Ben Cooper, who starred in the 1954 western drama Johnny Guitar, dies at age 86

Johnny Guitar actor Ben Cooper has passed away at the age of 86.  

The star succumbed to a long illness in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday, his nephew Pete Searls told The Hollywood Reporter.

Cooper starred opposite Joan Crawford in the 1954 western drama Johnny Guitar, which saw him play the bandit Turkey Ralston.

Throughout his career, Cooper appeared in a variety of western films and TV shows, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Outcast, Arizona Raiders, and Gunfight at Comanche Creek.   

Cooper, who was born in 1933, began his acting career early in life, appearing at age nine in the Broadway play Life With Father. 

He first appeared on film with an uncredited role in the 1950 film noir, Side Street.  

In addition to roles on screen and on the stage, Cooper acted in over 3,000 radio shows.  

‘They let me play cowboy, and they paid me [for it],’ Cooper once said. 

‘I’d ridden horses, I got my own horse when I was 12. I used to jump him bareback. I didn’t know they had stuntmen; I’d watch a movie and then practice on my horse until I could do [the stunt.]’  

The actor’s last roles included appearances in the 90s TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Lightning Jack, and L.A. Law in 1986.    

Searls announced the news of his uncle’s death on Facebook on Monday.

‘It is with a sad heart that I pass along the news that my uncle and western actor Ben Cooper fought his last gunfight this morning. He passed away in his sleep at the age of 86,’ he wrote. 

The actor is survived by his daughter Pamela, who is from his marriage to his late wife Pamela, and his sister Bunny.