What was Clint Walker’s Net Worth?

Clint Walker was an American actor who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death in May 2018 at the age of 90. Clint Walker was best known for starring as cowboy Cheyenne Bodie on the ABC Western television series “Cheyenne.” He also appeared in many movies, including “Send Me No Flowers,” “None but the Brave,” “Maya,” “The Dirty Dozen,” and “Baker’s Hawk.” Walker’s final film credit was as a voice actor in the 1998 action comedy “Small Soldiers.”

Early Life

Clint Walker was born as Norman Walker on May 30, 1927 in Hartford, Illinois. He was of Czech descent through his mother, and had a twin. As a teenager, Walker dropped out of school to work at a factory and on a riverboat. When he was 17, he joined the US Merchant Marine. Following his service, Walker took a variety of odd jobs in Texas, California, and Nevada.

Cheyenne

In 1955, Walker had his career breakthrough when he landed the lead role of cowboy Cheyenne Bodie on the new ABC Western television series “Cheyenne.” The first hour-long Western on television, the show took place in the post-American Civil War era, and focused on the exploits of Walker’s roaming cowboy hero. “Cheyenne” was a big hit, running for seven seasons through 1962 and turning Walker into a bonafide star known for his good looks and tall, buff figure. Walker also occasionally sang on the show, leading Warner Brothers to produce an album of him performing traditional songs and ballads.

Film Career

Walker had his first credited film role in the 1956 Biblical epic “The Ten Commandments.” Two years later, he had his first starring role in the Western “Fort Dobbs,” directed by Gordon Douglas. Walker went on to star in two more Westerns directed by Douglas, “Yellowstone Kelly” and “Gold of the Seven Saints.” After the end of “Cheyenne” on television, Walker had a supporting role in Norman Jewison’s romantic comedy “Send Me No Flowers,” released in 1964. The following year, he starred alongside Frank Sinatra in the epic antiwar film “None but the Brave,” which Sinatra also directed. In 1966, Walker starred in two films: the Western “The Night of the Grizzly” and the coming-of-age adventure film “Maya,” which was shot in India. He subsequently appeared in Robert Aldrich’s hit 1967 war film “The Dirty Dozen,” playing the convict Samson Posey. Walker returned to the Western genre in 1969 with three films: “More Dead Than Alive,” “Sam Whiskey,” and “The Great Bank Robbery.”

In 1970, Walker made a brief appearance in the comedy “The Phynx.” A couple years later, he supported Telly Savalas in the spaghetti Western “Pancho Villa.” Walker went on to star in the Western “Baker’s Hawk” in 1976. He subsequently had a supporting role in the fantasy Western “The White Buffalo,” starring Charles Bronson, and the leading role in the science-fiction eco-thriller “Deadly Harvest”; both films came out in 1977. Following a break from the big screen, Walker returned in 1983 with a supporting role in the horror film parody “Hysterical,” starring the Hudson Brothers. Toward the end of the decade, he starred in the US/Hong Kong co-production “The Serpent Warriors.” Walker had his final film credit in 1998, voicing Nick Nitro in Joe Dante’s action comedy “Small Soldiers.”

Post-Cheyenne Television Career

Walker appeared semi-regularly on television following the end of “Cheyenne.” In the mid-1960s, he appeared in two episodes of the sitcom “The Lucy Show,” and in the early 1970s starred in the Western television films “Yuma,” “Hardcase,” and “The Bounty Man.” Walker also starred as the titular character on the short-lived ABC adventure series “Kodiak,” which ran for 13 episodes in 1974. The same year, he starred in the horror television films “Scream of the Wolf” and “Killdozer!” Later in the decade, Walker starred in another horror television film, “Snowbeast.” He also had a small part in the NBC miniseries “Centennial.” In the 1980s, Walker appeared in some episodes of “The Love Boat.” The next decade, his final one on screen, he appeared in the television film “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw” as his famous character Cheyenne Bodie. Walker reprised the role again, and for the last time, in an episode of “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues” in 1995.

Skiing Accident

In the spring of 1971, Walker had a near-death experience while skiing at Mammoth Mountain in California. Attempting to follow the twisting terrain, he tumbled out of control before coming to a violent stop, his ski pole piercing through his heart. Walker was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead before a doctor detected signs of life. Rushed to surgery, his heart was repaired and his life was saved.

Personal Life and Death

Walker was married three times. He wed his first wife, Verna Garver, in 1948; they had a daughter named Valerie before divorcing in 1968. Walker went on to marry Giselle Hennesy in 1974; she passed away in 1994. Finally, Walker wed Susan Cavallari in 1997.

On May 21, 2018, Walker passed away from congestive heart failure in Grass Valley, California. It was nine days before his 91st birthday.