Harry Carey: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Harry Carey Jr. (born Henry George Carey Jr. on May 16, 1921) was raised on a ranch near the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California, the son of silent‑film star Harry Carey and actress Olive Carey. His childhood was steeped in frontier life; he learned to speak Navajo, earned the nickname “Dobe” for his adobe‑colored hair, and grew up among horses and cattle on the family property that later became Tesoro Adobe Park. A grandson of vaudeville entertainer George Fuller Golden, Carey Jr. was immersed in show business from an early age, yet he initially pursued a singing career after World War II before returning to his family's acting tradition. During the war he served six years in the U.S. Navy as a Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class, later joining a Naval photographic unit attached to the OSS under the direction of his father’s friend, filmmaker John Ford, where he helped produce training films.

After his service, Harry Carey Jr. entered the John Ford Stock Company, appearing in a string of iconic westerns such as 3 Godfathers (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). He collaborated repeatedly with directors John Ford, Howard Hawks, and John Wayne, sharing the screen with legends in films like Red River, Monkey Business, and Rio Bravo (scenes deleted). His television work includes memorable roles on Spin and Marty, Have Gun – Will Travel, and The Lone Ranger. In later years he turned up in cult classics such as Gremlins (1984), Mask (1985), and a cameo in Back to the Future Part III (1990). A recipient of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, the Golden Boot Award (1987), and induction into the Western Performers Hall of Fame (2003), he authored the memoir Company of Heroes (1996) before passing away on December 27, 2012 in Santa Barbara, leaving behind a lasting legacy as one of the last living members of Ford’s celebrated troupe.