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Chuck Connors was born on April 10, 1921, in New York City's Brooklyn district. His parents Alban and Marcella were immigrants of Irish descent, and raised him along with his younger sister, Gloria.
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Before pursuing an acting career, Connor was a huge baseball enthusiast, particularly interested in the Brooklyn Dodgers. His passion and talent for sports helped him get a scholarship to the Adelphi Academy, however, he decided to attend the New Jersey-based Seton Hall University, where he played baseball, as well as basketball, for the school's teams. Eventually, he quit school and signed a baseball contract, playing in minor league teams Newport Dodgers and the New York Yankees farm team, the Norfolk Tars.
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Connors' sports career ended in 1942, after playing a total of 72 games, when he enlisted in the Army, following the United States' entrance into the Second World War. During his military career, he mainly served as tank-warfare instructor.
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After his 1946 military discharge, Connors resumed his sports career, this time by joining basketball team Rochester Royals. Later on, he joined the Boston Celtics, being one of 13 athletes who have played in both Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association teams.
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By the early '50s the star realized that his sports career hadn't any stable future, so he began pursuing an on-screen career. After being spotted by an MGM casting director, he signed a deal to appear in the 1952 film 'Pat and Mike'. The following year he shared screen with the late Burt Lancaster in 'South Sea Woman'. The rest is history.
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As of his personaly life, Chuck tied the knot three times. From 1948 to 1961 he was married to Elizabeth Jane Riddell (picture), whom he met at one of his baseball events. They had four sons: Michael, Jeffrey, Stephen and Kevin, born in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1956, respectively.
Later on, he was married to Kamala Devi from 1963 to 1973. The pair co-starred the films 'Geronimo', 'Branded', 'Cowboy in Africa' and 'Broken Sabre'.
Connors' third wife was Faith Quabius, his 'Soylent Green' co-star. The pair remained as huband and wife from 1973 to 1979.
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While Connors is best known for his role as "Lucas" in 'The Rifleman', other of his acting credits include TV shows 'Arrest and Trial' as "John", 'Branded' as "Jason" and 'The Yellow Rose' as "Jeb". On the big screen, he starred as "Kesten" in 'Embassy', played "Mr. Lausen" in 'Tourist Trap', and most recently appeared as "Bingo Chuck" in 'Salmonberries'.
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Apart from his Hollywood career, Chuck Connors was an avid philanthropist. Through his Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation, he used to host an annual golf event, donating the tournament's earnings to the Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation.
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A couple fun facts about the 'Rifleman' star:
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Connors, a longtime smoker, died on November 10, 1992, at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was 71.
Three weeks prior to his passing he was rushed to the hospital due to pneumonia. As per IMDb, for many decades he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day.
Buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Chuck Connors' cause of death was ruled lung cancer.
Chuck Connors (1921-1992) delivered an outstanding performance in ABC series 'The Rifleman', portraying "Lucas McCain" from 1958 to 1963.
Sadly, the actor passed away in the early '90s leaving the industry and audience devastated.
To pay tribute to this Hollywood icon, we've put together a series of pictures exploring his life and times. Read on and learn more about his love life, his on-screen career, and his exact cause of death here.