Hank Worden

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Hank Worden, veteran character actor, died in his sleep of natural causes on Dec. 6. He was 91.

Best known for his character roles in westerns, Worden’s career began when he and roommate Tex Ritter were picked from the rodeo circuit to play cowhands in the Broadway show “Green Grow the Lilacs” in 1930.

In 1936, Florenz Ziegfeld’s widow, Billie Burke, helped Worden obtain work in the Gary Cooper starrer “The Plainsman.” From that time on he appeared in a succession of westerns including John Ford’s “The Searchers,””Fort Apache” and “Three Godfathers.”

Worden was also seen in more than a dozen John Wayne films, including “The Fighting Kentuckian,””Chisum,””Rio Lobo,””The Alamo” and “Angel and the Bad Man.”

In recent years his credits included “Smokey and the Bandit,””Every Which Way But Loose,””Bronco Billy” and his last film, 1990’s “Almost an Angel.” In all, Worden appeared in 116 feature films.

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His television work included “The Lone Ranger” and “Bonanza” and, more recently, a recurring role on “Twin Peaks” and an episode of “Cop Rock.”

He is survived by a daughter and a grandson. Longtime friend and fellow character actor Pat Buttram will deliver the eulogy at funeral services to be held at Forest Lawn, Glendale Dec. 11 at 2:30 p.m.

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