Benjamin Franklin McGrath (February 2, 1903 â€" May 13, 1967) was an
American television and film actor and stunt performer who played the
comical, optimistic cook with the white beard, Charlie B. Wooster, on
the western series Wagon Train for five seasons on NBC and then three
seasons on ABC. McGrath appeared in all 272 episodes in the eight
seasons of the series, which had ended its run only two years before
his death. McGrath's Wooster character hence provided the meals and
companionship for both fictional trail masters, Ward Bond as Seth
Adams and John McIntire as Christopher "Chris" Hale.McGrath was born
in Mound City in Holt County in far northwestern Missouri.His first
role, uncredited, was in the 1932 film, The Rainbow Trail, a study of
Mormon polygamy based on a 1915 Zane Grey novel of the same name. In
1948 and 1949, McGrath was the US Army Bugler in two of the greatest
westerns ever made, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.In the
movie "Fort Apache", McGrath appeared in fifty one (51) scenes with
both main characters John Wayne and Henry Fonda. In the movie She Wore
a Yellow Ribbon, McGrath appeared in one hundred and twelve scenes
(112). Only John Wayne himself surpassed McGrath in scenes in this
movie. McGrath worked closely with John Wayne and was in many screen
shots in both of these films, which were directed by John Ford. Even
at the age of fifty-three, the durable stunt performer McGrath
completed three separate horse fall and drag scenes for the 1956 John
Wayne picture The Searchers not long after McGrath had barely
recovered from having broken his back.A year before Wagon Train began,
McGrath appeared briefly as ranch foreman John Pike in the 1956
memorable episode "Quicksand" of the first hour-long television
Western series, ABC's Cheyenne, starring Clint Walker. In 1957,
McGrath had an uncredited role as a stagecoach driver in the Henry
Fonda film, The Tin Star. In 1958, he portrayed the character Jake
Rivers in the episode "The Most Dangerous Man Alive" on NBC's Tales of
Wells Fargo, starring Dale Robertson.
American television and film actor and stunt performer who played the
comical, optimistic cook with the white beard, Charlie B. Wooster, on
the western series Wagon Train for five seasons on NBC and then three
seasons on ABC. McGrath appeared in all 272 episodes in the eight
seasons of the series, which had ended its run only two years before
his death. McGrath's Wooster character hence provided the meals and
companionship for both fictional trail masters, Ward Bond as Seth
Adams and John McIntire as Christopher "Chris" Hale.McGrath was born
in Mound City in Holt County in far northwestern Missouri.His first
role, uncredited, was in the 1932 film, The Rainbow Trail, a study of
Mormon polygamy based on a 1915 Zane Grey novel of the same name. In
1948 and 1949, McGrath was the US Army Bugler in two of the greatest
westerns ever made, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.In the
movie "Fort Apache", McGrath appeared in fifty one (51) scenes with
both main characters John Wayne and Henry Fonda. In the movie She Wore
a Yellow Ribbon, McGrath appeared in one hundred and twelve scenes
(112). Only John Wayne himself surpassed McGrath in scenes in this
movie. McGrath worked closely with John Wayne and was in many screen
shots in both of these films, which were directed by John Ford. Even
at the age of fifty-three, the durable stunt performer McGrath
completed three separate horse fall and drag scenes for the 1956 John
Wayne picture The Searchers not long after McGrath had barely
recovered from having broken his back.A year before Wagon Train began,
McGrath appeared briefly as ranch foreman John Pike in the 1956
memorable episode "Quicksand" of the first hour-long television
Western series, ABC's Cheyenne, starring Clint Walker. In 1957,
McGrath had an uncredited role as a stagecoach driver in the Henry
Fonda film, The Tin Star. In 1958, he portrayed the character Jake
Rivers in the episode "The Most Dangerous Man Alive" on NBC's Tales of
Wells Fargo, starring Dale Robertson.
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