Brad Dexter

Brad Dexter, born Boris Michel Soso on April 9, 1917 in Goldfield, Nevada, was a classic American actor and film producer renowned for his rugged, tough‑guy presence on screen. The second of three sons to Serbian immigrants Marko and Ljubica Šošo, he grew up speaking Serbian at home before the family relocated to Los Angeles, where he attended Belmont High School and later the Pasadena Playhouse to study acting. After a brief stint as an amateur boxer, Dexter served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, where he met fellow Serbian‑American Karl Malden and appeared uncredited in the wartime morale film Winged Victory (1944).** **Following the war he entered Hollywood under the name Barry Mitchell, appearing in low‑budget westerns such as Heldorado (1946) and Sinbad the Sailor (1947). He soon adopted the stage name Brad Dexter and broke through with a villainous turn in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Over the next decade he became a staple of the studio system, delivering memorable antagonistic performances in films like The Las Vegas Story (1951), Macao (1952), and Untamed (1955). His most iconic role came as the cold‑hearted gunslinger Harry Luck in John Sturges’s celebrated western The Magnificent Seven (1960), which cemented his place in cinema history. **Beyond acting, Dexter cultivated a high‑profile friendship with Frank Sinatra after rescuing the singer from drowning in 1964, an act that earned him a Red Cross medal and later a vice‑presidential role at Sinatra Enterprises. He produced several notable films for director Sidney J. Furie, including Lady Sings the Blues (1972). Dexter’s personal life included marriages to singer Peggy Lee (1953), heiress Mary Bogdanovich (1971‑1994), and June Dyer (1994‑2002). He died of emphysema on December 12, 2002 in Rancho Mirage, California, leaving a legacy of tough‑character roles and behind‑the‑scenes contributions to Hollywood’s golden era.