George Keymas

George Keymas (November 18, 1925 – January 17, 2008) was an American film and television actor.[1]

George Keymas
BornNovember 18, 1925
Springfield, Ohio, United States
DiedJanuary 17, 2008 (aged 82)
Palm Beach, Florida
United States
OccupationActor
Years active1950–1977 (film)

Popular pockmarked, American film and television actor began his Hollywood career in 1950, mainly in popular western fare of the day. His first screen appearance was in an uncredited role in the 1950 B-feature film, “I Shot Billy the Kid”, with lead Don 'Red' Barry. Due to his rugged looks, Keymas was cast in ethnic, often Native-American characters, or cow-punching, at times ruthless, cowboys, in countless film/TV westerns.

Oddly, likely his most recognizable role was the brief and unrecognizable character as ‘The Leader’ in the classic TV The Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder", which originally aired November 11, 1960. His freakish ambiguous character was seen throughout the episode on a futuristic big-screen monitor as background sub-plot to the story.

In 1969, Keymas played the Ute chief Black Wing in the episode "A Key for the Fort" of the syndicated television series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Robert Taylor not long before Taylor's own death. In the episode Eliza Stewart Udall, as Miss Ella Stewart, sends the first telegraph message from Arizona and works with her Aunt Cora (Ivalou Redd) to nurse Black Wing back to health. The episode also stars Gregg Palmer as Jacob. It was filmed at Pipe Spring National Monument in Utah. Ella Stewart is an ancestor of the Udall family of southwestern politics.[2]

Keymas's ‘Indian’ roles came in many other popular TV westerns series of the day such as: Daniel Boone, “Death Valley Days”, The High Chaparral, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza among many others.

Selected filmography

References
  1. Martin p.68
  2. "A Key for the Fort on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Data Base. March 26, 1969. Retrieved July 15, 2015.

Bibliography
  • Martin, Len. The Republic Pictures Checklist: Features, Serials, Cartoons, Short Subjects and Training Films of Republic Pictures Corporation, 1935-1959. McFarland.
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