Sheb Wooley(1921-2003)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
American character actor in many Westerns, Sheb Wooley was also a
figure in country-western music. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he spent
his youth as a cowhand. His musical ability led to radio and
subsequently film work. He played minor supporting roles for a dozen
years starting in 1950, including one of the Frank Miller gang in
High Noon (1952). In 1958 he had a
giant hit record with his own song "The Purple People Eater" (years
later there was a movie made based on the song,
Purple People Eater (1988))
and he followed it with a string of similar humorous country ditties,
often recorded under the name Ben Colder. For a number of years he had
a regular role as scout Pete Nolan on the hit TV series
Rawhide (1959). He worked
infrequently as an actor after that, concentrating on the music
business.
