Wayde Preston

Wayde Preston
Wayde Preston
	Preston as Christopher Colt (1958)
Born	William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929; Steamboat Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Died	February 6, 1992 (aged 62); Lovelock, Nevada, U.S.
Resting place	Lone Mountain Cemetery, Lovelock, Nevada
Alma mater	University of Wyoming
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1957–1990
Spouse(s)	Carol Ohmart (m. 1956-1958)

Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Colt .45. He also appeared in the title role of "The Saga of Waco Williams", a 1959 episode of the ABC/WB western series, Maverick.

Background

Born William Erksine Strange in Steamboat Springs, Colorado,[1] Preston was reared in Laramie in southern Wyoming by his educator parents, John and Bernice Strange. He had two younger sisters, Joan and Mary. In 1947 he graduated from Laramie High School, where he was active in football, track, band and the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he studied pharmacy.

Preston became a musician and played in bands during the late 1940s. In 1950, he was drafted into the United States Army. Trained in an artillery unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, he became a first lieutenant and fought in the Korean War. Afterward, he was a park ranger[2] at Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming and performed musically on the rodeo circuit before he got his break as an actor.[2]

Acting career

Preston in Colt .45

In Colt .45 he played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent who masquerades as a pistol salesman traveling throughout the Old West. The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner and Clint Walker during the same period, ran afoul of the Warner Brothers studio and their production demands. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960 in the role of Colt's cousin, Sam Colt Jr., but only in four episodes.

Preston also played the role of Christopher Colt in 1958 and 1959 in four episodes relating to "The Canary Kid" of the ABC/WB Sugarfoot series, starring Will Hutchins.

"The Saga of Waco Williams" is a critical favorite that paired Preston with James Garner, as Bret Maverick, and drew more viewers than any other Maverick episode; it remains one of Preston's career milestones. Tom Selleck's recurring comical character of Lance White in NBC's later The Rockford Files, starring James Garner, is loosely based by writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell upon Waco Williams (Selleck and Preston resembled each other.) After these appearances, Selleck in 1980 immediately procured his own CBS series, Magnum, P.I.

Preston played some 20 roles in television and films between 1957-91. Following his departure from Colt .45 he went to Europe, where he appeared in numerous Spaghetti Westerns including Vic Morrow's A Man Called Sledge opposite James Garner as well as the 1968 film Anzio about the World War II Battle of Anzio. Preston played the role of Logan in another 1968 film, Wrath of God; he was then cast in 1969 as Marshal Johnny Silver in Death Knows No Time.

Preston later appeared on episodes of NBC's Bonanza and ABC's Starsky and Hutch. His last screen appearance was a supporting role in the 1990 film version of Captain America.

Personal life

In 1956, Preston married actress Carol Ohmart. They divorced in 1958.[1]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Man on the Spying Trapeze	Jerry Land
1968	Today We Kill... Tomorrow We Die!	Jeff Milton
1968	A Long Ride from Hell	Marlin Mayner
1968	Anzio	Col. Hendricks
1968	Wrath of God	Logan
1969	Pagó cara su muerte	Marshal Johnny Silver
1969	Bootleggers	Grim Doel
1969	Dio perdoni la mia pistola	Johnny 'Texas' Brennan
1969	Boot Hill	McGavin	Uncredited
1970	Sartana in the Valley of Death	Anthony Douglas
1970	A Man Called Sledge	Sheriff Ripley
1970	Hey Amigo! A Toast to Your Death	'Doc' Williams
1976	Hollywood Man	Tex
1980	Smokey and the Judge	Gangster
1990	Captain America	Jack	(final film role)

References

Aaker, Everett (25 May 2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 341–343. ISBN 978-1-4766-6250-3. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
Brode, Douglas (15 October 2009). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-292-71849-4. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

External links

Wayde Preston at IMDb
Wayde Preston at Find a Grave

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[twp-1] Aaker, Everett (25 May 2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 341–343. ISBN 978-1-4766-6250-3. Retrieved January 4, 2021.

[ssss-2] Brode, Douglas (15 October 2009). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-292-71849-4. Retrieved January 5, 2021.