Doug McClure

Overview

Born
May 11, 1935 · Glendale, California, USA
Died
February 5, 1995 · Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA (lung cancer)
Birth name
Douglas Osborne McClure
Nickname
- Dougie
Height
6′ 1″ (1.85 m)

Douglas Osborne McClure was born on May 11, 1935 in Glendale, California. Educated at UCLA, this blond leading man long made a career of apparent agelessness. He played one young sidekick after another through numerous movies and one television series after another, playing 20ish roles into his late 40s. Although he made more than 500 appearances in his career (counting television episodes separately), he is undoubtedly best remembered as Trampas in the series The Virginian (1962) and Backtrack! (1969). McClure was fighting cancer the last couple of years before his death; despite this, he continued working, appearing in Maverick (1994) as one of the gamblers, as well as in Riders in the Storm (1995) and episodes of Burke's Law (1994) and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993) which did not appear until after his death. Doug McClure died at age 59 of lung cancer on February 5, 1995.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kat Parsons <fke2d@Virginia.EDU>

Along with Troy Donahue, he was the inspiration for the character Troy McClure on The Simpsons (1989).
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 16, 1994.
He reportedly enjoyed the character Troy McClure on The Simpsons (1989), for whom he served as the main inspiration alongside Troy Donahue, and his children would affectionately address him by the character's name behind his back.
Played the Errol Flynn role in a remake of Against All Flags (1952) titled The King's Pirate (1967). Coincidentally, both men died prematurely: Flynn at age 50 and McClure at age 59.
Following his death, he was interred at Woodland Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California. Plot Section 3-M. He passed away on February 5, 1995, three months away from what would have been his 60th birthday on May 11.

Watching The Sound of Music (1965) is like being beaten to death by a Hallmark card.
I had this feeling everybody thought I was dead. I didn't quit. I did some films and theater in London. I went to New York. But I had been on television so much, people thought [if I wasn't on television] I wasn't around.
[1962, on beginning 'The Virginian']: I'm back where I want to be. I like doing outdoor shows. I'm out in the fresh air instead of being cooped up in a stage all day, and this show gives you a chance to get a little color in the characterization. In a detective show, most of the dialogue is along the lines of 'Where were you on the night of Jan. 12?'

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