What can you tell me about cowboy actor Tim McCoy?

Ross Taylor

Nashville, Tennessee

Tim McCoy was the 20th-century version of Buffalo Bill, respected by Indians and whites for his knowledge of the Old West. The colonel—the rank he achieved during WWI—was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1891. As a youth, he worked as a cowboy in Wyoming. In the 1920s, he began acting in movies and TV, and performed in Wild West shows. His work was interrupted by WWII, in which he served with distinction.

In 1962, McCoy moved from Los Angeles to Arizona. He spent his last years in Nogales and died at Fort Huachuca on January 24, 1978. A year earlier, he had written his autobiography (with the help of his son). Several years later, his remains were reburied in his hometown of Saginaw.

No question about it, he was the Real McCoy.