Robert Alexander Cochran, a renowned actor, was born in Eureka, California, to a lumberjack father who relocated the family to Wyoming in the 1920s. Cochran spent his formative years in Wyoming, graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1939. He began his acting career in summer stock and regional theaters, eventually moving to Broadway. In 1945, he signed with MGM, playing mostly secondary roles as gangsters or boxers in films such as "Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion" (1945) and "Wonder Man" (1945).
After being released from his contract in 1948, Cochran returned to Broadway, working with the legendary Mae West. He then signed with Warner Brothers, earning leading roles in films like "The Damned Don't Cry" (1950),"Highway 301" (1950),and "Tomorrow is Another Day" (1951). Warner Brothers often cast him as the villain in western films, such as "Dallas" (1950) and "Back to God's Country" (1953).
Cochran's contract with Warner Brothers ended in 1953, and he went on to establish his own film company, Robert Alexander Productions. He continued to freelance for other studios and appeared in guest roles on television shows like "Death Valley Days," "Burke's Law," "The Untouchables," "Naked City," "The Twilight Zone," "Route 66," and "The Virginian."
Despite his success, Cochran was known for his tumultuous personal life, marrying and divorcing three times. He was also notorious for his numerous affairs with actresses, including Mae West, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Crawford, Merle Oberon, Ida Lupino, and Mamie Van Doren.
Tragically, Cochran's life came to a mysterious end in 1965. He had revived his production company and boarded his 40-foot yacht with three women, whom he had hired as assistants, to travel to Central and South America in search of filming locations. On June 25, 1965, the yacht drifted into Port Champerico, Guatemala, with three distressed women aboard and the body of Steve Cochran, who had died ten days earlier. The official cause of his death was given as Acute Infectious Edema, a lung infection, but there were numerous rumors of murder and poisoning.
