Ray Teal
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902 – April 2, 1976) was an American actor. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the television series Bonanza (1959–1972), which was only one of dozens of sheriffs on television and in movies that he played during his long and prolific career stretching from 1937 to 1970. He appeared in pictures such as Western Jamboree (1938) with Gene Autry, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) with Fredric March and Myrna Loy, The Black Arrow (1948), Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster.
Teal was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A saxophone player, he worked his way through the University of California, Los Angeles as a bandleader before becoming an actor.
His longest-running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee, a law-enforcing sheriff on Bonanza. Teal was one of the most senior members of the crew having a permanent role. He had also played a sheriff in the Billy Wilder film Ace in the Hole (1951). Teal co-starred in numerous TV westerns throughout his career: he appeared five times on Cheyenne, four times on The Lone Ranger, on The Alaskans, three times in different roles on another long-running western series, Wagon Train, on NBC's Tales of Wells Fargo, on the ABC western series Broken Arrow, five times on the ABC western comedy Maverick, on the CBS western series The Texan, the NBC western series The Californians, twice on Colt .45, once on Wanted: Dead or Alive, and as "Sheriff Clay" for a single 1960 episode of the NBC western series Riverboat, and four times on a western series about the rodeo titled Wide Country.
After more than 15 years performing in films and in early television, Teal secured a recurring role as a police officer in the 1953–1955 ABC sitcom with a variety-show theme, Where's Raymond?, later renamed The Ray Bolger Show.
In 1955, Teal appeared as McCanles, a ruthless cattle baron in the episode "Julesburg" of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series, Cheyenne. Altogether, Teal appeared five times on Cheyenne. He later appeared in a guest-starring role in another ABC/WB Western series, The Alaskans. From 1957 to 1962, Teal was cast three times in different roles on the Western series, Wagon Train. He also appeared in a number of episodes of Bat Masterson, an episode of The Rifleman and later in Green Acres.
In 1957, Teal played a lawman, Captain McNelly, in the episode "Sam Bass" of NBC's Tales of Wells Fargo. Teal was cast as Fenster in "The Bounty Hunters" (1957) on the ABC Western series, Broken Arrow. In 1958, Teal guest-starred "No Tears for the Dead" on the CBS Western series, The Texan. He also later appeared in the CBS sitcom, Dennis the Menace.
In 1960, Teal was cast as Sheriff Roy Coffee in Bonanza, a role he played until 1972, appearing in 98 episodes, occasionally as the lead character. He also portrayed judge/dentist/shoe repairman H.G. Cogswell in Bat Masterson starring Gene Barry.
He died of undisclosed causes on April 2, 1976, at age 74 in Santa Monica, California. CLR
Personal info
Gender
Male
Birthday
1902-01-12
Place of birth
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Images
Cast
Decoy
1946
5.80
Rogue Cop
1954
5.30
The Princess and the Pirate
1944
6.90
The Long Night
1947
5.55
Dangerous Business
1946
0.00
Ace in the Hole
1951
7.86
Nothing But Trouble
1944
6.00
Black Bart
1948
4.50
She Has What It Takes
1943
0.00
Home Town Story
1951
4.60
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
4.80
Tomorrow Is Another Day
1951
6.50
Edge of Doom
1950
5.90
Gunman's Walk
1958
6.60
Band of Angels
1957
6.20
Jumping Jacks
1952
6.36
The Man from Colorado
1948
6.70
The Turning Point
1952
6.20
Thousands Cheer
1943
6.40
Bathing Beauty
1944
5.70
Distant Drums
1951
6.23
Blonde Alibi
1946
3.90
The Captive City
1952
6.10
Kazan
1949
0.00
Decision at Sundown
1957
6.30
I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes
1948
5.50
The Desperate Hours
1955
7.00
Third Finger, Left Hand
1940
6.80
One-Eyed Jacks
1961
6.70
Bristle Face
1964
0.00
Secret Command
1944
6.80
Along Came Jones
1945
5.60
Fort Worth
1951
6.70
Hangman's Knot
1952
6.40
Whistling in Brooklyn
1943
6.30
The Clock
1945
7.10
High Wall
1947
6.25
Shadow of the Thin Man
1941
6.96
Crime Doctor
1943
6.20
The Indian Fighter
1955
6.20
The Chance of a Lifetime
1943
6.20
Sudan
1945
6.30
The Hanged Man
1974
4.00
Montana Belle
1952
5.90
The Burning Hills
1956
6.00
Home from the Hill
1960
6.71
The Countess of Monte Cristo
1948
5.00
The Redhead and the Cowboy
1951
4.90
Brute Force
1947
7.30
Driftwood
1947
6.10
About Mrs. Leslie
1954
7.00
The Oklahoman
1957
5.60
The Command
1954
6.20
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap
1953
6.50
Bullet for a Badman
1964
6.21
Deadline for Murder
1946
0.00
Cattle King
1963
6.20
The Petty Girl
1950
3.64
The Tall Stranger
1957
6.53
Fury at Furnace Creek
1948
6.00
Streets of Laredo
1949
5.90
Warpath
1951
5.80
The Missing Lady
1946
4.64
Secret Enemies
1942
5.20
Hello Out There
1949
5.10
Harbor of Missing Men
1950
5.50
Girl on the Run
1958
0.00
Cattle Town
1952
6.70
The Lion and the Horse
1952
5.70
The Man from Bitter Ridge
1955
5.80
Lucky Me
1954
6.70
Once More, My Darling
1949
5.70
The Young Guns
1956
6.80
One Sunday Afternoon
1948
6.00
Western Jamboree
1938
5.00
Adventures of Red Ryder
1940
5.50
Apache Ambush
1955
6.00
Pony Post
1940
0.00
Adventure
1945
6.20
Till the Clouds Roll By
1946
5.70
Anchors Aweigh
1945
6.80
Give Me a Sailor
1938
5.80
Raw Deal
1948
6.65
Our Very Own
1950
5.40
Posse from Hell
1961
6.20
It Happens Every Spring
1949
6.52
Whispering Smith
1948
6.57
Chisum
1970
6.70
Apache Trail
1942
6.40
Utah Blaine
1957
6.60
The Asphalt Jungle
1950
7.49
Hazard
1948
8.00
Radio Patrol
1937
0.00
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961
8.02
The Wild One
1953
6.57
Billy the Kid
1941
4.98
Carrie
1952
6.40
The Guns of Fort Petticoat
1957
6.30
Star Reporter
1939
3.42
Prairie Chickens
1943
0.00
The Men
1950
7.00
Nazi Agent
1942
6.58
Ambush
1950
5.20
Main Street After Dark
1945
4.00
Viva Cisco Kid
1940
5.50
Inherit the Wind
1960
7.70
Strange Voyage
1946
6.00
Desert Fury
1947
6.00
The Green Hornet Strikes Again!
1940
6.20
Prairie Schooners
1940
6.00
Tenth Avenue Angel
1948
6.00
Along the Great Divide
1951
7.30
The Phantom Stagecoach
1957
5.00
No Way Out
1950
6.90
Road House
1948
6.70
Calling Dr. Gillespie
1942
6.50
U-Boat Prisoner
1944
6.00
Winchester '73
1950
7.30
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
1970
5.80
The Sea of Grass
1947
6.07
The Black Arrow
1948
5.20
Trail of the Vigilantes
1940
0.00
Roses Are Red
1947
5.50
Run for Cover
1955
6.70
Dead Reckoning
1946
6.80
Taggart
1965
5.40
Sergeant York
1941
7.19
Northwest Passage
1940
6.50
The Wild North
1952
6.90
Strange Cargo
1940
7.00
Kitty Foyle
1940
6.50
My Favorite Brunette
1947
6.63
New Moon
1940
6.50
The Peanut Man
1947
0.00
I Love You Again
1940
7.20
Florian
1940
1.00
Melody Ranch
1940
5.80
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout
1950
4.90
When You're Smiling
1950
0.00
Rusty's Birthday
1949
4.00
The Kid from Texas
1950
5.30
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1942
4.70
Outlaws of the Panhandle
1941
6.00
Ramrod
1947
6.50
Northwest Rangers
1942
6.00
Overland Mail
1942
0.00
Undercover Maisie
1947
8.00
They Died with Their Boots On
1941
6.61
Honky Tonk
1941
6.40
Don Winslow of the Navy
1942
0.00
Hacksaw
1971
6.10
Woman of the Year
1942
6.90
Rage at Dawn
1955
6.10
Dangerous Blondes
1943
6.00
Slightly Dangerous
1943
6.13
The Strange Woman
1946
6.11
American Spoken Here
1940
0.00
Quicksand
1950
6.00
None Shall Escape
1944
6.30
Cry of the Werewolf
1944
4.60
The Bugle Sounds
1942
6.00
The Missing Juror
1944
6.00
The Best Years of Our Lives
1946
7.78
Walk a Crooked Mile
1948
6.00
Deep Valley
1947
5.62
Bad Boy
1949
6.80
A Gun in His Hand
1945
5.80
Main Street Today
1944
6.20
Madame Curie
1943
7.20
The Secret of Convict Lake
1951
6.60
The Miracle of the Bells
1948
5.90
Ode to Victory
1943
3.00
Fingers at the Window
1942
5.50
Strange Affair
1944
6.20
Escape from Crime
1942
5.20
The Adventures of Gallegher
1965
0.00
Gallegher Goes West
1966
0.00
Hollywood Canteen
1944
7.30
Where Danger Lives
1950
6.40
Convicted
1950
6.00
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
1949
4.70
Back to Bataan
1945
6.02
Captain Kidd
1945
6.20
Saddle the Wind
1958
6.51
Gun Crazy
1950
7.42
The Wayward Girl
1957
6.00
Mr. Soft Touch
1949
6.80
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
1946
5.00
Ziegfeld Girl
1941
6.47
Michigan Kid
1947
6.00
Joan of Arc
1948
6.10
The Blessed Midnight
1956
5.00
Flaming Feather
1952
5.80
Maisie Goes to Reno
1944
6.20
Undercover Maisie
1947
8.00
Daredevils of the Clouds
1948
6.00
Keep Your Powder Dry
1945
5.90
The Man from Colorado
1948
6.70
Cheyenne
1947
6.80
Canyon Passage
1946
6.59
The Soul of a Monster
1944
5.10
Southside 1-1000
1950
5.88
The Harvey Girls
1946
6.50