Chris Alcaide

Early years

Alcaide was born John ("Jack") Berger to parents George and Frances Conroy Berger in the traditionally steel city of Youngstown, the seat of Mahoning County in eastern Ohio, and served from 1943 to 1946 in the United States Army during World War II. He came to Hollywood, California, after the war to launch his acting career.

He was cast in his first, uncredited, screen role as Eddie in the 1950 production of the Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie. Uncredited roles followed in 1952 in the films Smoky Canyon and Cripple Creek, a reference to the mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. In 1953, he appeared as George Rose in the film The Big Heat, with Glenn Ford and Lee Marvin. In 1954, he was cast as Jason in Overland Pacific.

Alcaide's first television role was as George Timpkin in the 1953 episode "Ming Lama" of The Ford Television Theatre on NBC. In 1953, he was also cast in "Renegades Wires", the first of four episodes of the syndicated series, The Adventures of Kit Carson, starring Bill Williams in the title role. The 1954 Kit Carson episodes were "Counterfeit Country", "Trouble in Sundown", and "Outlaw's Justice".

In 1954, he also appeared three times on the syndicated Annie Oakley series, with Gail Davis in the title role and Brad Johnson and Jimmy Hawkins. He appeared as Paul Dodson in "Annie and the Brass Collar" and "The Cinder Trail" and then as Gil Warren in "Outlaw Mesa". These were the first of many television western roles to follow for the then 31-year-old Alcaide. He had also appeared in ten episodes of The Rifleman playing different characters.

Alcaide had "piercing eyes, a cold stare and an earth-shattering deep voice ... his specialty was menacing such heroes as Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright), Richard Boone (Paladin), Clint Walker (Cheyenne Bodie), and even Gail Davis (Annie Oakley)". His favorite role was that as the lead henchman in Kid Galahad, a 1962 musical film, in which he menaced Elvis Presley as a boxer, Gig Young, and Charles Bronson. Alcaide made two guest appearances on Perry Mason.

Western roles

Alcaide appeared in 1955 in the syndicated series Buffalo Bill, Jr., a Gene Autry Production starring Texas native Dick Jones. That same year, he appeared in Autry's The Adventures of Champion in episodes "The Saddle Tramp" and "Renegade Stallion". From 1955-1957, he appeared three times on CBS's Saturday morning western, Tales of the Texas Rangers, in episodes "Uranium Pete", "Hail to the Rangers", and "Trail Herd".

The Rifleman

Alcaide appeared ten times on ABC's The Rifleman with Chuck Connors. Alcaide's The Rifleman episodes aired between 1959 and 1962 and included the roles of:

Other western roles

Dramatic roles

Alcaide also appeared in network drama series:

Later years

Alcaide came out of retirement in 1982 to play an unnamed man in a corporate boardroom in the film Hammett, a fictional story of author Dashiell Hammett. He appeared as the Chief Justice in the 1987 Charles Bronson film Assassination.

In 1956, Alcaide married the former Peri Hatman (July 27, 1923 – March 15, 2008) formerly of New York State. After his retirement from acting, the couple operated Peri's Pictures, an art gallery in West Hollywood, which specialized in old movie stills. In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Death

Alcaide died of cancer, aged 81, in Palm Springs, California. His widow died in Palm Springs some four years later. The couple is interred at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City in Riverside County, California.