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Richard Boone

Richard Boone

Actor, also director and producer · Died January 10, 1981, aged 63 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Richard Allen Boone (June 18, 1917 – January 10, 1981) was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel. Boone was born in Los Angeles, California, the middle child of Cecile (née Beckerman) and Kirk E. Boone, a corporate lawyer and 4th great-grandson of Squire Boone 1744–1815, a brother to frontiersman Daniel Boone. His mother was Jewish, the daughter of immigrants from Russia. Richard Boone graduated from Hoover High School in Glendale, California. He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he was a member of Theta Xi fraternity. He dropped out of Stanford prior to graduation and then worked as an oil-rigger, bartender, painter, and writer. In 1941 Boone joined the United States Navy and served on three ships in the Pacific during World War II, seeing combat as an aviation ordnance, aircrewman and tail gunner on Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers and ended his service with the rank of petty officer first class. In his youth, Boone had attended the San Diego Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California, where he was introduced to theatre under the tutelage of Virginia Atkinson. After the war, Boone used the G.I. Bill to study acting at the Actors Studio in New York. In 1950, Boone made his screen debut as a Marine officer in Milestone's Halls of Montezuma (1951). Fox used him in military parts in Call Me Mister (1951) and The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951). He had bigger roles in Red Skies of Montana (1952), Return of the Texan (1952), Kangaroo (1952) (directed by Milestone), and Way of a Gaucho (1952). Boone was married three times: to Jane Hopper (1937–1940), Mimi Kelly (1949–1950), and Claire McAloon (from 1951 until his death). Richard Boone died at his home in St. Augustine, Florida, due to complications from throat cancer. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 18, 1917
Died
January 10, 1981 (aged 63)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also director and producer
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 34% in 30 days

What are Richard Boone's films like?

Across their 36 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Western movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
46%
Survival
20%
Bonds
14%
Self
9%
Power
6%
Society
6%
Ideas
1%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 36 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 23 · Intense 13

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 7 · Affecting 19 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

29 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 15 of 29 analyzed roles.

Shadow
15 of 29
Mentor
6 of 29
Hero
4 of 29
Threshold guardian
3 of 29
Ally
1 of 29
Show the 29 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
15
Thrilling
10
Contemplative
7
Dread
5
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet19
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Richard Boone's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Boone's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

67 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • John Wayne's 'The Alamo' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Sam Houston

  • The Bushido Blade(1981)

    as Matthew Perry

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Winter Kills(1979)

    as Keifitz

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Big Sleep(1978)

    as Lash Cansino

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Hobbit(1977)

    as Smaug (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Last Dinosaur(1977)

    as Masten Thrust Jr.

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Shootist(1976)

    as Mike Sweeney

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • God's Gun(1976)

    as The Sheriff

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Against a Crooked Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Russian

  • The Great Niagara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Aaron Grant

  • Goodnight, My Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Francis Hogan

  • The Century Turns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Hec Ramsey

  • Deadly Harvest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Anton Solca

  • Hec Ramsey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 11 episodes · as Hec Ramsey

  • In Broad Daylight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Tony Chappel

  • Big Jake(1971)

    as John Fain

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Madron(1970)

    as Madron

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Kremlin Letter(1970)

    as Ward

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Arrangement(1969)

    as Sam Arness

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Night of the Following Day(1969)

    Director · as Leer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Kona Coast(1968)

    Executive Producer · as Capt. Sam Moran

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Cimarron Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Sergeant Bill Disher

  • Hombre(1967)

    as Cicero Grimes

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The War Lord(1965)

    as Bors

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Rio Conchos(1964)

    as Lassiter

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Richard Boone Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Actor

  • A Thunder of Drums(1961)

    as Capt. Stephen Maddocks

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Alamo(1960)

    as Gen. Sam Houston

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ocean's Eleven(1960)

    as Voice of Minister (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Right Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Abraham Lincoln

  • I Bury the Living(1958)

    as Robert Kraft

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 225 episodes · Director · as Paladin

  • The Garment Jungle(1957)

    as Artie Ravidge

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Lizzie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Dr. Neal Wright

  • The Tall T(1957)

    as Frank Usher

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Away All Boats(1956)

    as Lieut. Fraser

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Star in the Dust(1956)

    as Sam Hall

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Battle Stations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as The Captain

  • Matinee Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Big Knife(1955)

    as Narrator (Voice)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Everett Brayer

  • Robbers' Roost(1955)

    as Hank Hays

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Man Without a Star(1955)

    as Steve Miles

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Ten Wanted Men(1955)

    as Wick Campbell

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · as Col. William Hughes · as David Neff · as Detective Ed Brooks · as Jarech

  • Medic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 59 episodes · as Dr. Konrad Styner

  • Dragnet(1954)

    as Capt .James E. Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Raid(1954)

    as Capt. Lionel Foster

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Siege at Red River(1954)

    as Brett Manning

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Beneath the 12-Mile Reef(1953)

    as Thomas Rhys

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Vicki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Lt. Ed Cornell

  • The Robe(1953)

    as Pontius Pilate

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • City of Bad Men(1953)

    as John Ringo

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Man on a Tightrope(1953)

    as Krofta

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Abraham Lincoln

  • Way of a Gaucho(1952)

    as Major Salinas

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Ford Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Local Press

  • Kangaroo(1952)

    as John W. Gamble

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Texan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Rod Murray

  • Red Skies of Montana(1952)

    as Richard 'Dick' Dryer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel(1951)

    as Capt. Hermann Aldinger

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Call Me Mister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mess Sergeant

  • Halls of Montezuma(1951)

    as Lt. Col. Gilfillan

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Saxon · as Vincent Giel

  • The Front Page (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 18 episodes · as Wilson

  • Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 1 episode · as Mercer

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · as John Wesley Hardin

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 67 titles from 1948 to 1992; peak year 1970.

Biggest box office

The Robe (1953)

$36M worldwide

Highest rated

The Shootist (1976)

Midcredits 94th

Film career

19481992

Peak 1970 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1951Screen debut· Halls of Montezuma
  • 1958First top-billed film· I Bury the Living
  • 1958Career best· I Bury the Living

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting67 of 67: 64 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thDirecting2 of 67: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 67: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

67 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1940s3 · acting1950s34 · 34 acting · 1 crew1960s12 · 12 acting · 2 crew1970s16 · acting1980s1 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 11% of 27 roles
51566676

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Richard Boone's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 40; across their 36 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

The Last Dinosaur (1977)

61st percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Shootist (1976)

Midcredits 94th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 36 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Richard Boone's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles8–60 · median 23 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 60 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Richard Boone work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Boone's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sol Kaplan shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles