From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most famous roles were as Marshal Matt Dillon's deputy Chester Goode on the western Gunsmoke and as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the police drama McCloud. He starred in the 1971 television film Duel, the first film of director Steven Spielberg. He is also remembered for his role as the twitchy motel attendant in Orson Welles's film Touch of Evil (1958). Weaver was born June 4, 1924, in Joplin, Missouri, the son of Walter Leon "Doc" Weaver and his wife Lenna Leora (née Prather). Weaver wanted to be an actor from childhood. He lived in Shreveport, Louisiana, for several years and for a short time in Manteca, California. He studied at Joplin Junior College, then transferred to the University of Oklahoma at Norman, where he studied drama and was a track star, setting records in several events. During World War II, he served as a pilot in the United States Navy, flying Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft. After the war, he married Gerry Stowell (his childhood sweetheart), with whom he had three children. Under the name Billy D. Weaver, he tried out for the 1948 U.S. Olympic team in the decathlon, finishing sixth behind 17-year-old high school track star Bob Mathias. However, only the top three finishers were selected. Weaver later commented, "I did so poorly [in the Olympic Trials], I decided to ... stay in New York and try acting. Career Weaver's first role on Broadway came as an understudy to Lonny Chapman as Turk Fisher in Come Back, Little Sheba. He eventually took over the role from Chapman in the national touring company. Solidifying his choice to become an actor, Weaver enrolled in the Actors Studio, where he met Shelley Winters. In the beginning of his acting career, he supported his family by doing odd jobs, including selling vacuum cleaners, tricycles, and women's hosiery. In 1952, Shelley Winters helped him get a contract from Universal Studios. He made his film debut that same year in the movie The Redhead from Wyoming. Over the next three years, he played in a series of movies, but still had to work odd jobs to support his family. In 1955 he appeared in an episode of The Lone Ranger "The Tell-Tale Bullet", which is viewable on YouTube. While delivering flowers, he heard he had landed the role of Chester Goode, the limping, loyal assistant of Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) on the new television series Gunsmoke. It was his big break; the show went on to become the highest-rated and longest-running live action series in United States television history (1955 to 1975), an honor now held by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 1970, Weaver landed the title role in the NBC series McCloud, for which he received two Emmy Award nominations. The show, about a modern Western lawman who ends up in New York City, was loosely based on the Clint Eastwood film Coogan's Bluff. Weaver married Gerry Stowell after World War II, and they had three sons: Richard, Robert, and Rustin Weaver. Gerry died April 26, 2016, at 90. Death Weaver died from prostate cancer at his home in Ridgway, Colorado, on February 24, 2006, at age 81. CLR
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 4, 1924
- February 24, 2006 (aged 81)
- Joplin, Missouri, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 50 on MovieCove · 89 credits in all
What are Dennis Weaver's films like?
Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 30
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 8 · Dark 14
Grounded 23 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1
Gentle 4 · Charged 17 · Intense 10
A split, not a type: Steady 17 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 25 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 1
A split, not a type: Casual 15 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 7
Resolved 25 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 8 of 16 analyzed roles.
Show the 16 rolesHide the roles
- Mentoras Menguito in Column South (1953)
- Allyas Lt. Cmdr. Andy Lowe in The Gallant Hours (1960)
- Threshold guardianas Lt. Scotty McAllister in Duel at Diablo (1966)
- Shadowas Willard Grange in Duel at Diablo (1966)
- Heroas Sam McCloud in McCloud (1970)
- Heroas David Mann in Duel (1971)
- Heroas Deke Chambers in Female Artillery (1973)
- Heroas Neil Glynn in Terror on the Beach (1973)
- Allyas Prof. Benjamin Fuller in Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978)
- Heroas Charles Bates in The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979)
- Heroas Dr. Samuel A. Mudd in The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980)
- Heroas Eddie Gant in Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983)
- Mentoras Mr. Wyshner in A Winner Never Quits (1986)
- Heroas Sam McCloud in The Return of Sam McCloud (1989)
- Tricksteras Chance Wayne in Greyhounds (1994)
- Mentoras Sam Jenks in Seduction in a Small Town (1997)
Moods and endings
- Happy17
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Dennis Weaver's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 50 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- Touch of Evil (1958) · actor · free
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) · actor · free
- The Gallant Hours (1960) · actor · free
- Wildfire (2005) · actor · free
- Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983) · actor · free
- Dragnet (1951) · actor · free
- Duel at Diablo (1966) · actor · free
- Greyhounds (1994) · actor · free
- Submerged (2000) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Dennis Weaver's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
89 credits, 50 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Wildfire(2005)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Home on the Range(2004)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Submerged(2000)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
High Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Virginian(2000)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Family Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Escape from Wildcat Canyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Two Bits & Pepper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Touched by an Angel(1994)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
Lonesome Dove: The Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Greyhounds(1994)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Mastergate(1992)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows
Great Adventurers & Their Quests: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Dennis Weaver's Earthship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Simpsons(1989)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Disaster at Silo 7(1988)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Buck James (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Bluffing It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Amy Grant: Headin' Home for the Holidays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
A Winner Never Quits(1986)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Emerald Point N.A.S. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Don't Go to Sleep(1982)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Day the Loving Stopped (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Magnum, P.I.(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd(1980)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Amber Waves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
A Cry for Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Pearl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Centennial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Islander (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Intimate Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Terror on the Beach(1973)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Female Artillery(1973)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Rolling Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
The Great Man's Whiskers(1972)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Duel(1971)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Forgotten Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
A Man Called Sledge(1970)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
McCloud(1970)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Mission Batangas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Gentle Giant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Gentle Ben (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Judd, for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Gallegher Goes West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Way... Way Out(1966)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
That Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Duel at Diablo(1966)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all filmsKentucky Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Combat!(1962)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Gallant Hours(1960)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Twilight Zone(1959)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Touch of Evil(1958)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Storm Fear(1955)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Chief Crazy Horse(1955)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Seven Angry Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Ten Wanted Men(1955)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Dragnet(1954)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Dangerous Mission(1954)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
War Arrow(1953)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
The Golden Blade(1953)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Man from the Alamo(1953)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Column South(1953)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Law and Order(1953)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Mississippi Gambler(1953)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Redhead from Wyoming(1953)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Lawless Breed(1952)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Horizons West(1952)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Dragnet(1951)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Career shape
Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 89 titles from 1951 to 2005; peak year 1970.
Biggest box office
Touch of Evil (1958)
Highest rated
Touch of Evil (1958)
Most popular right now
McCloud (1970)
Film career
Peak 1970 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Dennis Weaver's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 40; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th20
- 25th to 49th18
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
16 of their 50 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic5
- Crowd Pleaser16
- Broadly Agreed8
- Mixed15
Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Dennis Weaver's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Dennis Weaver work with?
People who share at least 2 of Dennis Weaver's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Herman Stein shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Paul WendkosShared titles: Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983), The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980), The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979), Terror on the Beach (1973)See all 4 shared titles with Paul Wendkos
Writers
- W.R. BurnettShared titles: Dangerous Mission (1954), Law and Order (1953)See all 2 shared titles with W.R. Burnett
Actors
- Jack KellyShared titles: Column South (1953), Law and Order (1953), The Redhead from Wyoming (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Jack Kelly
- John McIntireShared titles: War Arrow (1953), Horizons West (1952), The Lawless Breed (1952)See all 3 shared titles with John McIntire
- G.W. BaileyShared titles: Seduction in a Small Town (1997), A Winner Never Quits (1986)See all 2 shared titles with G.W. Bailey
- Diana MuldaurShared titles: The Return of Sam McCloud (1989), McCloud (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Diana Muldaur
Composers and cinematographers
- Herman SteinShared titles: Column South (1953), The Redhead from Wyoming (1953), War Arrow (1953), Horizons West (1952), The Lawless Breed (1952)See all 5 shared titles with Herman Stein
- Henry ManciniShared titles: Touch of Evil (1958), Column South (1953), Law and Order (1953), Horizons West (1952)See all 4 shared titles with Henry Mancini
- Dana KaproffShared titles: Stolen Women, Captured Hearts (1997), A Winner Never Quits (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Dana Kaproff
- Chuck ArnoldShared titles: Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983), Don't Go to Sleep (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Chuck Arnold
Producers
- Daniel H. BlattShared titles: The Virginian (2000), A Winner Never Quits (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel H. Blatt
- Lynn RaynorShared titles: The Virginian (2000), A Winner Never Quits (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Lynn Raynor
- John W. RogersShared titles: Law and Order (1953), War Arrow (1953)See all 2 shared titles with John W. Rogers