# Noble Willingham

Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. (August 31, 1931 – January 17, 2004) was an American actor who appeared in more than thirty films and in many television shows, including a stint opposite Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger.

## Early life

Willingham was the son of railroad worker and farmer Noble Henry Willingham, Sr, and Ruby Ladelle (née Speights).
He was born in the small town of Mineola, in Wood County east of Dallas, Texas. After graduating in 1953 from North Texas State College in Denton, he earned a master's degree in educational psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Willingham served in the United States Army during the Korean War

## Career

Willingham taught government and economics at Sam Houston High School in Houston before he followed his dream of becoming an actor. He auditioned for a part in The Last Picture Show (1971), which was filmed in Texas. He won the role, which led to another appearance, in Paper Moon (1973).
Willingham appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Chinatown (1974); Aloha, Bobby and Rose (1975); Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975); Greased Lightning (1977); The Boys in Company C (1978); Norma Rae (1979); Brubaker (1980); The Howling (1981); La Bamba (1987); Good Morning, Vietnam (1987); City Slickers (1991); The Last Boy Scout (1991); Of Mice and Men (1992); Fire in the Sky (1993); The Hudsucker Proxy (1994); Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994); and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994).
On television, Willingham had a recurring role in the ABC series Home Improvement with Tim Allen as John Binford, and appeared as a guest star in the 1975 CBS family drama series Three for the Road. He also guest starred on Dallas; The A-Team; Murder, She Wrote; Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989); Northern Exposure; The Rockford Files; Tucker's Witch with Tim Matheson and Catherine Hicks; and Quantum Leap. His additional television credits include A Woman With a Past, The Children Nobody Wanted, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, and Unconquered. He also played the conductor in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler (1980), Dr. Graham in Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story (1983), he appeared in the 1986 miniseries Dream West, and appeared in Badge of the Assassin (1985) and Men Don't Tell (1993). He guest starred as IRS Agent Bumpers in the show Remington Steele. He died of a heart attack on January 17, 2004 at age 72 in Palm Springs.
He was best known for his role as C.D. Parker on the series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 1999. He left the show to run for the United States House of Representatives. He ran for the Texas's 1st congressional district seat against incumbent Max Sandlin, who beat Willingham handily.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | The Last Picture Show | Chester | |
| 1973 | The Thief Who Came to Dinner | Roy | Uncredited |
| 1973 | Paper Moon | Mr. Robertson | |
| 1973 | Hit! | Warden Springer | |
| 1974 | Chinatown | Councilman #1 | |
| 1974 | Big Bad Mama | Uncle Barney | |
| 1974 | Where Have All the People Gone? | Jim Clancey | |
| 1975 | Aloha, Bobby and Rose | Uncle Charlie | |
| 1975 | Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York | Principal | |
| 1976 | Fighting Mad | Senator Hingle | |
| 1977 | Greased Lightning | Billy Joe Byrnes | |
| 1978 | The Boys in Company C | Sergeant Curry | |
| 1979 | Norma Rae | Leroy Mason | |
| 1979 | Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider | 'Pop' Bauer | |
| 1979 | Butch and Sundance: The Early Days | Captain Prewitt | |
| 1980 | Brubaker | Dr. Fenster | |
| 1981 | The Howling | Charlie Barton | |
| 1981 | Harry's War | Major Andrews | |
| 1981 | First Monday in October | Nebraska Attorney | |
| 1983 | Independence Day | Andy Parker | |
| 1987 | La Bamba | Howard | |
| 1987 | Summer Heat | Strother | |
| 1987 | Born in East L.A. | Border Patrol Sergeant | |
| 1987 | Good Morning, Vietnam | General Taylor | |
| 1989 | Blind Fury | Claude MacCready | |
| 1990 | Pastime | Clyde Bigby | |
| 1991 | Career Opportunities | Roger Roy McClellan | |
| 1991 | City Slickers | Clay Stone | |
| 1991 | The Last Boy Scout | Sheldon 'Shelly' Marcone | |
| 1992 | Article 99 | Inspector General | |
| 1992 | Of Mice and Men | The Boss | |
| 1992 | The Distinguished Gentleman | Zeke Bridges | |
| 1993 | Fire in the Sky | Blake Davis | |
| 1994 | The Hudsucker Proxy | Zebulon Cardoza | |
| 1994 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Riddle | |
| 1994 | Guarding Tess | Sheriff Janson | Uncredited |
| 1994 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Clay Stone | |
| 1994 | Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion | C.D. Parker | |
| 1996 | Up Close & Personal | Buford Sells | |
| 1999 | The Corndog Man | 'Ace' Barker | |
| 2000 | South of Heaven, West of Hell | Sheriff Harris | |
| 2003 | Blind Horizon | Deputy Shirl Cash | (final film role) |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | My Sweet Charlie | Grady | Television movie |
| 1971 | Evel Knievel | Jack Decataur | Television movie |
| 1972 | Bonanza | Mr. Kirby | Episode: "Riot" |
| 1972 | McMillan & Wife | Sheriff | Episode: "Terror Times Two" |
| 1973 | Gunsmoke | Tuck | Episode: "Whelan's Men" |
| 1973 | The Girls of Huntington House | Harry | Television movie |
| 1973 | Hawkins | Carl Jackson | Episode: "Die, Darling, Die" |
| 1973 | Sunshine | Bartender | Television movie |
| 1973–75 | The Waltons | Mr. Denton / B.C. Graddy | 3 episodes |
| 1974 | Apple's Way | Farmer | Episode: "The Miller" |
| 1974 | The Texas Wheelers | Sheriff | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Where Have All The People Gone? | Jim Clancy | Television movie |
| 1974 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Hal | Episode: "What Are Friends For? |
| 1975 | Cannon | Sergeant 'Sonny' Wills | Episode: "Coffin Corner" |
| 1975 | Blazing Saddles | Fern Malaga | Television movie Also known as Black Bart |
| 1975 | Switch | Verly Terrace | Episode: "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" |
| 1975 | Three for the Road | | Episode: "The Rip-off" |
| 1975–76 | The Rockford Files | Palm Springs Tan Tony / Claude Orzeck / B.J. | 3 episodes |
| 1976 | Petrocelli | Artie Jacobs | Episode: "The Falling Star" |
| 1976–78 | Alice | Floyd / Policeman / Morgan | 4 episodes |
| 1977 | Lou Grant | Hotel Manager | Episode: "Aftershock" |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis | Artemus Washburn | Episode: "Shoot-Out at Land's End" |
| 1978 | Thaddeus Rose and Eddie | Judge | Television movie |
| 1978 | Cindy | Sergeant | Television movie |
| 1978 | Just Me and You | Gas Station Owner | Television movie |
| 1978 | The Critical List | Charlie | Television movie |
| 1979 | How the West Was Won | Judge Carter | Episode: "The Rustler" |
| 1979 | Backstairs at the White House | Charles Cramer | Television mini-series Episode: "#1.2" |
| 1979 | Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story | Doctor | Television movie |
| 1979 | Young Maverick | | Episode: "A Fistful of Oats" |
| 1980 | Hart to Hart | Wilbur Pierson | Episode: "Color Jennifer Dead" |
| 1980 | Kenny Rogers as The Gambler | Conductor | Television movie |
| 1980 | When the Whistle Blows | 'Bulldog' | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | The Georgia Peaches | Jarvis Wheeler | Television movie |
| 1980 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Al 'Smilin' Al' | Episode: "A Mile in My Shoes" |
| 1981 | Dallas | Senator Pascomb | Episode: "Making of a President" |
| 1981 | Coward of the County | Jake | Episode: "Finders Keepers" |
| 1981 | The Children Nobody Wanted | McNaulty | Television movie |
| 1982 | The Blue and the Gray | Cavalry General On Balloon Field | Television mini-series Episode: "Part 2" |
| 1982 | Missing Children: A Mother's Story | Lander Hughes | Television movie |
| 1983 | Cutter to Houston | Mayor Warren Jarvis | 9 episodes |
| 1983 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Hanson | Episode: "Witness: Jesse Duke" |
| 1983 | Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story | Dr. Graham | Television movie |
| 1983 | Gun Shy | Mr. Bender | Episode: "Pardon Me Boy, Is That the Quake City Choo Choo?" |
| 1983 | Tucker's Witch | Sheriff Trout | Episode: "Murder Is the Key" |
| 1983–86 | The A-Team | Zack / Pete Stockton | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | AfterMASH | Harry | 3 episodes |
| 1984 | W*A*L*T*E*R | Sergeant Sowell | Television short |
| 1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Jerry Armstrong | Television mini-series 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Airwolf | Chester Hansen | Episode: "Natural Born" |
| 1985 | Hail to the Chief | Texab #2 | Episode: "#1.4" |
| 1985 | Highway to Heaven | MacGill | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Badge of the Assassin | Airport Guard | Television movie |
| 1986 | Remington Steele | Harrison Bumpers | Episode: "Suburban Steele" |
| 1986 | Dream West | President James Polk | Television mini-series 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Mr. Sunshine | | Episode: "Too Many Cooks" |
| 1987 | Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder | Tesch | Television mini-series 3 episodes |
| 1987 | The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory | Dr. Pollard | Television movie |
| 1987 | Our House | Bob 'Farmer Bob' Brewer | Episode: "Giving 'em the Business" |
| 1987 | Private Eye | Calvin | Episode: "Blue Hotel Pt.1" |
| 1988 | Longarm | | Television movie |
| 1988 | Splash, Too | Karl Hooten | Television movie |
| 1988 | Shooter | Rizzo | Television movie |
| 1988 | A Stoning in Fulham County | Judge Manning | Television movie |
| 1988 | Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story | Ted Simonsen | Television movie |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | Robert Kenyon | Episode: "I'm in the Nude for Love" |
| 1989 | Unconquered | 'Bear' Bryant | Television movie |
| 1989 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | 'Texas' | Episode: "The Royale" |
| 1989 | The Road Raiders | 'Crankcase' | Television movie |
| 1989 | The Heist | Stuckey | Television movie |
| 1989–90 | Ann Jillian | Duke Howard | 6 episodes |
| 1990 | The Young Riders | Erastus Hawkins | Episode: "Then There Was One" |
| 1990 | Capital News | | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1990 | Sporting Chance | 'Packy' Dillon | Television movie |
| 1990 | Matlock | Reverend Morley Phelps | Episode: "The Madam" |
| 1990 | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | | Television movie |
| 1991 | Quantum Leap | Gene | Episode: "Justice - May 11, 1965" |
| 1992 | Home Improvement | John Binford | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Sheriff Pat McAllester | Episode: "Angel of Death" |
| 1992 | Northern Exposure | Colonel Gordon McKearn | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Mr. Petermeyer | Episode: "Oil's Well That Ends Well" |
| 1993–99 | Walker, Texas Ranger | C.D. Parker | 155 episodes |

## Death

On January 17, 2004, Willingham died in his sleep of a heart attack in Palm Springs at the age of 72. A veteran of the United States Army during the Korean War, he is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.