Edgar Buchanan

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Edgar Buchanan March 20 1903 April 4 1979 was an American actor with a long career in both film and television most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s As Uncle Joe he took over as proprietor of the Shady Rest Hotel following the death of Bea Benaderet who had played Kate Bradley Early life Edgar Buchanan was born to Rose Kee Buchanan and William Edgar Buchanan Sr DDS in Humansville Missouri He moved with his family to Oregon when he was seven His father had a dental practice in Eugene Oregon and encouraged his son to follow suit Buchanan Senior did not approve of his sons acting ambitions and pushed him to pursue dentistry instead According to authors Arden and Joan Christen Edgars father believed to choose a career in the theater was to settle for a life of mediocrity and uncertainty Nevertheless Edgar took courses in theater at the University of Oregon as a premed student and was part of a Portland acting troupe in graduate school He was also involved in the founding of the Portland Civic Theatre In 1928 Edgar earned his DDS degree from North Pacific College School of Dentistry in Portland Oregon which later became Oregon Health Science University School of Dentistry During his time there he met his future wife Mildred Millie Spence 19071987 They married in 1928 the same year they both graduated with dental degrees The couple adopted a son and named him William Edgar Buck Buchanan III Big changes came in 1939 when the family of three relocated their dental practice from Eugene Oregon to Altadena California There Edgar joined the Pasadena Playhouse as an actor Studio scouts spotted him performing at the playhouse and signed him into a sevenyear deal in Hollywood That same year he appeared in his first film at age 36 and he left dentistry for good Meanwhile his wife Dr Millie Buchanan DDS took over the dental practice while also supporting her husbands new career as his talent manager Career Buchanan appeared in more than 100 films including Texas 1941 in which he played a dentist and appeared with William Holden and Glenn Ford and later in Penny Serenade 1941 with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant Tombstone the Town Too Tough to Die 1942 The Talk of the Town 1942 with Ronald Colman Cary Grant and Jean Arthur The Man from Colorado 1948 Cheaper by the Dozen 1950 Shane 1953 She Couldnt Say No 1954 Ride the High Country 1962 with Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea McLintock 1963 with John Wayne Move Over Darling 1963 with Doris Day and James Garner and Benji 1974 Death Buchanan died from a stroke complicated by pneumonia in Palm Desert California in 1979 He was interred in the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles CLR Description above from the Wikipedia article Edgar Buchanan licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia