13 Facts About Paul Brinegar

Paul Brinegar's family relocated several times during his childhood, first moving to Alamogordo, then to Las Cruces, and finally to Santa Fe.

In Santa Fe, Brinegar became interested in acting, performing in stage productions at his local high school.

Soon thereafter, young Paul Brinegar joined the United States Navy to serve four years during World War II as a Chief Radioman in the South Pacific.

Paul Brinegar resumed his pursuit of an acting career in his spare time, playing bit parts in movies.

Paul Brinegar's first credited appearance in a feature film was in Larceny.

Paul Brinegar was cast in more than 100 Western films produced between 1946 and 1994, often specializing in playing "feisty, grizzled cowboy sidekicks".

Paul Brinegar appears in that series 33 times as Kelley and in one other episode in another role.

Paul Brinegar portrays Ludwig, a bartender, in the 1959 episode "The Ringer" of The Texan starring Rory Calhoun.

Paul Brinegar is best remembered as the cattle-drive cook George Washington Wishbone on the CBS series Rawhide.

Paul Brinegar made two guest appearances on CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason.

From 1982 to 1983, returning to television, Paul Brinegar portrayed a humorous cowboy-like character, Lamar Pettybone, during the first season of the ABC series Matt Houston.

Paul Brinegar died of emphysema at the age of 77 in Los Angeles on March 27,1995.

Paul Brinegar's family directed memorial contributions for Brinegar to the Motion Picture and Television Fund in Woodland Hills, California.