George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 - March 2, 1987), generally known as Randolph Scott, was an American film actor whose career spanned the sound era from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. He reached the height of his popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such films as Gung Ho! and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ; but he was especially famous for his numerous westerns including Virginia City , The Tall T and Ride the High Country. Prior to becoming a famous western star he attended Woodberry Forest School and Georgia Tech.
The Virginia-born actor was a veteran of World War I and a religious person who was a close friend of Rev. Billy Graham. His wholesome image was characterized by The Statler Brothers in the song "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?". A writer named Marc Eliot alleged that Scott was the lover of Cary Grant, claiming the two lived together for twelve years. [1]. However, the beach house they shared was known as "Bachelor Hall" and the place saw a steady stream of women coming and going. Scott was married twice, the first time in 1936 he became the second husband of heiress Marion duPont , daughter of William duPont and great-granddaughter of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont the founder of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. The marriage ended in divorce three years later. In 1944, Scott remarried to Patricia Stillman with whom he had two children. The marriage lasted 43 years until Scott's death in 1987.
His high stature as a Western actor was spoofed in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles; after a group of townspeople refuses a request, the sheriff replies, "You'd do it for Randolph Scott." The people immediately take off their hats and whisper, "Randolph Scott!" A chorus singing "Randolph Scott" is then heard.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Randolph Scott has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6243 Hollywood Blvd. In 1975, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Randolph Scott died at age 89 in Beverly Hills, California, and is interred in the Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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See also: Other notable figures in Western films
Last updated: 08-18-2005 12:15:53
