Wayde Preston (September 10, 1929 â€" February 6, 1992) was an
American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes
of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Colt .45. He is
also known for his appearance in the title role of an acclaimed 1959
episode entitled "The Saga of Waco Williams" of another ABC/WB western
series, Maverick.Born William Erksine Strange in Denver, Colorado,
Preston was reared in Laramie in southern Wyoming by his educator
parents, John and Bernice Strange. He had two younger sisters, Joan
and Mary. In 1947 he graduated from Laramie High School, where he was
active in football, track, the school band and the Reserve Officer
Training Corps. He attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie,
where he studied pharmacy. He became an accomplished musician and
played in many bands during the late 1940s. In 1950 Preston was
drafted into the United States Army. Trained in an artillery unit at
Fort Bliss, Texas, Preston attained the rank of first lieutenant and
fought in the Korean War. For a time, after his military service, he
was a park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming
and rode the rodeo circuit before he got his break as an actor.In Colt
.45 he played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent who
masquerades as a pistol salesman traveling throughout the Old West.
The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner and Clint Walker
during the same period, ran afoul of the Warner Brothers studio and
their production demands. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960
in the role of Colt's cousin, Sam Colt Jr., but only in four
episodes.Preston also played the role of Christopher Colt in 1958 and
1959 in four episodes relating to "The Canary Kid" of the ABC/WB
Sugarfoot series, starring Will Hutchins.
American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes
of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Colt .45. He is
also known for his appearance in the title role of an acclaimed 1959
episode entitled "The Saga of Waco Williams" of another ABC/WB western
series, Maverick.Born William Erksine Strange in Denver, Colorado,
Preston was reared in Laramie in southern Wyoming by his educator
parents, John and Bernice Strange. He had two younger sisters, Joan
and Mary. In 1947 he graduated from Laramie High School, where he was
active in football, track, the school band and the Reserve Officer
Training Corps. He attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie,
where he studied pharmacy. He became an accomplished musician and
played in many bands during the late 1940s. In 1950 Preston was
drafted into the United States Army. Trained in an artillery unit at
Fort Bliss, Texas, Preston attained the rank of first lieutenant and
fought in the Korean War. For a time, after his military service, he
was a park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming
and rode the rodeo circuit before he got his break as an actor.In Colt
.45 he played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent who
masquerades as a pistol salesman traveling throughout the Old West.
The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner and Clint Walker
during the same period, ran afoul of the Warner Brothers studio and
their production demands. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960
in the role of Colt's cousin, Sam Colt Jr., but only in four
episodes.Preston also played the role of Christopher Colt in 1958 and
1959 in four episodes relating to "The Canary Kid" of the ABC/WB
Sugarfoot series, starring Will Hutchins.
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