Richard Allen Boone was a renowned American actor who made a lasting impact in the entertainment industry, starring in over 50 films and television shows. Born on June 18, 1917, in Los Angeles, California, Boone was the middle child of Cecile Beckerman and Kirk E. Boone, a corporate lawyer and descendant of Squire Boone, a brother to frontiersman Daniel Boone. His mother, Cecile, was Jewish, having immigrated from Russia.
Boone grew up in Glendale, California, and attended Hoover High School, where he developed a passion for the arts. He then enrolled at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. However, Boone did not complete his studies at Stanford and instead pursued various careers, including working as an oil-rigger, bartender, painter, and writer.
In 1941, Boone joined the United States Navy and served on three ships in the Pacific during World War II. He saw combat as an aviation ordnance, aircrewman, and tail gunner on Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, earning the rank of petty officer first class before his service ended.
Before his military career, Boone had attended the San Diego Army and Navy Academy, where he was introduced to theatre under the guidance of Virginia Atkinson. After the war, Boone used the G.I. Bill to study acting at the Actors Studio in New York.
Boone made his screen debut in 1950, starring as a Marine officer in the film Halls of Montezuma. He went on to appear in several military-themed films, including Call Me Mister, The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, and Red Skies of Montana. Boone's breakthrough role came in the 1950s, with parts in Return of the Texan, Kangaroo, and Way of a Gaucho.
Throughout his life, Boone was married three times: to Jane Hopper, Mimi Kelly, and Claire McAloon. He passed away on January 10, 1981, at his home in St. Augustine, Florida, due to complications from throat cancer. Boone's ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii.
