ballad of the Ponderosa", 1966), and Hondo and appeared on Combat! in the season 5 episode "The Letter" as Jim Hummel.[4]

From 1967 to 1968, Boone co-starred in the western series Cimarron Strip in the role of 25-year-old photographer Francis Wilde, who is also a part-time deputy to Marshal Jim Crown, portrayed by series star Stuart Whitman.[1] After Cimarron Strip, Boone made a few television appearances, including NBC's Emergency! and ABC's Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin, and appeared in the cult movie Terminal Island in 1973.[1][4] The following year, he appeared as Deputy Dickie Haycroft in the television movie Savages and starred in Dr. Minx in 1975.[1][4]

His last role was as Farkas in the 1987 film The Wild Pair (also known as The Devil's Odds), about a narcotics officer and an FBI agent.[1]

During his time on The Virginian, Boone landed a recording contract with Decca Records.[6] His first album was with co-star Roberta Shore, titled Presenting Randy Boone and Roberta Shore the singing stars of the Virginian.[7] Boone's second album was a solo album titled Ramblin Randy.[8] After leaving Decca, he signed a deal with Gregar Records, resulting in a couple of more albums.[9] None of his albums were commercially successful.[6]

After his acting ended, Boone returned to Fayetteville, from where he also engaged in country music and attended occasional music and film festivals.

In July 2003, he was a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with his Virginian co-stars James Drury, Roberta Shore, Clu Gulager, and Gary Clarke. In 2011, Randy Boone was inducted into the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame.[6]

In August 2012, Boone and his wife moved away from North Carolina to be closer to family. Also in 2012, Boone appeared with fellow Virginian cast members James Drury, Gary Clarke, L.Q. Jones, Roberta Shore, Clu Gulager, Diane Roter, Sara Lane, and Don Quine at 50th Anniversary celebrations at the Memphis Film Festival and the Autry National Center and Museum.

On September 22, 2012, The Virginian began a three-year agreement to run on the Inspiration Network cable channel. Cozi TV, the NBCUniversal classic television digital specialty network, began airing episodes in 2013. MeTV airs episodes in selected viewing areas.

Boone attended as guest star the Cowboy Up for Vets Horse Show with fellow Virginian cast members Drury, Shore, Clarke, Gulager, Roter, Lane and Quine. The show was held on March 28, 2014, in Swanton, Ohio. He took part in a special celebration of James Drury's 80th birthday at the show.

Boone attended as guest star, the largest cast reunion of The Virginian assembled at the Cowboy Up for Vets Horse Show held on April 22–24, 2016 in Swanton, OH. Other cast members who attended were James Drury, Roberta Shore, Gary Clarke, L.Q. Jones, Clu Gulager, Diane Roter, Sara Lane, Don Quine and Joe Cannon.

Boone married 20-year-old Sylvia Howell of Fayetteville, on May 6, 1966.[10] They have a son, Richard (born in 1967).[11] The marriage ended in divorce, on July 8, 1969. Randy married Lana S. Redick May 16, 2009.

• Randy Boone at IMDb