Gene Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona, on July 11, 1922, and was raised in Colton, California. He served in the Army during World War II as a combat engineer, and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for bravery in action. He began his acting career there, performing in a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. After the war, he went to Hollywood, where he made his film debut in 1947's Under Colorado Skies (1947). The rugged, red-headed character actor was a familiar face in such westerns as La reine de la prairie (1954), La caravane de feu (1967), Ne tirez pas sur le shérif (1969), Un nommé Cable Hogue (1970) and Pat Garrett et Billy le Kid (1973). He also starred in the war films J'ai vécu l'enfer de Corée (1951) and Baïonnette au canon (1951) and co-starred with future first lady Nancy Reagan (before she became Nancy Reagan) in Donovan's Brain (1953). His other major films include Violences à Park Row (1952), Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959), Opération jupons (1959) and Justice sauvage (1973). He became well known in the 1950s on television, playing the father in Mon amie Flicka (1955). He remained active in films and television through the 1980s. Evans subsequently retired to a farm near Jackson, Tennessee. He was a popular guest at the Memphis Film Festival for the past decade.
