Paul Brinegar (December 19, 1917 – March 27, 1995) was an American character actor.Brinegar made over 100 appearances between 1946 and 1994, appearing in many western films, and played the barman in Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter in 1973. He was best known for his long-running role as the cook, George Washington Wishbone, on the CBS series Rawhide from 1959 to 1966, which also starred Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood. He had even played Tom Jefferson Jeffrey in the 1958 movie Cattle Empire upon which Rawhide was based. From 1956 to 1958, he played James H. "Dog" Kelley, the mayor of Dodge City, Kansas from 1877 to 1881, in the western series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, with Hugh O'Brian in the title role of Wyatt Earp. Brinegar appeared thirty-three times as Kelley and once in a previous episode as another character. In 1959, he played Ludwig, the bartender, in the episode "The Ringer" of the western series The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun. In 1969, he appeared in the western film Charro! starring Elvis Presley.Brinegar made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. His first appearance during the series' first season in early 1958 was as Tom Sackett in "The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary;" his second appearance in the series' ninth and final season in 1966, he played Jason Rohan in "The Case of the Unwelcome Well."The role of Wishbone was loosely carried over into the 1968-1970 CBS western series Lancer in which Brinegar played Jelly Hoskins, with co-stars were Andrew Duggan, James Stacy, and Wayne Maunder.From 1982 to 1983, Brinegar played an occasional humorous cowboy-like character, "Lamar Pettybone" during the first season of ABC's TV series Matt Houston, starring Lee Horsley.
December 19, 1917, Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States
Died
March 27, 1995, Los Angeles, California, United States
Place Of Birth
Tucumcari, New Mexico, USA
Profession
Actor, Soundtrack
Education
Pasadena City College
Spouse
Shirley Talbott (m. 1962–1995)
Star Sign
Sagittarius
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Fact
1
Brinegar had his only known press book biography (albeit short) in the double bill of "How To make a Monster" and "Teenage Caveman.".
2
American character actor. Educated in Santa Fe, he attended Pasadena Junior College to study drama, literature and art. His screen career (1946-1994) began and ended in westerns. Often sporting whiskers, he essayed many a grizzled sidekick to the hero. His best known role was as the cranky cook Wishbone on TV's Rawhide (1959).
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Ransom!
1956
Bank Clerk (uncredited)
The Loretta Young Show
1954-1956
TV Series
Pete / Ivan Fenwick
Inside Detroit
1956
Irate Worker (uncredited)
Highway Patrol
1955
TV Series
Blainey
Celebrity Playhouse
1955
TV Series
Link
I Died a Thousand Times
1955
Bus Driver (uncredited)
Cavalcade of America
1955
TV Series
Fireside Theatre
1955
TV Series
Whitey - Card Player
The Man Behind the Badge
1955
TV Series
Brant / Johnson / Don Kammer / ...
Treasury Men in Action
1955
TV Series
The Teller
Cell 2455, Death Row
1955
Prisoner (uncredited)
Public Defender
1954-1955
TV Series
Bud / Vic Oliver / Bailbondsman
The Silver Chalice
1954
Audience Member (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger
1954
TV Series
Frankie
The Lineup
1954
TV Series
Holdup Victim
Four Guns to the Border
1954
Barber (uncredited)
The Whistler
1954
TV Series
A Star Is Born
1954
Man at Funeral (uncredited)
Rogue Cop
1954
Arcade Clerk (uncredited)
Dawn at Socorro
1954
Desk Clerk
Human Desire
1954
Brakeman (uncredited)
Rails Into Laramie
1954
Bandleader (uncredited)
The Rocket Man
1954
Dave Harris (uncredited)
Phantom of the Rue Morgue
1954
Angry Accuser in Street (uncredited)
So Big
1953
Farmer (uncredited)
Captain Scarface
1953
Clegg
Racket Squad
1952-1953
TV Series
Janitor Dorset / Man
Fast Company
1953
Smokey - Poker Player (uncredited)
It Happens Every Thursday
1953
Mr. Sweetzer, Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
We're Not Married!
1952
Beauty Contest Spectator (uncredited)
Pat and Mike
1952
Caddy (uncredited)
The Captive City
1952
Police Sergeant
Here Come the Nelsons
1952
Thin Cop (uncredited)
The Files of Jeffrey Jones
1952
TV Series
Journey Into Light
1951
Bum
Insurance Investigator
1951
Mr. Spangler, Hotel Orderly (uncredited)
Storm Warning
1951
Cameraman #1 (uncredited)
A Ticket to Tomahawk
1950
Henchman (uncredited)
Young Man with a Horn
1950
Stage Manager (uncredited)
Pinky
1949
Western Union Clerk (uncredited)
The Gal Who Took the West
1949
Tailor (uncredited)
Sword in the Desert
1949
British Soldier (uncredited)
Take One False Step
1949
Reporter (uncredited)
Larceny
1948
Mechanic
Abilene Town
1946
Gambler (uncredited)
Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone
1994
TV Movie
Jim 'Dog' Kelly
Maverick
1994
Stage Driver
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
1993
TV Series
Francis Kilbride
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw
1991
TV Movie
Cookie
Life Stinks
1991
Old Bellboy
They Came from Outer Space
1990
TV Series
John Peckham
The Famous Teddy Z
1990
TV Series
Annihilator
1986
TV Movie
Pops
Knight Rider
1985
TV Series
Chuck
George Burns Comedy Week
1985
TV Series
Chattanooga Choo Choo
1984
Pee Wee
The Creature Wasn't Nice
1983
Clint Eastwood / Dirty Harry
Matt Houston
1982-1983
TV Series
Lamar Pettybone
The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch
1982
TV Movie
Bodie
CHiPs
1977-1982
TV Series
Keith Lawton / Old Surfer
Capitol
1982
TV Series
Caleb (1986)
Strike Force
1982
TV Series
Ike
Trapper John, M.D.
1981
TV Series
Bateman / Louie
The Dukes of Hazzard
1979
TV Series
Dewey Stovall
Lucan
1978
TV Series
Willie S'Marie
Project U.F.O.
1978
TV Series
Arley McCoy
Crisis in Sun Valley
1978
TV Movie
Poole
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
1977
TV Series
Code R
1977
TV Series
Alvin Purdy
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1977
TV Series
Jock
Little House on the Prairie
1976
TV Series
Glover
The Quest
1976
TV Series
Yoder
Emergency!
1974-1976
TV Series
Max / Grady / Husband (Tom)
I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?
1975
Looney Pickup Driver
Barbary Coast
1975
TV Series
Jesse
Petrocelli
1975
TV Series
Patch Dressler
Harry O
1975
TV Series
Old Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
1975
TV Series
Rafe Morris
Medical Center
1975
TV Series
Hnchoo
Cannon
1974
TV Series
Charlie Tompkins
Dusty's Trail
1973
TV Series
The Prospector
High Plains Drifter
1973
Lutie Naylor
Nichols
1972
TV Series
Gaffer
Lancer
1968-1970
TV Series
Jelly Hoskins
Death Valley Days
1966-1969
TV Series
James 'Jimmy' Dayton / Rupert Johnson / Sawbuck - Prospector