Character Actor Harry Carey Jr. Dies
by Shannon Keirnan
"He went out as gracefully as he came in," Carey’s daughter Melinda announced Friday.
Carey has appeared in over 100 films spanning 50 years. He has co-starred with John Wayne and Ben Johnson, and been directed by John Ford and Howard Hawkes, and was known for being one of the best horsemen in Hollywood.
"In recent years, he became kind of the living historian of the modern era," film critic Leonard Maltin said in memoriam. "He would get hired on films by young directors who just wanted to work with him, to be one step away from the legends. Some hired him to just hear his stories between takes."
He showed up most often in Westerns of the “golden era,” such as “The Searchers,” and “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” but you might recognize him from “Gremlins,” “Back to the Future Part III,” or “Tombstone.”
"My journey has been that of a character actor," Carey said in his memoir. "I've worked with the great and the not-so-great. But mostly I've worked with men and women who loved their profession, and who like me, had kids to raise and houses to pay for."
The son of silent film star Harry Carey Sr. and actress Olive Carey, Carey also served in the Navy during WWII.
Carey is survived by his wife, Marilyn, his daughters Melinda and Lily, and son Tom, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.