Royal Dano; Character Actor

Royal Dano, the durable character actor who graced some 300 films and television shows over more than four decades, died Sunday at his home in Santa Monica. He was 71.

Dano died of pulmonary fibrosis, and his wife, Peggy, and son, Richard, were at his side, said Milton Ebbins, Dano’s manager.

Ebbins said the Western and action film entertainer was also known for portraying Abraham Lincoln. Ebbins said Dano provided the voice used in Disneyland’s original animatronic version of the Civil War President.

Born in New York and educated at New York University, Dano had the height and brawny good looks for various supporting roles, and often played villains.

He began his career on Broadway and made his film debut in 1950 in “Undercover Girl.”

Dano’s other films included “The Red Badge of Courage” in 1951, “Johnny Guitar” in 1954, “The Trouble With Harry” in 1955, “Moby Dick” in 1956, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in 1960 and “King of Kings,” in 1961.

More recently, he appeared in “The Undefeated” in 1969, “Skin Game” in 1971, “The Outlaw Josey Wales” in 1976 and “The Right Stuff” in 1983.

Last year, Dano was honored along with Robert Horton, Will Hutchins and Marie Windsor by the Tuolumne County Wild West Film Festival as a veteran of Westerns filmed in the California Gold Country.

In addition to his wife and son, Dano is survived by a brother, Caleb; a sister, Martha, and a grandson.