Rod Cameron

Rod Cameron

Rod Cameron, born Nathan Roderick Cox, actor (b at Calgary 7 Dec 1910; d at Gainsville, Ga 21 Dec 1983). Rod Cameron left Canada at 12 years old after the death of his father. The family moved to New York City, and Cameron worked in a variety of construction jobs during the Depression before landing in California. While employed to help build a tunnel outside of Palm Springs, he was encouraged by friends to try the film business. He tested for several studios and was picked up by Paramount in 1939 as a contract player. Tall and handsome, Cameron appeared in more than 100 films and 400 television shows.

In 1943, after 3 years playing bit parts for Paramount, he moved to Republic Pictures and found himself the lead in 2 low-budget serials, Secret Service in Darkest Africa and G-Men vs. The Black Dragon, now considered classics of their genre. In 1945 he appeared for Universal with fellow Canadian Yvonne DE CARLO in Salome, Where She Danced, which was an unexpected hit.

Rod Cameron mostly appeared in low- to medium-budget westerns and action pictures, and at one point there was even a Rod Cameron comic book. In the 1950s he moved into television, starring in City Detective (1953-55) and State Trooper (1956-59), and making guest appearances in countless other shows. In the late 1950s he began appearing in European films and made his last in 1978.