John Davis Chandler

Character actor 'John Davis Chandler' (qv) was born on January 28, 1935, in Hinton, West Virginia. He was raised in Charleston, West Virginia. Tall and thin, with fair hair, piercing blue eyes, a pale complexion and a nasal, whiny voice, Chandler specialized in portraying mean, neurotic and dangerous villains. He made an impressive film debut in his sole starring part as the titular sniveling, psychotic, homicidal weasel gangster in _Mad Dog Coll (1961)_ (qv). He acted in a trio of Westerns for director 'Sam Peckinpah' (qv), and is especially memorable (and frightening) as the creepy Jimmy Hammond in the magnificent _Ride the High Country (1962)_ (qv). He was excellent as vicious punk Arthur Reardon in _The Young Savages (1961)_ (qv). He made an effectively loathsome appearance as a vile bushwhacker in the supremely spooky horror-western _The Shadow of Chikara (1977)_ (qv) and had a nice bit as a bounty hunter in 'Clint Eastwood' (qv)'s terrific _The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)_ (qv). He even played a good guy--of sorts--in Peckinpah's _Major Dundee (1965)_ (qv).Chandler popped up in three entertaining drive-in exploitation features for director 'William Grefé' (qv): at his wacky best as the crazed, doped-up Acid in _The Hooked Generation (1968)_ (qv), a foul shark poacher in the fun _Jaws (1975)_ (qv) copy _Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976)_ (qv) and an evil pot farmer in _Whiskey Mountain (1977)_ (qv). Among the many TV shows John did guest spots on are _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)_ (qv), _Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)_ (qv), _Chicago Hope (1994)_ (qv) _ER (1994)_ (qv), _Simon & Simon (1981)_ (qv), _Hunter (1984)_ (qv), _Murder, She Wrote (1984)_ (qv), _Hill Street Blues (1981)_ (qv), _T.J. Hooker (1982)_ (qv), _Fantasy Island (1977)_ (qv), _The Incredible Hulk (1977)_ (qv), _Police Woman (1974)_ (qv), _Gunsmoke (1955)_ (qv), _Adam-12 (1968)_ (qv), _The Fugitive (1963)_ (qv), _Combat! (1962)_ (qv), _The Rifleman (1958)_ (qv), _Route 66 (1960)_ (qv) and _The Virginian (1962)_ (qv). In real life he was an avid practitioner of yoga. Chandler died at age 75 on February 16, 2010 in Toluca Lake, California.::woodyanders