Gerald McRaney

Gerald McRaney
Gerald McRaney, March 28, 2000
Born	Gerald Lee McRaney
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Delta Burke (1989-present) Pat Moran (1981-1989; divorced) 1 child Beverly Root (1967-1971; divorced) 2 children

Gerald Lee "Mac" McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the 1980s television shows Simon & Simon and Major Dad. He currently stars in Undercovers, a 2010 television series created by J.J Abrams.

Early life

McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son of Edna and Clyde McRaney, a builder. He is of Scottish and Choctaw Indian ancestry. He attended college at the University of Mississippi. Before hitting it big as an actor, McRaney worked in the Louisiana oil fields.

Career

McRaney holds the distinction of being the last guest star to meet Marshal Matt Dillon in a gunfight on Gunsmoke, in the episode "Hard Labor," which was first broadcast on February 24, 1975. He also starred in 1969's Night of Bloody Horror, a low-budget slasher film in which he played the lead character Wesley Stuart. He also played a receptionist in two different episodes of The Rockford Files and a heroin-addicted Vietnam War veteran in one episode of Hawaii Five-O. In addition, he starred in numerous episodes of The Incredible Hulk playing roles as a jealous boyfriend, an evil race car driver, and an angry police officer. He played an unnamed town local in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. However, McRaney is perhaps best known as one of the stars of the 1980s television show Simon & Simon. A veteran actor of television, he is also known for starring roles on Major Dad and Promised Land, and a recurring role on Designing Women. McRaney portrayed General Alan Adamle in two episodes of the NBC drama The West Wing. He played a prominent role in the second and third seasons of HBO television series Deadwood, as famed gold prospector George Hearst. McRaney had a starring role in the CBS post-apocalyptic series Jericho as Johnston Green. In addition, he has acted in many television films such as Not Our Son (1995), Going for Broke (2003), as General George S. Patton in Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004), and appeared as Dan's father in One Tree Hill. He also starred in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In 1999 he starred in the film A Holiday Romance as Cal Peterson. In the late 2000s, McRaney co-hosted the cable outdoor hunting and shooting series (a McRaney hobby) "The World of Beretta", which featured rifle and shotgun products of the sponsor in a number of exciting hunting locations around the world; and often featured a celebrity shooter to hunt with McRaney.

Personal life

He married actress Delta Burke, whom he met during her guest appearance on a Simon & Simon episode two years earlier, on May 28, 1989. She is his third wife. Although he played a Marine Corps veteran on Simon and Simon and a Marine Corps officer on Major Dad, McRaney is not one himself but has always been very supportive of veterans. He made many visits to support the soldiers in Operation Desert Storm. He personally delivered a message that blessed the troops on winning the war. During one USO-sponsored trip, McRaney visited sailors and Marines onboard ships ported in Toulon, France on Thanksgiving of 1993. He signed autographs for the men on board the ships. While on board the USS Ashland, he even autographed one sailor's cowboy hat. He also visited troops during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1993.

Politically he is a conservative Republican. and a member of the National Rifle Association.

In September 2004, McRaney was treated surgically, and apparently wholly successfully, for lung cancer in Houston, Texas.

In 2010 he was the host of a cable series on Spike TV encouraging viewers "Don't be a Victim" titled: "Practical Tactical", "What If", "Because Lives Depend on it", and "Concealed Carry School". One episode highlighted an instance where his lifelong friend and former costar Jameson Parker was shot twice.

External links

• Gerald McRaney at IMDb