Edgar Buchanan

Edgar Buchanan was one of the most popular character actors of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.




Edgar Buchanan was born William Edgar Buchanan on March 20, 1903 in Humansville, Missouri. At the age of 7, he moved with his family to Oregon.

Like his father, Edgar Buchanan became a successful dentist. While in dental school, Edgar Buchanan met Mildred Marguerite Spence. The two married on April 14, 1928.

Edgar Buchanan graduated from North Pacific Dental College. From 1929 to 1939 he practiced oral surgery in Eugene, Oregon with his wife. They moved his practice to Altadena, California in 1939.

Edgar Buchanan joined the Pasadena Playhouse as an actor. He appeared in his first film in 1939, My Son Is Guilty at the age of thirty-six, after which he turned his dentistry practice over to his wife.

Edgar Buchanan appeared in more than 100 movies working along side John Wayne, Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Alan Ladd, Myrna Loy, William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck.

He appeared in films such as Too Many Husbands (1940), The Sea Hawk (1940), Penny Serenade (1941), You Belong to Me (1941), The Talk of the Town (1942), The Sea of Grass (1947), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Shane (1953), Wichita (1955), Donovan's Reef (1963) and McLintock! (1963).




Edgar Buchanan most frequently appeared along side Glenn Ford. They made 12 films together: My Son Is Guilty (1939), Arizona (1940), Texas (1941), The Desperadoes (1943), Destroyer (1943), Framed (1947), The Man from Colorado (1948), Lust for Gold (1949), Human Desire (1954), The Sheepman (1958), It Started with a Kiss (1959)
Cimarron (1960) and The Rounders (1965).

From 1971 to 1972, Edgar Buchanan (J.J. Jackson) and Glenn Ford (Sam Cade) starred in the television show Cade's County.





From 1952 to 1954, Edgar Buchanan played Red Connors in the television show Hopalong Cassidy.

From 1956 to 1957, Edgar Buchanan was Judge Roy Bean in the television show Judge Roy Bean.




In 1963, Edgar Buchanan was cast in the role he is most famous for: Uncle Joe on the hit sitcom Petticoat Junction. He would play Uncle Joe in 222 episodes from 1963 to 1970. He would also play Uncle Joe in guest appearances on Green Acres and The Beverely Hillbillies.




Edgar Buchanan made his final appearance in the 1974 film Benji with his Petticoat Junction co-star Higgins. Higgins had a close rapport with the actor Edgar Buchanan. The two actors had an obvious fondness for one another, which is especially clear in Benji.




Edgar Buchanan died on April 4, 1979 due to complications of a stroke.