Question: What Texas-born actor played the larger-than-life character Hoss Cartwright in the NBC Western TV series Bonanza?
Answer: Dan Blocker. Born in De Kalb in 1928, Blocker was a star football player at Hardin-Simmons University and Sul Ross State Teacher’s College, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and worked as a teacher for a few years before landing some acting roles. Before starring in Bonanza, Blocker appeared in several other Western TV shows, including Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, and Wagon Train. Bonanza ran for 14 seasons between 1959 and 1973, the last of which did not feature Blocker after he died at the age of 43 from complications to gallbladder surgery.
