Richard Coogan
1

Richard Coogan

Born

April 4, 1914 (111 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Short Hills, New Jersey, United States

Richard Coogan (born April 4, 1914) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Video from 1949-1950.

Born in Short Hills, New Jersey, Coogan worked in radio for some time, including appearing as Abie Levy in Abie's Irish Rose. He also appeared on Broadway in five different productions between 1945 and 1955, all of them short-lived except for Diamond Lil with Mae West, and The Rainmaker. He was still appearing on Broadway with West when he took the role of Captain Video on the DuMont Television Network on June 27, 1949. After the live telecast each day, ending at about 7:30 p.m. EST, he would take a cab to the theatre where Diamond Lil was playing. As the popularity of Captain Video increased, Coogan grew less and less comfortable with both the role and the very, very low budget of the production. He left Captain Video in December 1950, replaced by Al Hodge, who played the part for the remainder of the run of the series, until April 1, 1955. Hodge became so completely identified with the character that he was never able to escape it. Coogan transferred to the soap opera Love of Life, where he played the heroic Paul Raven.

Between 1954 and 1961, Coogan appeared in such films as Three Hours to Kill, The Revolt of Mamie Stover, Vice Raid, and Girl on the Run. On the NBC television series The Californians (1957–1959) set in the San Francisco gold rush of the 1850s, Coogan appeared as Marshal Matthew Wayne, a character who struck most viewers and critics as a deliberate clone of Gunsmoke's Marshal Matt Dillon. He also had a continuing role on the police procedural series Vice Raid (1960–1961), as Sergeant Whitney Brandon. During 1951–1963 he guest-starred on a number of other TV series, mainly Westerns such as Gunsmoke, Laramie, Bonanza, Maverick, Stagecoach West, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bronco, and Wichita Town, as well as detective series such as Perry Mason, Surfside 6, and 77 Sunset Strip.

Coogan retired from film and television around 1964. In later life he was best known as a professional golfer and golf instructor.

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Surfside 6

Surfside 6

(1 episode)

5.0

1960

The Clear Horizon

(230 episodes)

5.0

1960

Johnny Midnight

Johnny Midnight

Hans Weidman · (1 episode)

0.0

1960

Vice Raid

Vice Raid

Police Sgt. Whitey Brandon

6.2

1959

Wichita Town

Wichita Town

(1 episode)

4.2

1959

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

(1 episode)

6.7

1958

Bronco

Bronco

(1 episode)

5.2

1958

The Californians

The Californians

Marshal Matthew Wayne · (69 episodes)

5.3

1957

Maverick

Maverick

(1 episode)

6.8

1957

Perry Mason

Perry Mason

Police Sgt. Gifford · (1 episode)

7.7

1957

Sugarfoot

Sugarfoot

Judd Mallory · (1 episode)

4.8

1957

The Revolt of Mamie Stover

The Revolt of Mamie Stover

Capt. Eldon Sumac

6.5

1956

Cheyenne

Cheyenne

(1 episode)

5.8

1955

Three Hours to Kill

Three Hours to Kill

Niles Hendricks

5.0

1954

Girl on the Run

Girl on the Run

Bill Martin

5.0

1953

Captain Video and His Video Rangers

(2 episodes)

4.0

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

Luke · (1 episode)

6.6

1955

Letter to Loretta

Letter to Loretta

Henry Roberts · (1 episode)

6.5

1953

Love of Life

(219 episodes)

5.0

1951

Robert Montgomery Presents

Robert Montgomery Presents

(1 episode)

5.6

1950

Suspense

Suspense

Investigator Westcott · (1 episode)

4.9

1949

Suspense

Suspense

(3 episodes)

4.9

1949

The Philco Television Playhouse

The Philco Television Playhouse

(1 episode)

6.3

1948