Randy Boone - Acting Career

Acting Career

At twenty, Boone co-starred in his first acting role as Vern Hodges in the 1962–1963 NBC comedy-drama It's a Man's World, based on the activities of four young men living on a houseboat on the Ohio River.

After It's a Man's World, Boone's career skyrocketed. He guest starred as Pete Tanner in the episode "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans" on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Thereafter, came his three Wagon Train episodes, entitled "The Eli Bancroft Story" in which Boone appeared as Noah Bancroft, "The Robert Harrison Clarke Story", with Boone in the role of Private Jamie, and "The David Garner Story", with Boone as David Garner. Boone also appeared as Private Michael McCluskey in "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" episode of The Twilight Zone, which aired on CBS on December 6, 1963.

In 1963, Boone also joined The Virginian cast in its second season with the returning costars James Drury, Doug McClure, Gary Clarke, and Lee J. Cobb. Boone appeared in forty-six episodes over three seasons as the singing cowboy Randy Benton, a romantic interest for a time for Betsy Garth, played by Roberta Shore. He also appeared with cast members Clu Gulager and Diane Roter.

He won the Bronze Wrangler award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1966 for his acting in the episode titled "The Horse Fighter" with the following cast and crew: Lee J. Cobb, James Drury, Doug McClure, Harry Guardino, Clu Gulager and Diane Roter (actors). Norman MacDonnell and James Duff McAdams (producers). Richard Fielder (writer) and Anton Leader (director).

While on The Virginian, he guest starred on David Janssen's ABC series The Fugitive. He also starred in the film Country Boy as Link Byrd, Jr., a country singer. After The Virginian, Boone guest starred on episodes of Combat!, Bonanza, and Hondo.

From 1967 to 1968, Boone co-starred in the western series Cimarron Strip in the role of 25-year-old photographer Francis Wilde, who is also a part-time deputy to Marshal Jim Crown, portrayed by series star Stuart Whitman. After Cimarron Strip, Boone made a few television appearances, including NBC's Emergency! in 1973 and ABC's Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin in 1974. The following year, he appeared as Deputy Dickie Haycroft in the television movie Savages, with co-stars Andy Griffith, Sam Bottoms, Noah Beery, Jr., and James Best.

His last role was as Farkas in the 1987 film The Wild Pair (also known as The Devil's Odds), about a narcotics officer and a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent.