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At
the time of his birth, Dan Blocker was reported to be the largest
baby born to Bowie County, Texas. He only got bigger from there.
He began acting in college, though he pursued a career as a
teacher. When he moved to Los Angeles in the late Œ50s to work
on his PhD, he began talking bit parts in television Westerns
to make ends meet. He eventually was cast as the hulking Hoss
Cartwright on Bonanza.
As with his each of his cast mates, Blocker was heard on
two Bonanza cast albums, and also had a solo album
of his own of pop tunes. He also owned a chain of restaurants
called the Bonanza Steak House in the 1960s. Sadly, Blocker
died of a blood clot to the brain on May 13, 1972. Though
the show went on, his presence was sorely missed, and Bonanza
soon ceased production. |
