Paul Brinegar was an American character actor, born on December 19, 1917, who is best known for his roles in three western television series: The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, and Lancer.
Brinegar's acting career began in the late 1940s, with his first credited appearance in the film Larceny in 1948. He went on to have a steady film career, which slowed down in the late 1950s as he began to focus on television. He appeared in over 100 western films between 1946 and 1994, often playing the role of a "feisty, grizzled cowboy sidekick".
On television, Brinegar played the role of James H. "Dog" Kelley, the mayor of Dodge City, Kansas, in the ABC/Desilu western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp from 1956 to 1958. He appeared in 33 episodes as Kelley and one other episode in a different role. He also played the role of Ludwig, a bartender, in the episode "The Ringer" of the western series The Texan with Rory Calhoun in 1959.
Brinegar is perhaps best remembered for his role as George Washington Wishbone, the cattle-drive cook, on the CBS series Rawhide from 1959 to 1966. He had previously played a similar role in the 1958 film Cattle Empire, which was the basis for Rawhide.
In addition to his work on Rawhide, Brinegar made two guest appearances on the CBS series Perry Mason. His first appearance was in 1958, where he played the role of Tom Sackett in the episode "The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary". His second appearance was in 1966, where he played the role of Jason Rohan in the episode "The Case of the Unwelcome Well".
Brinegar also had roles in several other western television series and films, including the CBS series Lancer from 1968 to 1970, where he played the role of Jelly Hoskins. He appeared in the western film Charro! in 1969, starring Elvis Presley, and played the role of a barman in Clint Eastwood's film High Plains Drifter in 1973.
In the 1980s, Brinegar returned to television, playing the role of Lamar Pettybone, a humorous cowboy-like character, in the first season of the ABC series Matt Houston from 1982 to 1983. He also reprised his role as Wishbone in the 1991 TV movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, where he delivered a brief monologue that included references to old television western series.
Paul Brinegar passed away on March 27, 1995, at the age of 77.
