Brendon Boone

Brendon Boone was born in Meridian, Mississippi. He was the first of two children born to the Reverend Doctor and Mrs. Norman Brendon Boone. Because his father was a minister with the Methodist Church, Brendon and his family moved every five years. Always being “the new kid”, and being the preacher’s son, Brendon learned at an early age what it was like to have all eyes upon him. It may have been this that pushed him toward a career that would place him in the spotlight. Seeing the film East of Eden starring James Dean convinced Brendon that acting was the thing that he really wanted to do.

Although Brendon briefly studied architectural design and English, he eventually changed his major to acting. After college he found his way to Hollywood and began landing television roles starting with the role of a “Fabian” type on the Red Skelton Show. He continued to do guest shots through the early sixties on shows such as Gomer Pyle, Night Watch, The Virginian, Bonanza and Rawhide. He also had a role in a very low budget horror film known as The Creeping Terror and a small role in Fantastic Voyage.

Sometime in 1966 he landed the role of Chief but not the one we all know and love. This Chief was a Navajo Code Talker in the pilot for a show called Assault (a.k.a. Attack). This character was very different from the Chief of Garrison’s Gorillas. He even laughed! Although Brendon had very dark brown hair, he was called upon to dye it black for this role. When the character was revised for Garrison’s Gorillas, it was decided that he would not be a full blooded Indian and thus avoid the old dye pot.

After Garrison’s Gorillas, Brendon went on to do more guest shots including his excellent portrayal of Hawk in a Gunsmoke episode. He appeared in Quincy ME, Emergency!, Knight Rider, Airwolf, Jake and the Fatman, Falcon Crest, General Hospital, Dragnet, Code Red, Fantasy Island, and Young & the Restless. He did a theatrical movie called The Big Game, as well as several made-for-TV movies including The Hanged Man and Death Race, in which Christopher Cary also appeared.

But his most important role came in 1977 when Brendon was cast for the first time in the role of Dad. Brendon’s son, also named Brendon, has now left the nest and is off at college. Brendon has been spending much of his time working on getting a screenplay he wrote produced. We wish Brendon luck with Preacher & Co and hope to see it on the screen in the future.

Reprinted from the Garrison's Gorillas 30th Anniversary tribute

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