Randolph Scott, 89, Hero of a Host of Westerns, Dies

Randolph Scott, the tall handsome cowboy in countless Hollywood Westerns, whose square-jawed countenance and poker-faced stare became the prototype for a generation of more modern Western heroes, died today at his Bel-Air home.

He was 89.

The actor’s son-in-law, Sam Tyler, said Scott died at 6 a.m. in his sleep. He had been in ill health in recent years, suffering from a weak heart, and had several bouts with pneumonia.

The Virginia-born Scott entered films in 1929 and became a leading man in the mid-30s with such movies as “She,” “The Last Roundup,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “High, Wide and Handsome” and “Jesse James.” He appeared in such musicals as “Roberta” and “Follow the Fleet,” both with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, as well as such screwball comedies as “My Favorite Wife” with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant.

During and after World War II, Scott dismounted to portray military heroes in such films as “Corvette K-225,” “Bombardier,” “Gung Ho!” and “China Sky.” But his most lasting fame came from Westerns, and he starred in dozens, including “Santa Fe,” “Fort Worth,” “Man in the Saddle,” “Man Behind the Gun,” “Ten Wanted Men,” “Ride Lonesome” and “Comanche Station.”

His last film was “Ride the High Country” in 1962.

Scott once said of Western pictures: “They have been the mainstay of the industry ever since its beginning. And they have been good to me. Westerns are a type of picture which everybody can see and enjoy.”

The laconic, slender, 6-foot-2 Scott, who shunned the Hollywood spotlight, was born Randolph Crane. He was educated at Georgia Tech and the University of North Carolina and enlisted in World War I by lying about his age, which was 17. He came to California and enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse, spawning ground for many future stars.

Throughout his Hollywood life, Scott lived quietly with his wife, the former Patricia Stillman, to whom he was married for 43 years. She survives him, as do a son, Christopher Scott; a daughter, Sandra Scott Tyler; a sister; two nieces, and three grandchildren.