# Iconic Western Actor Ben Cooper passes away at 86 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-western-actor-ben-cooper-passes-away-at-86/848570 "2020-02-26T18:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-western-actor-ben-cooper-passes-away-at-86/848570/1 "2020-02-26T18:39:37Z")
You may not recognize Ben Cooper’s name, but his face should be familiar to any fan of Westerns. He did a lot of Western movies in the 1950’s and guest-starred in many of the 1960’s tv Westerns. My favorite movie is Johnny Guitar with Ernest Borgnine and Joan Crawford. Ben Cooper played a villain in that one. Thank you Ben for so many hours of wonderful entertainment. R.I.P. Cast of Johnny Guitar. Cooper is standing next to Ernest Borgnine. Joan Crawford at her best! [![](https://www.westernmovies.fr/image/556/johnnyguitar.jpg) ](https://www.westernmovies.fr/image/556/johnnyguitar.jpg) > **[Ben Cooper, Actor in ‘Johnny Guitar’ and Lots of Other Westerns, Dies at 86](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ben-cooper-dead-actor-johnny-guitar-westerns-was-86-1281129/)** > > Ben Cooper, who portrayed the bandit Turkey Ralston in the Joan Crawford drama 'Johnny Guitar,' just one of his many appearances in Westerns on television and the big screen, has died. He was 86. > [@](#): > > Cooper also worked opposite Audie Murphy in Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963) and Arizona Raiders (1965), and stood out in Rebel in Town (1956), Duel at Apache Wells (1957), Waco (1966), Roy Orbison’s The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) and One More Train to Rob (1971). > > He also was on Gunsmoke three times as well as on Bonanza, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Death Valley Days and a 1961 Civil War-set episode of The Twilight Zone. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-western-actor-ben-cooper-passes-away-at-86/848570/2 "2020-02-26T18:54:35Z")
Wasn’t he the gunfighter involved in the exchange between Latigo and Jud: “You hit him from behind!” “Just as hard as I could.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-western-actor-ben-cooper-passes-away-at-86/848570/3 "2020-02-26T19:02:50Z")
I think your referring to Support Your Local Gunfighter? James Garner played Latigo. Ben Cooper played Colorado. I vaguely recall the dialogue you mentioned. It’s been awhile since I saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-western-actor-ben-cooper-passes-away-at-86/848570/4 "2020-02-26T21:10:49Z")
Not one of the major Western actors, but hey, worth an IMDb [link](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0177879/). Last listed is in 1995, the _Kung Fu_ follow on series. (And earlier on the original.) Note really all-Westerns but pretty good number of them. Looking down the far end, hey he was in _Thunderbirds_. Oops, not that one. Anybody remember him in [this](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734624/) _Twilight Zone_? (I don’t.) Five different roles on five different _Perry Masons_.