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John Davis Chandler

John Davis Chandler

Birthday: 1935-01-28 | Place of Birth: Hinton, West Virginia, USA

John Davis Chandler (1935–2010) was an American character actor renowned for his distinctive, intense onscreen presence and his prolific career playing villains, outlaws, and shady miscreants. Born in Hinton, West Virginia, and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, he broke into film in 1961 by landing the title role of real-life 1930s gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll in the biopic Mad Dog Coll. That breakout performance cemented his niche as an exceptional on-screen heavy, enabling him to carve out a nearly 40-year career spanning more than a hundred film and television credits. Throughout his career, Chandler became a familiar face in classic Westerns and gritty crime dramas, notably collaborating multiple times with director Sam Peckinpah in films such as Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Mainstream audiences also recognize him for playing the sneering gang leader Bleak in the 1987 action-comedy Adventures in Babysitting, alongside feature work in Capone, Only the Lonely, and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. In addition to his extensive film resume, he was a ubiquitous television guest star, appearing on classic programs ranging from The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Adam-12, and Columbo to Murder, She Wrote. Science fiction fans also remember him for his appearance as the Orion character Flith in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine sixth-season episode "Honor Among Thieves". He passed away on February 16, 2010, at the age of 75 in Toluca Lake, California, due to cancer.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1995
Sharon's Secret

as    Stan

1994
1990
Double Revenge

as    Big Charlie

1990
Crash and Burn

as    Bud

1987
Adventures in Babysitting

as    Bleak

1987
Love Among Thieves

as    San Francisco Desk Clerk

1978
Doc Hooker's Bunch

as    Roy

1977
The Shadow of Chikara

as    Rafe

1977
Whiskey Mountain

as    Rudy

1976
Mako: The Jaws of Death

as    Charlie

1976
Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy

as    Dr. Cheech

1976
Scorchy

as    Nicky

1975
Capone

as    Hymie Weiss

1975
Walking Tall Part II

as    Ray Henry

1975
The Desperate Miles

as    Truck Driver

1974
The Ultimate Thrill

as    Evans

1972
Drag Racer

as    Dave

1972
Moon of the Wolf

as    Tom Jr.

1971
Shoot Out

as    Skeeter (as John Chandler)

1970
Barquero

as    Fair

1969
1968
The Hooked Generation

as    Acid

1967
Return of the Gunfighter

as    Sundance