Morgan Woodward

Thomas Morgan Woodward was an American character actor whose career spanned over four decades, making him a recognizable face in countless westerns, sci‑fi series, and soap operas. Born on September 16, 1925 in Fort Worth, Texas, he was the third of five sons of Dr. Valin Woodward and Frances McKinley, and grew up in nearby Arlington where he finished high school in 1944 before serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World II and later the Korean War. After his military service he pursued higher education, earning a B.B.A. in finance from North Texas Agriculture College in 1948 and briefly attending law school at the University of Texas at Austin, all while honing his performance skills on campus theater, local radio, and even singing with a barbershop quartet. Woodward made his first screen appearance in 1956 and quickly became a staple of television westerns, most notably as Deputy “Shotgun” Gibbs on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp for 42 episodes between 1958 and 1961, and for his record‑setting 19‑episode run on Gunsmoke, where he portrayed sixteen different characters. His versatility carried him into other genres, including the iconic role of the eyeless “Boss Godfrey” in the 1967 classic Cool Hand Luke and guest‑starring turns on the original Star Trek as Dr. Simon van Gelder and Captain Ron Tracey, experiences he described as physically and emotionally demanding. From 1980 to 1987 Woodward was a familiar presence on the prime‑time soap Dallas, playing Marvin “Punk” Anderson, a trusted confidant of the Ewing family, and he continued to appear in films and TV movies well into the 1990s. In addition to acting, he recorded a single in 1963, received the Golden Boot Award, and was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers in 2009, cementing his legacy as one of the most prolific and beloved western performers of his generation. He remained married to Enid Anne Loftis from 1950 until his death on February 22, 2019 in Hollywood Hills, California, leaving behind one child and a body of work that includes more than 250 screen credits.