Peter Brown, Star of TV Western Lawman, Dies at 80

Peter Brown, who played Deputy Johnny McKay on 1960s TV Western “Lawman,” died March 21 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 80.

Brown played McKay on ABC’s “Lawman” during the entire 1958-62 run of the series, which starred John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop. Brown was also a regular on NBC Western “Laredo,” playing Chad Cooper during the series’ 1965-67 run. This story of the Texas Ranger starred Neville Brand as Reese Bennett.

Brown also guested on a number of other TV Westerns, including “Maverick,” “Cheyenne” and “The Virginian.”

On the big screen during the period he appeared in Disney’s Hayley Mills musical “Summer Magic” (1963), surfing movie “Ride the Wild Surf” (1964) and Ann-Margret vehicle “Kitten With a Whip” (1964).

During the 1970s while continuing his TV career, Brown played the villain in the 1974 blaxploitation classic “Foxy Brown,” starred with William Smith in “Piranha” (1972) and starred in the horror-thriller “Act of Vengeance” (1974). He appeared in 1982 prison picture “The Concrete Jungle,” starring Jill St. John, and Fred Williamson’s “The Messenger” (1986).

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Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-09-13

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