What Ever Happened to “The Rifleman” Cast? Inside Their Lives After Starring in the Classic Western Show

Set in the 1880s, ‘The Rifleman’ aired on ABC from 1958 to 1963

NEED TO KNOW

• The Rifleman aired on ABC from 1958 to 1963
• The Western show starred Chuck Conners, Johnny Crawford and Paul Fix, among others
• Connors went on to appear in several more Westerns and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the 1977 miniseries Roots

The Rifleman premiered during the golden age of TV Westerns.

The black-and-white ABC series — which premiered in September 1958 — was set in the 1880s and followed widowed rancher Lucas McCain (Chuck Conners) as he searched for a fresh start in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory, while raising his young son, Mark (Johnny Crawford). Notably, it was one of the first primetime shows on American television to feature a single-parent household.

The Rifleman ran for 168 episodes before it concluded in April 1963. It earned two Emmy nominations, including Best Western Series in 1959. The series also helped pave the way for other Western family dramas like Bonanza — which featured guest appearances from several The Rifleman cast members — and, later on, Little House on the Prairie.

Here’s what happened to the cast of The Rifleman after the Western show came to an end.

01 of 07

Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain

Connors led The Rifleman cast for all five seasons as cattle rancher Lucas.

A born-and-raised New Yorker, Connors played minor league baseball for two years before enlisting in the Army during World War II. After being discharged, Connors went on to play both professional basketball and baseball, including stints with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

In 1957, Connors was cast in Old Yeller — a breakthrough role that helped him land the titular role of Lucas on The Rifleman. Although he starred in numerous Western films throughout his career, his only Emmy nomination came for his supporting role in the 1977 miniseries Roots.

Connors was married three times and shared four sons with his first wife, Elizabeth Jane Riddell.

Off-screen, Connors developed a close relationship with Crawford, who played his young son on The Rifleman. The pair remained friends after the series ended until Connor’s death at the age of 71 in November 1992.

02 of 07

Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain

In 1955, Crawford was cast as one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club. He was just 9 years old — and, three years later, he landed the role of Lucas’ son, Mark, on The Rifleman.

In 1959, Crawford nabbed an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Two years later, he launched his music career with the single “Daydreams.” He showcased his singing talents on the last two seasons of The Rifleman. Later on, he also founded his own orchestra.

Crawford married his wife, Charlotte, in 1995 and became a stepdad to her two daughters, Brenda and Jamie. He died at the age of 75 in April 2021 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

03 of 07

Paul Fix as Sheriff Micah Torrance

Best known for his work in the Western genre, Paul Fix became a familiar face on The Rifleman as series regular Micah Torrance, the town marshal of North Fork. In the show, Micah is a recovering alcoholic turned law enforcement officer who forms a close friendship with the show’s main character, Lucas.

Over the course of his career, Fix amassed hundreds of film and television credits, including Lucky Star, The Bad Seed, Giant, To Kill a Mockingbird and Wanda Nevada, the latter of which starred Brooke Shields.

Fix is arguably just as well known for his long-standing friendship and professional relationship with John Wayne, whom he began mentoring in the 1930s. He starred in dozens of Wayne’s films and wrote the screenplay for Tall in the Saddle, the 1944 Western starring Wayne opposite Ella Raines.

Fix was married twice — first to Frances Harvey, with whom he shared a daughter, Marilyn, and later on to Beverly Pratt, whom he was with until her death in 1979. Fix later died at the age of 82 in October 1993.

04 of 07

Bill Quinn as Frank Sweeney

Bill Quinn’s Hollywood career spanned nearly 70 years, taking him from the silent film era to major motion pictures. In the midst of that run, he joined The Rifleman as Frank Sweeney, the bartender at Last Chance Saloon who frequently interacts with Lucas and Micah. Quinn appeared in 38 episodes over the course of the show’s five-season run.

Beyond The Rifleman, Quinn was known for his roles on All in the Family, Archie Bunker’s Place, The Odd Couple, The Birds and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Quinn married Mary Catherine Roden in 1939. The couple had three daughters, one of whom, Ginnie Newton, was famously married to comedian Bob Newhart. Quinn formed a tight-knit bond with his son-in-law and even made guest appearances on the latter’s eponymous sitcoms.

Quinn died in April 1994 at the age of 81.

05 of 07

Patricia Blair as Lou Mallory

Born Patsy Lou Blake, Patricia Blair was 17 years old when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, according to The New York Times. She joined The Rifleman for its fifth and final season, playing Lucas’ love interest and businesswoman, Lou Mallory.

Before finding success on television, Blair appeared in the films Jump Into Hell, City of Fear and Cage of Evil. She also made a cameo in The Electric Horseman starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. However, she’s best known for her role as Rebecca Boone on the NBC show Daniel Boone.

Blair was also married to land developer Martin S. Colbert from 1965 to 1993. She died on Sept. 9, 2013, at the age of 80 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

06 of 07

Joe Higgins as Nils Swenson

Joe Higgins joined the cast of The Rifleman in the show’s third season as North Fork’s blacksmith, Nils Swenson.

Following his 21-episode run on The Rifleman, Higgins continued to build his television career with guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, Bonanza and the legal drama Arrest and Trial. He also shared the screen with Connors in two films: Geronimo (1962) and Flipper (1963).

Higgins died in June 1998 at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Jackie, and their three children.

07 of 07

Joan Taylor as Milly Scott

Joan Taylor had a decades-long career in TV and film, with credits including Wagon Train, My Three Sons and 20 Million Miles to Earth. She portrayed general store owner Milly Scott in The Rifleman, appearing in 18 episodes between 1960 and 1962.

After The Rifleman and a cameo on 77 Sunset Strip, Taylor stepped away from Hollywood to raise a family with her husband, TV writer and producer Leonard Freeman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The couple were married for over 20 years until Freeman’s death in 1974. They had three children, including actress Lisa Freeman.

Following her husband’s death, Taylor took over his production company, which was behind the hit series Hawaii Five-O. She also co-wrote the story for the 1997 comedy Fools Rush In.

In 1976, Taylor got remarried to director Walter Grauman, however they divorced in 1980. She died in March 2012 at the age of 82.

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