John Mitchum

Screen legend Robert Mitchum's kid brother John was a grizzled character actor with a career legendary in its own right. Born of another era, the younger Mitchum appeared on television in its infancy. He got his start as a player on "Fireside Theatre," the first successful series in the medium's history. '60s westerns played Mitchum's weathered visage to great effect; he portrayed a cavalcade of cowpokes on "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," and "Rawhide" with Clint Eastwood. Eastwood would become a regular collaborator, and the two reteamed in 1969 for the Oscar-nominated "Paint Your Wagon." In the '70s, Mitchum became a staple in Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" films including "Magnum Force" and "The Enforcer,," as Police Inspector Frank DiGiorgio. Eastwood directed Mitchum in 1973's "High Plains Drifter," and again in 1976's "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Charles Bronson was another of Mitchum's frequent collaborators, and the two appeared together in "Breakheart Pass" and "Telefon." Naturally, Mitchum often played second fiddle to his brother, and garnered bit parts in fare like "El Dorado" with John Wayne, and "The Way West" with Kirk Douglas." Other notable roles for Mitchum include Nazi Reichstag president Herman Goering in the 1962 docudrama "Hitler," and henchman Rip Snorting on the campy '60s superhero serial "Batman."