L.S. Grady

Lewis Sherman (L.S.) Grady (April 24th, 1925 -- October 23rd, 2003) was an American actor and cattle rancher who appeared mostly in western roles.

Biography
L.S. Grady was born in Los Angeles, California and, before becoming an actor, worked as a cattle rancher. He bought the famous Jarrico Movie Ranch in 1950. Several western films and tv shows were filled at the Jarrico and Grady's earliest acting jobs came about as a result of his ownership of the Jarrico. Though Grady himself preferred to remain vague on the subject, it is believed that he made his debut as an extra in a 1959 episode of Gunsmoke. His first speaking role was as the doomed outlaw Johnny Sunrise in the 1961 noir western Sunrise Came To Town. Though he received critical acclaim for his performance, Grady reportedly did not consider acting to be "a decent way for a man to make a living" and as such, he only actred sporadically over the next few years. He played the famous Indian fighter Grover Alexander in the 1963 film Cherokee On The Mississippi and Wyatt Earp in 1966's ''The Man From Tombstone. In 1967, he played his first non-Western role when he appeared in the role of Sgt. Johnson in Thomas Harold's pro-Viet Nam epic, Blood, Sweet, and Tears''.

Starting in 1968, Grady achieved perhaps his widest exposure when he was cast as Deputy Hardy on the ABC Western The Kansan. At the time, it was widely speculate that Grady would eventually win an Emmy for his role. However, despite strong ratings, The Kansan was cancelled in 1970 to make room for Norman Lear's All In The Family.

After the cancellation, Grady went to Italy to film Frederico DiNarri's'' Django, sono Sabata e progetto di sparargli fra gli occhi. ''Though released in Europe in 1971, this film never achieved distribution in the United States and can only be seen in the States through bootleg copies of a Region 3 DVD release.

Back in America, Grady appeared in the infamous 1973 horror film, The House Of Blood. Playing the ineffectual sheriff, Grady provided some much criticized comic relief to the film's intense action. On a 2005 DVD commentary track, the film's producer, Ben Schlagel, said that Grady was an old family friend and that he did the role as a personal favor. According to Schlagel, Grady never actually saw the film and was never aware of the film's more explicit content.

With the decline of the Western film genre, Grady's career slowed down. In 1975, he appeared in Ted McCoy's existential western The Long Dusty Trail while, in 1983, he reached a whole new audience with a cameo in The Muppets At The OK Corrall. According to the Internet Movie Database, Grady played Gen. William Westmoreland in both Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986) and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). However, this appears to be an error.

After years of retirement, Grady was hired in 1996 to host the Fox Reality Special, Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught On Tape.

Death
Grady died on October 23rd, 2003 in Santa Barbara, California. He apparently drowned after having a heart attack while sitting in an above ground hot tub. He was buried on the grounds of the Jarrico Movie Ranch. His tombstone reportedly reads, "Jesus Wept. Tom Mix Cried."

Personal
Grady was a Mormon and a registered member of the Republican Party.

Grady married Lynette Share on January 1st, 1949. They had one son in 1950, Wayne Grady. Wayne Grady is currently the leader of the God Loves His Children Commune in western Oregon.

In his "official biography," Grady claimed to have served in the U.S. Marine corp. during World War II. However, no record of his service has ever been found and therefore, there is some question concerning the truthfulness of this claim.

Legacy
The 2005 digitially remastered DVD of The House of Blood, released by Anchor Bay. was dedicated to Grady's memory.

In the 2008 independent horror film, The Return of Acid Sid, the sheriff played by Tad Jenkins is named Grady as an homage to Grady's role in The House of Blood.

The Los Angeles Citizenry Dedicated To Honoring L.S. Grady was founded in 2005 and is an organization dedicated to lobbying for Grady's eventual inclusion into the Cowboy Hall Of Fame.

Select Film and Television Work
Gunsmoke (1959) -- episode "The Woman Who Shot Marshal Dillon"

Sunrise Came To Town (1961)

Gunfight On A Lonely Afternoon (1962)

Cherokee On The Mississippi (1963)

How The West Was Won (1963)

Buckskin Blanket Bingo (1964)

Cat Ballou (1965)

The Man From Tombstone (1966)

Blood, Sweat, and Tears (1967)

My Apache Cousin (1967)

The Kansan (1968--1970)

Django, sono Sabata e progetto di sparargli fra gli occhi (1971)

The House of Blood (1973)

McGruder (1973)

Waltzing Missouri (1975)

The Long Dusty Trail (1975)

M*A*S*H (1976) -- ep. "Hawkeye's Tragedy"

The Love Boat (1978) -- ep. "Love For Isaac"

Fantasy Island (1978) -- ep. "A Second Chance At Life"

Come Back To The Five And Dime, Quanah Parker (1979)

One Day At A Time (1979) -- ep. "Barbara's Hit-and-Run"

Jackson and Mr. P (1980) -- ep. "Respect The Elderly"

Heaven's Gate (1981)

The Muppets at the OK Corrall (1983)

St. Elsewhere (1985) -- ep. "Genocide in the OR"

Magnum, P.I. (1986) -- ep. "The Maltese Hawk"

Murder, She Wrote (1986) -- ep. "Murder In Utah"

The Life of Brigham Young (1989)

Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught on Tape (1996)

Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught on Tape, Part II (1996)

Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught on Tape, Part III (1996)

Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught On Tape, Part IV (1996)

Sex and the City (1999) -- ep., "Carrie Does An Old Guy"

Most Frightening Rodeo Accidents Caught on Tape: A Tribute (1999)