CHUCK CONNORS

April 10, 1921

Chuck Connors was born Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors in Brooklyn, New York. He was one of only 13 athletes in history to have played both Major League Baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers 1949, Chicago Cubs, 1951) and in the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1947–48). 

With a 40-year film and television career, he is best known for his five-year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated ABC series “The Rifleman” (168 episodes; 1958–63).

On the cancellation of “The Rifleman” in 1963: “I knew what ‘The Lucy Show’ would do to our ratings and I didn’t want to wait around until our show was dropped and I might be an actor nobody wanted. The show would have gone five years, and that’s long enough. By that time, you have done everything possible with your characters. If you keep on going, you’re just cheating the public.”

He made his screen debut as a Policeman in the 1952 film Pat and Mike starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.  

“They paid me $500 for my week’s work in that movie. I figured they’d made some mistake on the adding machine, but I stuck the check in my pocket and shut up. Baseball, I told myself, just lost a first baseman.” ~ Chuck Connors

The following year he made his television debut on a December 1953 episode of “Your Jeweler’s Showcase” titled “Three and One Half Musketeers”. 

In 1955, he did an episode of “Cavalcade of America” filmed at Desilu Studios, and in 1958 he did two episodes of Desilu’s “The Adventures of Jim Bowie” as Cephas K. Ham. 

On December 17, 1973 Connors played himself on “Here’s Lucy” in “Lucy and Chuck Connors Have a Surprise Slumber Party” (HL S6;E13). 

At the time, Connors was also hosting “Thrillseekers” (1972-73), which he promotes on “Here’s Lucy.” 

Although this is his only appearance with Lucille Ball, he returned to playing comedy in 1982’s Airplane II: The Sequel.  

Connors died on November 10, 1992 at age 71. He was married three times and had four children.