Gunslinger from "The Great Train Robbery"

Gunfighter, also gunslinger  /ˈɡʌnslɪŋər/,is a 20th century word, used in cinema or literature, referring to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun. The term used for these individuals in the 19th century was more commonly "gunman."

See List of Old West gunfighters for a list of notable Old West gunfighters.

Origin of the term[link]

Noted amateur etymologist Barry Popik has traced the term "gun slinger" back to its use in the 1920 Western movie Drag Harlan.^[1] The word was soon adopted by other Western writers such as Zane Grey and became common usage. In his introduction to The Shootist, author Glendon Swarthout says that "gunslinger" and "gunfighter" are modern terms and that the more authentic terms for the period would have been "gunman", "pistoleer", "shootist" or "bad man". While Swarthout seems to have been correct about "gunslinger", Bat Masterson used the term "gunfighter" in the newspaper articles he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws he had known. Clay Allison (1841–1887), a notorious New Mexico and Texas gunman and cattleman originated the term, "shootist". Chuck Parsons, Clay Allison: Portrait of a Shootist (Seagraves, Texas: Pioneer, 1983). Joseph Rosa further supports the use of "gunman" during the Old West period, noting that even though Masterson used the term "gunfighter", he "preferred the term 'mankiller'" when discussing these individuals.^[2]

Usage[link]

Often the term has been applied to men who would hire out for contract killings or at a ranch embroiled in a range war where they would earn "fighting wages." Others, like Billy the Kid, were notorious bandits and still others were lawmen like Pat Garrett and Wyatt Earp. A gunfighter could be an outlaw, a robber or murderer who took advantage of the wilderness of the frontier to hide from, and make periodic raids on, genteel society. The gunfighter could also be an agent of the state, archetypically a lone avenger, but more often a sheriff, whose duty was to face the outlaw and bring him to or, more likely, personally administer justice. The title is often misused in historical accounts to describe men killed in gunfights. For instance, the three Cowboys who died in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral—Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Tom McLaury—were sometimes called "gunfighters" when the three were more likely cowboys and ranchers.^[3]

Gunslingers frequently appear, along with cowboys, as stock characters in Western movies and novels. In Western movies, the characters' gun belts are often worn low on the hip and outer thigh, with the holster cut away around the pistol's trigger and grip for a smooth fast draw. This type of holster is a Hollywood anachronism. Twirling one's revolver is a trademark trick of movie gunslingers; and drawing and spinning the pistol from time to time, without intending or being expected to shoot, is a commonly portrayed habit or compulsion. Fast-draw artists can be distinguished from other movie cowboys because their guns will often be tied to their thigh. Long before holsters were steel-lined, they were soft and supple for comfortable all day wear. A gunfighter would use tie-downs to keep his pistol from catching on the holster while drawing.

Depiction in culture[link]

The gunslinger as a stock character is normally rooted in archetypal conflict -

• Good vs. Bad
• Virtue vs. Evil
• White hat vs. Black hat
• Man vs. Man
• Settlers vs. Native Americans
• Cowboys vs. Rustlers
• Humanity vs. Nature
• Civilization vs. Lawlessness
• Villains vs. Heroes
• Deputies vs. Posse
• Lawman vs. Outlaw
• Social law and order vs. Anarchy
• The Rugged Individualist vs. the Community
• The Cultivated East vs. The Wild West
• Farmer vs. Industrialist

Often the hero of a western meets his opposite "double", a mirror of his own evil side that he has to destroy.^[4] Western gunslinger heroes are often local lawmen or enforcement officers, ranchers, army officers, cowboys, territorial marshals, a nomadic loner, or a skilled fast-draw artist. They are normally masculine persons of integrity and principle - courageous, moral, tough, solid and self-sufficient, maverick characters (often with trusty sidekicks), possessing an independent and honorable attitude (but often characterized as slow-talking). They are depicted like of those of a knight-errant, wandering from place to place with no particular direction, often facing curious and hostile enemies, while saving certain individuals and communities from them in terms of own self chivalry. The Western hero usually stands alone and faces danger on his own, commonly against lawlessness, with an expert display of his physical skills (roping, gun-play, horse-handling, pioneering abilities, etc.).^[4]

In films, the gunslinger often possesses a nearly superhuman speed and skill with the revolver. Twirling pistols, lightning draws and trick shots are standard fare for the gunmen of the big screen. In the real world, however, gunmen who relied on flashy tricks and theatrics died quickly, and most gunslingers took a much more practical approach to their weapons. Real gunslingers did not shoot to disarm or to impress, but to kill.^[5]

- John M. Ford

"A simple genre-fiction validation is the hero's winning the high-noon gunfight and being embraced by the schoolmarm while the bad guy is carried off to Boot Hill".

Another classic bit of cinema, the showdown at high noon, where two well-matched gunslingers agreed to meet for a climactic formal duel, largely is a matter of myth as well, although rarely these duels actually happened, at least in the case of the Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout. Typically, gunfights were more spontaneous, a fight that turned deadly when one side reached for a weapon, and the drinking of alcoholic beverages often was involved. Gunfights could be won by simple distraction, or pistols could be emptied as gunmen fought from behind cover without injury. When a gunman did square off, it rarely was with another gunfighter. Gunslingers usually gave each other a wide berth, and it was uncommon for two well-known gunslingers to face off.^[5]

The gunslinger's reputation often was as valuable as any skills possessed. In the western films and books, young toughs often would challenge an experienced gunman with the hopes of building a reputation, but this rarely happened in real life. A strong reputation was enough to keep others civil and often would spare a gunfighter from conflict. Even other gunslingers were likely to avoid any unnecessary confrontation.^[5]

In the days of the Old West, tales tended to grow with repeated telling, and a single fight might grow into a career-making reputation. For instance, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral made legends of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, but they were relatively minor figures before that conflict. Some gunslingers, such as Bat Masterson, actively engaged in self-promotion. Johnny Ringo built a reputation as a gunslinger despite never taking part in a gunfight and killing unarmed civilians.^[5]

Gunfights: Fact vs Fiction[link]

Gunfighters fighting off an Indian attack

Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off, waiting for one to make the first move. This was rarely the case. Often, a gunfight was spur-of-the-moment, with one drawing his pistol, and the other reacting. Often it would develop into a shootout where both men bolted for cover. Other times, one or both were drunk and missed several normally easy shots. Many times the shootout was little more than one taking advantage of the other's looking away at an opportune moment. In popular folklore, men who held noteworthy reputations as a gunfighter were anxious to match up against another gunman with the same reputation. On the contrary, in cases where two men held a similar reputation, both reputable gunmen would avoid confrontation with one another whenever possible. They rarely took undue risks, and usually weighed their options before confronting another well-known gunman. This respect for one another is why most famous gunfights were rarely two or more well-known gunmen matched up against one another, but rather one notable gunman against a lesser known opponent or opponents.^[3]

These fights were usually close-up and personal, with a number of shots blasted from pistols, often resulting in innocent bystanders hit by a bullet gone wild. Much of the time, it would be difficult to tell who had even "won” the gunfight for several minutes, as the black powder smoke from the pistols cleared the air.^[6]

Generally, two well-known gunmen coming into contact with one another would result in either the two keeping a distance but being cordial, or avoiding one another altogether. In cases where one well-known gunman was a lawman, and another was merely in town, the one that was visiting would avoid problems. He avoided confrontation with the law-serving gunman.

How famous gunfighters died is as varied as each man. Many well-known gunfighters were so feared by the public because of their reputation that when they were killed, they died as a result of ambush rather than going down in a "blaze of glory". Others died secluded deaths either from old age or illness.

Mythology and folklore often exaggerate the skills of famous gunfighters. Most of these historical figures were not known to be capable of trick shooting. Nor did they necessarily have a reputation for precision sharpshooting. Such tropes that are frequently seen in westerns include shooting the center of a coin, stylistic pistol twirling, glancing shots that intentionally only graze an opponent (the bullet through the hat being an example, the bullet cutting the hangman's rope being another trope in Westerns), precise shots that shoot the guns out of opponents' hands (typically as an alternative to killing), or shooting an opponent's belt buckle, thus dropping his pants. In reality, skill at gunfighting involved luck and survival instinct as opposed to fancy, stylistic gunplay.

Gunfighters King Fisher, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, Billy the Kid, and Wild Bill Hickok all died as a result of ambush, killed by men who feared them because of their reputation. Gunmen Kid Curry, Jim Courtright, Dallas Stoudenmire and Dave Rudabaugh were killed in raging gun battles, much as portrayed in films about the era, and usually against more than one opponent. Bill Longley and Tom Horn were executed. Famed gunman Clay Allison died in a wagon accident. Gunmen Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Commodore Perry Owens, and Luke Short all died of natural causes, living out their lives on reputation and avoiding conflict in secluded retirement. Rare are the gunfighters, who like, William Sidney "Cap" Light, died accidentally by their own hand.

Famous Gunfights and Showdowns[link]

The image of a Wild West filled with countless gunfights was a myth generated primarily by dime-novel authors in the late 19th century. However, gunfights did occasionally occur. The most notable and well known of these took place in the states/territories of Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Causes for each varied. Some were simply the result of the heat of the moment, others were the result of long standing feuds, while others were between outlaws and lawmen. There were also various other reasons that resulted in gunfights. Some of these shootouts became famous, while others simply faded into history with only a few accounts of them left today.^[3]

The Gunfight at the OK Corral is the most famous shootout in all. It only occurred in about 30 seconds, contrary to many movie adaptations. The shooting at the corral started when Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury cocked their pistols. It is not really known who fired the first shot, but Doc’s bullet was the first to hit home, tearing through Frank McLaury's belly and sending McLaury’s own shot wild through Wyatt’s coat-tail. Billy Clanton fired at Virgil, but his shot also went astray when he was hit with Morgan's shot through his rib cage. Billy Claiborne ran as soon as shots were fired and was already out of sight. Ike Clanton, too, panicked and threw his gun down, pleading for his life. "Fight or get out like Claiborne!" Wyatt yelled and watched Ike desert his brother Billy, as he ran towards the door of the photography shop. But, Ike then withdrew a hidden gun firing one more round towards Wyatt before disappearing. The sound distracted Morgan, enough so that Tom McLaury sent a bullet into Morgan's shoulder. Doc instantly countered, blowing Tom away with blasts from both barrels of his shotgun. Desperately, wounded and dying, Billy Clanton fired blindly into the gun smoke encircling him, striking Virgil's leg. Wyatt responded by sending several rounds into Billy.

The most famous and well-recorded of a duel happened on 21 July 1865, Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt quarrelled over cards and decided to have a gunfight. At 6pm Hickok and Tutt arranged to walk towards each other. When they were about 50 yards apart both men drew his gun. Tutt fired first but missed. Hickok's shot hit Tutt in the heart. This was the first recorded example of two men taking part in a quick-draw duel. The following month Hickok was acquitted after pleading self-defence. Tutt was one of the estimated 20,000 men in the American West were killed from gunshot wounds between 1866 and 1900.^[7]

Another well-known gunfight is the Long Branch Saloon Shootout, involving Levi Richardson, a buffalo hunter, and "Cockeyed Frank” Loving, a professional gambler. It started when Richardson developed some affection for Loving's wife Mattie, and the two began to argue about the woman. In the saloon, Frank sat down at a long table, Richardson turned around and took a seat at the same table. The two were then heard speaking lowly, though no one could hear what they were saying. After the their conversation, Richardson had drawn his pistol, and Loving obviously drew his in response. The Long Branch Saloon was then filled with smoke. Charlie Bassett, the Dodge City Marshal heard the shots from where he was in Beatty & Kelley's Saloon and came running.^[8] Both men were still standing but Richardson had shot five shells from his gun and Loving's Remington No. 44 was empty. Deputy Sheriff Duffey threw Richardson down in a chair and took his gun, while Bassett disarmed Loving. Richardson then got up and started toward the billiard table, when he fell to the floor with a fatal gunshot in the chest, as well as a shot through the side and another through the right arm. Frank Loving, who had only a slight scratch on the hand, was immediately taken to jail. Two days later, on April 7, 1879, the coroner's inquest ruled that the killing had been in self-defense and Loving was immediately released.

Another face-to-face gunfights in the American West happened in Fort Worth, Texas which was known as the Luke Short-Jim Courtright Duel. Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright was running the T.I.C. Commercial agency in Fort Worth, which provided "protection" to gambling dens and saloons in return for a portion of their profits. At the same time, Luke Short, a former friend of Courtright's, was running the White Elephant Saloon and Jim was trying to get Short to utilize his services. But the Dodge City gunfighter told Courtright to "go to hell," that he could do any gunslinging that was necessary to take care of his business. On February 8, 1887, the two quarreled, with Bat Masterson at Short's side, Courtright and Luke Short dueled in the street. Drawing their pistols at close range, Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. Courtright then attempted the "border shift" a move where a gunfighter switches their gun to an uninjured hand, but he was too slow. Luke Short shot him in the chest, killing him.^[9]

Another famous gunfight which resulted in the most dead in a single event by one person was Jonathan R. Davis who killed eleven bandits single-handedly on 19 December 1854.

Living on reputation[link]

Most Old West men who were labelled as being "gunfighters" did not kill nearly as many men in gunfights as they were given credit for, if any at all. They were often labelled as such due to one particular instance, which developed from rumours into them having been involved in many more events than they actually were. Often their reputation was as much "self-promotion" as anything else, such was the case of Bat Masterson.

Wyatt Earp with his brothers Morgan and Virgil along with Doc Holliday killed three outlaw Cowboys in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He has been said to have been involved in more than one hundred gunfights in his lifetime. But Prof. Bill O'Neal cites just five incidents in his Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters.^[6]

Earp expressed his dismay about the controversy that followed him his entire life. He wrote in a letter to John Hays Hammond on May 21, 1925, that "notoriety had been the bane of my life."^[10]

After his brother Virgil was maimed in an ambush and Morgan was assassinated by hidden assailants, the men suspected of involvement were provided alibis by fellow Cowboys and released without trial. Wyatt and his brother Warren set out on a vendetta ride to locate and kill those they felt were responsible. Wyatt has been portrayed in a number of film and books as a fearless Western hero.^[11] He is often viewed as the central character and hero of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, at least in part because he was the only one who was not wounded or killed. In fact, his brother, Tombstone Marshall and Deputy U.S. Marshall Virgil Earp had considerably more experience with weapons and combat as a Union soldier in the Civil War, and in law enforcement as a sheriff, constable, and marshal.^[12] As city marshal, Virgil made the decision to disarm the Cowboys in Tombstone and requested Wyatt's assistance.^[13] But because Wyatt outlived Virgil and due to a creative biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal published two years after Wyatt's death, Wyatt became famous and the subject of various movies, television shows, biographies and works of fiction.

Only one killing has been attributed to Doc Holliday prior to that shoot out in Tombstone. There are no records to support the reputation that Johnny Ringo developed. Of the documented instances where Ringo killed men, they were unarmed, and there is no evidence to support his participation in a single gunfight.

Others deserved the reputation associated with them. Jim Courtright and Dallas Stoudenmire both killed several men in gunfights both as lawmen and as civilians. Clay Allison and Ben Thompson had well-deserved reputations. At the same time, gunmen like Scott Cooley are all but unknown, when they actually led a life reflective of what most would consider a gunfighter to be. In other cases, certain gunfighters were possibly confused, over time, for being someone else with a similar name. The most well known of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang, the Sundance Kid, was in reality only known to have been in one shootout during his lifetime, and no gunfights. Some historians have since stated that it is possible that over time he was confused with another Wild Bunch member, Kid Curry, who was without a doubt the most dangerous member of the gang, having killed many lawmen and civilians during his lifetime before being killed himself. Hence, it is the Sundance Kid who is better known.

Gunfighter: Outlaw or Lawman[link]

It is often difficult to separate lawmen of the Old West from outlaws of the Old West.^[3] In many cases, the term gunfighter was applied to constables. Despite idealistic portrayals in television, movies, and even in history books, very few lawmen/gunfighters could claim their law enforcement role as their only source of employment. Unlike contemporary peace officers, these lawmen generally pursued other occupations, often earning money as gamblers, business owners, or outlaws—as was the case with "Curly" Bill Brocius, who, while always referred to as an outlaw, served as a deputy sheriff under sheriff Johnny Behan. Many shootouts involving lawmen were caused by disputes arising from these alternative occupations, rather than the lawman's attempts to enforce the law.

Tom Horn, historically cited as an assassin, served both as a deputy sheriff and as a Pinkerton detective, a job in which he shot at least three people as a killer for hire. Ben Thompson, best known as a gunfighter and gambler, was a very successful chief of police in Austin, Texas. King Fisher had great success as a county sheriff in Texas. Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid both wore badges as lawmen at least once. "Big" Steve Long served as deputy marshal for Laramie, Wyoming, while the entire time committing murders and forced theft of land deeds. A town with a substantial violent crime rate would often turn to a known gunman as their town marshal, chief, or sheriff, in the hopes that the gunman could stem the violence and bring order.

Known gunmen/lawmen were generally effective, and in time the violence would subside, usually after the gunman/lawman had been involved in several shooting incidents, eventually leading to a substantial and well earned fear that kept everyone in line. At times they were hired by cattlemen or other prominent figures to serve as henchmen or enforcers during cattle wars. Although sanctioned by law enforcement officials, the gunmen were not always actually deputized. Sometimes, however, just to make things "official", they would go through the formality of deputization. A case in point: the service of the Jesse Evans Gang, and outlaw Jesse Evans himself, as agents for the Murphy-Dolan faction during the Lincoln County War. While technically working as lawmen, they were little more than hired guns.

A cowboy action shooter brandishing his revolver

Usually, when a gunman was hired by a town as town marshal, they received the full support of the townspeople until order was restored, at which point the town would tactfully indicate it was time for a change to a less dangerous lawman who relied more on respect than fear to enforce the law. Sometimes the gunman would simply become bored as the times changed and move on. A good example was the 1882 decision by the El Paso, Texas, town council to dismiss Town Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire. He entered the council hall and dared the councilors to try to take his guns or his job, at which point they immediately changed their mind, saying he could keep his job. He resigned on his own a couple of days later. Another example was the dismissal of Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens in Holbrook, Arizona, after which the local county commission also withheld his last paycheck. Owens entered the county building and forced them to pay him at gun point, and he received no resistance.In the case of Marshal Jim Courtright, for example, he did "clean up the town" while serving as town marshal for Fort Worth, Texas. However, it was his habit of strong-arming local businesses in the area into paying him for protection that ultimately led to his fatal gunfight with gunman and saloon owner Luke Short.^[3]

Modern Gunslinger[link]

People relive the Wild West both historically and in popular culture by participates in cowboy action shooting events, where each gunslinger adopts his or her own look representing a character from Western life in the late 1800s, and as part of that character, chooses an alias to go by.

There are different categories shooters can compete in. There's the gunfighter, frontiersman, classic cowboy and duelist - each with its own specifications.^[14]

In popular culture[link]

Gunfighters has been featured in media even outside the western genre, often combined with other elements and genres, mainly science-fiction, steampunk, and the contemporary setting.^[15] Abilities, clothing and attitude associated with gunfighters are seen in many other genres. An example of these Han shot first, which Han Solo, a gunfighter-like protagonist in Star Wars, kills an alien with a quickdraw. Cowboy Bebop is example of these in the Space Western sub-genre, bringing viewers into the adventures of a single ship of bounty hunters kicking around from one corrupted dust ball to another in a solar system that has been almost wholly colonized. As a Space Western, it mixes elements traditionally associated with the old west (like bounty hunters, poker games and saloon women all too eager to roll drunks for their money) into a futuristic backdrop that is thoroughly sci-fi. Roland Deschain from the fantasy series The Dark Tower is gunfighter pitted against fantasy themed monsters and enemies. Inspired by the "Man with No Name" and other spaghetti-western characters, he himself is a detached or unsympathetic, often reacting uncaring or angry at signs of cowardice or self-pity, yet he possess a strong sense of heroism, often attempting to help those in need, a morality much seen in Westerns.

Jonah Hex from the DC Comics is a ruthless bounty hunter bound by a personal code of honor to protect and avenge the innocent. IGN ranked Jonah Hex as the 73rd greatest comic book hero of all time. Throughout the DC Universe, Hex has been, on many occasions, transported from the Old West to the contemporary settings and beyond. Even in an unfamiliar territory and time period, Hex managed to outgun his enemies with more advanced weaponry. Two-Gun Kid is another comic book gunfighter from Marvel Comics. Skilled with revolvers, he has aided many super-heroes in future timeline, most notably She-Hulk.^[16]

Contemporary western gunslingers have also caught attention, though not branded as gunslingers, they themselves have skills, challenges, and attitude seen more in the Old West.^[17] Raylan Givens from Justified shares the same ambiguous moral code of a old west sheriff, even using a fast draw to dispatch his enemies. The hitman Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men shares many elements of a riding frontiersmen. But unlike Raylan Givens, Anton Chigurh is the complete opposite of him, and represents more of the ruthless outlaw on the hunt and against local authority. The comic book character Vigilante himself is a self-proclaim gunfighter born in the 1940s.

Gunfighters has also been featured in many video games, both in traditional old west, and in contemporary and future settings. Colton White, the protagonist of 2005's best selling western video game Gun, is ranked #7 on Game Informer's "Top 10 Heroes of 2005" list.^[18] Another well known video game western protagonist is John Marston, who was nominated in Spike's Video Game Awards 2010. Network World stated: "John Marston is a complicated character, having been a bad person who is trying to make things right."^[19] The New York Times stated: "he and his creators conjure such a convincing, cohesive and enthralling re-imagination of the real world that it sets a new standard for sophistication and ambition in electronic gaming."^[20]

• John Bernard (J.B.) Books, from The Shootist
• Chick Bowdrie, from a series of Louis L'Amour stories
• Rooster Cogburn, from True Grit
• Charlie Prince, from Three-Ten to Yuma
• Kid Colt, from Marvel Comics
• Revolver Ocelot from the Metal Gear series.
• Dante from the Devil May Cry series
• Roland Deschain, from The Dark Tower, a fantasy series by Stephen King
• Marshal Matt Dillon, from Gunsmoke
• Jonah Hex, from DC Comics
• Morgan Kane from the book series by Norwegian author Louis Masterson
• Marshal Will Kane and Frank Miller, from High Noon
• Bat Lash, from DC Comics
• The Lone Ranger, from various media, but originally radio drama
• Lucky Luke from the Franco-Belgian comics of the same name
• Man with No Name, from The Dollars Trilogy
• Paladin (Richard Boone), from Have Gun Will Travel
• Rawhide Kid, from Marvel Comics
• Two-Gun Kid, from Marvel Comics
• Vash The Stampede from anime series Trigun and Trigun: Maximum
• Josey Wales, from The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Raylan Givens, from "Justified^{[disambiguation needed ]}"
• Wild Bill and Fast Draw from "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero"
• Red Harlow from "Red Dead Revolver"
• John Marston (Red Dead Redemption) from "Red Dead Redemption"

See also[link]

• Cowboys
• Cowboy action shooting
• Duel
• Fast Draw
• Gunspinning

References[link]

• Eugene Cunningham. Triggernometry: A Gallery of Gunfighters. (Originally 1934). University of Oklahoma Press (1996).
• Bill O'Neal. Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters. University of Oklahoma Press (1979).
• Joseph G. Rosa. The Gunfighter: Man or Myth? University of Oklahoma Press (1969).
• List of and History of Old West Gunfights
• Slap Leather, Gunfighter Myth

Lance Thomas

No. 42 – New Orleans Hornets
Forward
Personal information
Born	(1988-04-24) April 24, 1988 (age 24) Brooklyn, New York
Nationality	American
High school	Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, Newark, New Jersey Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College	Duke (2006–2010)
Career history
2010–2011	Austin Toros (D-League)
2011	New Orleans Hornets
2012	Austin Toros (D-League)
2012–present	New Orleans Hornets

Medal record
Men's basketball
Competitor for  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze	2011 Guadalajara	National team

Lance Thomas (born April 24, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. Thomas formerly played for Duke University Blue Devils men's basketball team. He is from Scotch Plains, New Jersey but was born in Brooklyn, New York. He started at power forward for Duke's national champion 2010 team. For the 2010–11 season and parts of the 2011-12 season, Thomas played for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League.

High school[link]

Thomas originally attended Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. He was highly recruited out of high school, choosing Duke over Rutgers, Wake Forest, Connecticut, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia Tech.

While playing for Danny Hurley, former Seton Hall point guard, (brother of former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley) at Newark Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, he led the school to two Prep A Division New Jersey State titles while averaging 14.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG his senior year. He was named to the 2006 McDonald's All-America team, and had nine points and two steals in the McDonald's All-American game.

USA U18 National Team[link]

He also played on the USA U18 National team,^[when?] which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 tournament. However, he barely saw the floor and only averaged 0.5 PPG and 1.0 RPG.

College[link]

In his freshman year, he averaged 4.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG. In his sophomore year, he averaged 4.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG. His career-high in points came on November 28, 2008, when he scored 21 points against Duquesne.^[1]

2009–10

In 2009–10, he and Jon Scheyer were co-captains of the Duke team. He had a career-high 12 rebounds against NC State in January 2010.^[1]

Duke won the national championship against the Gordon Hayward led Butler Bulldogs 61–59, with Thomas on the floor after having played 35 minutes of the game, and shot 3–5 from the field.^[2] He said:

The last 30 seconds seemed like 10 minutes. When the ball bounced off, confetti came down. I looked up at the confetti, and the next thing I know I'm on my back. Jon (Scheyer) tackled me. At that point, it hit home that we were national champions.^[2]

He ended his career 10th on Duke's all-time list in offensive rebounds (255).^[3] In 2009–10 he averaged 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game, and led the team in charges taken with 16.^[4][5] He was also voted to the ACC All-Defensive team.^[4]

Pro career[link]

Thomas was drafted by the Austin Toros in the NBA D-League. He began the 2011-12 season with the New Orleans Hornets, but on December 31, 2011, he was waived and returned to the Toros. Just over a month later, New Orleans re-signed Thomas to contract. He scored a career high 18 points for the Hornets on March 9, 2012. Thomas got his first career start against the Spurs on March 24, 2012, going 4-8 from the floor with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

See also[link]

• 2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans
• 2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

References[link]

External links[link]

• Duke bio

Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday trailer (1953)
Born	Eldred Gregory Peck (1916-04-05)April 5, 1916 La Jolla, California, U.S.
Died	June 12, 2003(2003-06-12) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Bronchopneumonia
Resting place	Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Education	San Diego High School
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Actor, Humanitarian
Years active	1942–2000
Home town	San Diego, California
Political party	Democrat
Religion	Catholic
Spouse	Greta Kukkonen (1942–55; divorce) Veronique Passani (1955–2003; his death)
Children	5; including Cecilia Peck
Family	Ethan Peck (grandson)
Awards	Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award, National Medal of Arts, Presidential Medal of Freedom

Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor.

One of the world's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an Academy Award. President Lyndon Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking at #12. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1983.^[1]

Early life[link]

Eldred Gregory Peck was born in La Jolla, California, the son of Missouri-born Bernice Mae "Bunny" (née Ayres) and Gregory Pearl Peck, who was a chemist and pharmacist. Peck's father was of Irish (maternal) heritage and English (paternal) heritage,^[2][3] and his mother was of Scots (paternal) and English (maternal) ancestry.^[4] Peck's father was a Catholic and his mother converted upon marrying his father. Peck's Irish-born paternal grandmother, Catherine Ashe, was related to Thomas Ashe, who took part in the Easter Rising fewer than three weeks after Peck's birth and died while on hunger strike in 1917. Peck's parents divorced by the time he was six years old and he spent the next few years being raised by his maternal grandmother.^[5]

Peck was sent to a Roman Catholic military school, St. John's Military Academy, in Los Angeles at the age of 10. His grandmother died while he was enrolled there, and his father again took over his upbringing. At 14, Peck attended San Diego High School and lived with his father.^[6] When he graduated, he enrolled briefly at San Diego State Teacher's College, (now known as San Diego State University), joined the track team, took his first theatre and public-speaking courses, and joined the Epsilon Eta fraternity.^[7] He stayed for just one academic year, thereafter obtaining admission to his first-choice college, the University of California, Berkeley.^[8] For a short time, he took a job driving a truck for an oil company. In 1936, he declared himself a pre-medical student at Berkeley, and majored in English. Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) he rowed on the university crew.

The Berkeley acting coach decided Peck would be perfect for university theater work. Peck developed an interest in acting and was recruited by Edwin Duerr, director of the university's Little Theater. He went on to appear in five plays during his senior year. Although his tuition fee was only $26 per year, Peck still struggled to pay, and had to work as a "hasher" (kitchen helper) for the Gamma Phi Beta sorority in exchange for meals. Peck would later say about Berkeley that, "it was a very special experience for me and three of the greatest years of my life. It woke me up and made me a human being."^[9] In 1997 Peck donated $25,000 to the Berkeley crew in honor of his coach, the renowned Ky Ebright.

Acting career[link]

Stage[link]

After graduating from Berkeley with a BA degree in English, Peck dropped the name "Eldred" and headed to New York City to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse with the legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. He was often broke and sometimes slept in Central Park.^[10] He worked at the 1939 World's Fair and as a tour guide for NBC's television broadcasting. In 1940, Peck learned more of the acting craft, working in exchange for food, at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA, appearing in five plays including Family Portrait and On Earth as It Is.^[11]

His stage career started in 1941 when he played the secretary in a Katharine Cornell production of George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma. Unfortunately, the play opened in San Francisco just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor.^[12] He made his Broadway debut as the lead in Emlyn Williams' The Morning Star in 1942. His second Broadway performance that year was in The Willow and I with Edward Pawley. Peck's acting abilities were in high demand during World War II, since he was exempt from military service owing to a back injury suffered while receiving dance and movement lessons from Martha Graham as part of his acting training. Twentieth Century Fox claimed he had injured his back while rowing at university, but in Peck's words, "In Hollywood, they didn't think a dance class was macho enough, I guess. I've been trying to straighten out that story for years."^[13]

In 1949 Peck co-founded The La Jolla Playhouse, at his birthplace, with Mel Ferrer and Dorothy McGuire. This local community theater and landmark (now in a new home at the University of California, San Diego) still thrives today. It has attracted Hollywood film stars on hiatus both as performers and enthusiastic supporters since its inception.

Film[link]

Gregory Peck in the Designing Woman trailer

Peck's first film, Days of Glory, was released in 1944. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor five times, four of which came in his first five years of film acting: for The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), and Twelve O'Clock High (1949).

The Keys of the Kingdom emphasized his stately presence. As the farmer Ezra "Penny" Baxter in The Yearling his good-humored warmth and affection toward the characters playing his son and wife confounded critics who had been insisting he was a lifeless performer. Duel in the Sun (1946) showed his range as an actor in his first "against type" role as a cruel, libidinous gunslinger. Gentleman's Agreement established his power in the "social conscience" genre in a film that took on the deep-seated but subtle antisemitism of mid-century corporate America.Twelve O'Clock High was the first of many successful war films in which Peck embodied the brave, effective, yet human fighting man.

Among his other films were Spellbound (1945), The Paradine Case (1947), The Gunfighter (1950), Moby Dick (1956), On the Beach (1959), which brought to life the terrors of global nuclear war, The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Roman Holiday (1953), with Audrey Hepburn in her Oscar-winning role. Peck and Hepburn were close friends until her death; Peck even introduced her to her first husband, Mel Ferrer. Peck once again teamed up with director William Wyler in the epic Western The Big Country (1958), which he co-produced. Peck won the Academy Award with his fifth nomination, playing Atticus Finch, a Depression-era lawyer and widowed father, in a film adaptation of the Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Released in 1962 during the height of the US civil rights movement in the South, this movie and his role were Peck's favorites. In 2003 Atticus Finch was named the top film hero of the past 100 years by the American Film Institute.^[14]

Peck in 1973, by Allan Warren

Peck served as the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1967, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute from 1967 to 1969, Chairman of the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund in 1971, and National Chairman of the American Cancer Society in 1966. He was a member of the National Council on the Arts from 1964 to 1966.^[15]

A physically powerful man, he was known to do a majority of his own fight scenes, rarely using body or stunt doubles. In fact, Robert Mitchum, his on-screen opponent in Cape Fear, told about the time Peck once accidentally punched him for real during their final fight scene in the movie, he felt the impact for days afterward. Peck's rare attempts at unsympathetic albeit provocative roles usually fell short. Early on, he played the renegade son in the Western Duel in the Sun and, later in his career, the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele in The Boys from Brazil co-starring Laurence Olivier.^[16]

Later work[link]

In the 1980s Peck moved to television, where he starred in the mini-series The Blue and the Gray, playing Abraham Lincoln. He also starred with Christopher Plummer, Sir John Gielgud, and Barbara Bouchet in the television film The Scarlet and The Black, about a real-life Roman Catholic priest in the Vatican who smuggled Jews and other refugees away from the Nazis during World War II.

At the Cannes Film Festival in 2000.

Peck, Mitchum, and Martin Balsam all had roles in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear directed by Martin Scorsese. All three were in the original 1962 version. In the remake, Peck played Max Cady's lawyer. His last prominent film role also came in 1991, in Other People's Money, directed by Norman Jewison and based on the stage play of that name. Peck played a business owner trying to save his company against a hostile takeover bid by a Wall Street liquidator played by Danny DeVito.

Peck retired from active film-making at that point. Like Cary Grant before him, Peck spent the last few years of his life touring the world doing speaking engagements in which he would show clips from his movies, reminisce, and take questions from the audience. He did come out of retirement for a 1998 miniseries version of one of his most famous films, Moby Dick, portraying Father Mapple (played by Orson Welles in the 1956 version), with Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab, the role Peck played in the earlier film.

Peck had been offered the role of Grandpa Joe in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but died before he could accept it. David Kelly was then given the part.

Politics[link]

In 1947, while many Hollywood figures were being blacklisted for similar activities, Peck signed a letter deploring a House Un-American Activities Committee investigation of alleged communists in the film industry. President Richard Nixon placed Peck on his enemies list due to his liberal activism.^[17]

A lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party, Peck was suggested in 1970 as a possible Democratic candidate to run against Ronald W. Reagan for the office of Governor of California. Although he later admitted that he had no interest in being a candidate himself for public office, Peck encouraged one of his sons, Carey Peck, to run for political office. Carey was defeated both times by slim margin in races in 1978 and 1980 against Republican U.S. Representative Robert K. Dornan, a former actor.

In an interview with the Irish media, Peck revealed that former President Lyndon Johnson had told him that, had he sought re-election in 1968, he intended to offer Peck the post of U.S. ambassador to Ireland — a post Peck, due to his Irish ancestry, said he might well have taken, saying "[It] would have been a great adventure".^[18] Author Michael Freedland, in his biography of Peck, substantiates the report and says that Johnson indicated that his presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Peck would perhaps make up for his inability to confer the ambassadorship.^[19]

Peck was outspoken against the Vietnam War, while remaining supportive of his son, Stephen, who fought there. In 1972 Peck produced the film version of Daniel Berrigan's play The Trial of the Catonsville Nine about the prosecution of a group of Vietnam protesters for civil disobedience. Despite his reservations about American general Douglas MacArthur as a man, Peck had long wanted to play him on film, and did so in MacArthur in 1976.^[20]

In 1978, Peck traveled to Alabama, the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Donald W. Stewart of Anniston, who defeated the Republican candidate, James D. Martin, a former U.S. representative from Gadsden.

In 1987, Peck did the voice-over on television commercials opposing President Reagan's Supreme Court nomination of conservative jurist Robert Bork.^[21] Bork's nomination was defeated. Peck was also a vocal supporter of ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Personal life[link]

In October 1942 Peck married Finnish-born Greta Kukkonen, with whom he had three sons, Jonathan (1944–75), Stephen (b. 1946), and Carey Paul (b. 1949). They were divorced on December 30, 1955, but maintained a very good relationship. Jonathan Peck, a television news reporter, committed suicide in 1975. Stephen Peck is active in support of American veterans from the Vietnam War; his first wife is screenwriter Kimi Peck, who co-wrote Little Darlings with Dalene Young. Carey Peck had political ambitions, running for Congress in California in 1978 and again in 1980 with the support of his father and family. He narrowly lost to conservative Republican Bob Dornan.

On December 31, 1955, the day after his divorce was finalized, Peck married Veronique Passani, a Paris news reporter who had interviewed him in 1953 before he went to Italy to film Roman Holiday. He asked her to lunch six months later and they became inseparable. They had a son, Anthony, and a daughter Cecilia Peck. The couple remained married until Gregory Peck's death.

Peck had grandchildren from both marriages.^[22]

Peck owned the thoroughbred steeplechase race horse Different Class, which raced in England.^[23] The horse was favored for the 1968 Grand National but finished third. Peck was close friends with French president Jacques Chirac.^[24]

Peck was a practicing Roman Catholic, although he disagreed with the Church's positions on abortion and the ordination of women.^[25]

Death[link]

Gregory Peck's tomb in Los Angeles

On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep at home from bronchopneumonia.^[26] His wife Veronique was by his side.

Gregory Peck is entombed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels mausoleum in Los Angeles, California. His eulogy was read by Brock Peters, whose character, Tom Robinson, was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Awards and honors[link]

Peck was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning once. He was nominated for The Keys of the Kingdom (1945), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and Twelve O'Clock High (1949). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1968 he received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Peck also received many Golden Globe awards. He won in 1947 for The Yearling, in 1963 for To Kill a Mockingbird, and in 1999 for the TV mini series Moby Dick. He was nominated in 1978 for The Boys from Brazil. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1969, and was given the Henrietta Award in 1951 and 1955 for World Film Favorite — Male.

In 1969 US President Lyndon Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 1971 the Screen Actors Guild presented Peck with the SAG Life Achievement Award. In 1989 the American Film Institute gave Peck the AFI Life Achievement Award. He received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema in 1996.

In 1986 Peck was honored alongside actress Gene Tierney with the first Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival Spain for their body of work.

In 1987, Peck was awarded the George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.^[27]

In 1993, Peck was awarded with an Honorary Golden Bear at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.^[28]

In 1998 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.^[29]

In 2000 Peck was made a Doctor of Letters by the National University of Ireland. He was a founding patron of the University College Dublin School of Film, where he persuaded Martin Scorsese to become an honorary patron. Peck was also chairman of the American Cancer Society for a short time.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Gregory Peck has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6100 Hollywood Blvd. In November 2005 the star was stolen, and has since been replaced.^[30]

On April 28, 2011, a ceremony was held in Beverly Hills, California celebrating the first day of issue of a U.S. postage stamp commemorating Peck. The stamp is the 17th commemorative stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series.^[31][32]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of notable Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Fishgall, Gary. Gregory Peck: A Biography. New York: Scribner. 2002. ISBN 0-684-85290-X
• Freedland, Michael. Gregory Peck: A Biography. New York: William Morrow and Company. 1980. ISBN 0-688-03619-8
• Haney, Lynn. Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. 2004. ISBN 0-7867-1473-5

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gregory Peck

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gregory Peck

• Gregory Peck at the Internet Broadway Database
• Gregory Peck at the Internet Movie Database
• Gregory Peck at the TCM Movie Database
• Gregory Peck at Find a Grave
• Gregory Peck - Daily Telegraph obituary
• Gregory Peck in the 1920 US Census, 1930 US Census, and the Social Security Death Index.