Ray Teal

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Ray Elgin Teal January 12 1902 April 2 1976 was an American actor His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the television series Bonanza 19591972 which was only one of dozens of sheriffs on television and in movies that he played during his long and prolific career stretching from 1937 to 1970 He appeared in pictures such as Western Jamboree 1938 with Gene Autry The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 with Fredric March and Myrna Loy The Black Arrow 1948 Billy Wilders Ace in the Hole 1951 and Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster Teal was born in Grand Rapids Michigan A saxophone player he worked his way through the University of California Los Angeles as a bandleader before becoming an actor His longestrunning role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee a lawenforcing sheriff on Bonanza Teal was one of the most senior members of the crew having a permanent role He had also played a sheriff in the Billy Wilder film Ace in the Hole 1951 Teal costarred in numerous TV westerns throughout his career he appeared five times on Cheyenne four times on The Lone Ranger on The Alaskans three times in different roles on another longrunning western series Wagon Train on NBCs Tales of Wells Fargo on the ABC western series Broken Arrow five times on the ABC western comedy Maverick on the CBS western series The Texan the NBC western series The Californians twice on Colt 45 once on Wanted Dead or Alive and as Sheriff Clay for a single 1960 episode of the NBC western series Riverboat and four times on a western series about the rodeo titled Wide Country After more than 15 years performing in films and in early television Teal secured a recurring role as a police officer in the 19531955 ABC sitcom with a varietyshow theme Wheres Raymond later renamed The Ray Bolger Show In 1955 Teal appeared as McCanles a ruthless cattle baron in the episode Julesburg of the ABCWarner Bros Western series Cheyenne Altogether Teal appeared five times on Cheyenne He later appeared in a gueststarring role in another ABCWB Western series The Alaskans From 1957 to 1962 Teal was cast three times in different roles on the Western series Wagon Train He also appeared in a number of episodes of Bat Masterson an episode of The Rifleman and later in Green Acres In 1957 Teal played a lawman Captain McNelly in the episode Sam Bass of NBCs Tales of Wells Fargo Teal was cast as Fenster in The Bounty Hunters 1957 on the ABC Western series Broken Arrow In 1958 Teal gueststarred No Tears for the Dead on the CBS Western series The Texan He also later appeared in the CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace In 1960 Teal was cast as Sheriff Roy Coffee in Bonanza a role he played until 1972 appearing in 98 episodes occasionally as the lead character He also portrayed judgedentistshoe repairman HG Cogswell in Bat Masterson starring Gene Barry He died of undisclosed causes on April 2 1976 at age 74 in Santa Monica California CLR