DAN BLOCKER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Dan Blocker was born on December 10th, 1928 in De Kalb, Bowie County Texas with the birth name Bobby Don Blocker to parents Ora Shack Blocker and Mary Blocker.  He attended school at the Texas Military Institute and then went on to play football at Hardin-Simmons University in Abiline, Texas.  Blocker then earned a degree from Sul Ross State Teacher's College in Alpine with a masters degree in dramatic arts.   
 
Blocker then found employment has a High School English and Drama teacher in Texas and then moved out to California to teach on the west coast.  While living on the west coast he became involved in acting, first appearing on "The Three Stooges" short, Outer Space Jitters.  Dan then made a couple more television appearances on such shows as "The Restless Gun", "Sheriff of Cochise" (1957) and the film, "Gunsight Ridge" (1957).
 
As his career progressed he was offered a recurring role on "Cimarron City" (1958) followed by a great role on "Bonanza" (1959).  Throughout his career he also worked with a number of stars such as, Frank Sinatra and Mickey Rooney. 
 
Along with being a successful actor and having a successful personal life he was also a business man and had part ownership in a chain of Ponderosa/Bonanza Steakhouse restaurants since he served as their commercial spokesperson.  
 
During the Korean War, he was drafted into the Army and became First Sergeant. Later he was so opposed to the Vietnam War that he took his family and left California and moved to Switzerland.  He never returned to acting, instead went back to teaching.
 
Blocker was married only once to Dolphia Lee Parker Blocker in 1952 and they had four children and remained married until he passed away on May 13th, 1972 in Los Angeles, California after suffering from a pulmonary embolism directly following gall bladder surgery.  His remains are buried in a family plot in De Kalb. 

 
Filmography

1959-1972 Bonanza
1970 Swing Out, Sweet Land
1970 The Red Skelton Hour
1970 The Tim Conway Comedy Hour 
1970 Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County 
1968 Something for a Lonely Man
1968 Lady in Cement
1965 I'll Bet
1963 Come Blow Your Horn
1959 Troubleshooters
1959 The Rebel
1958-1959 Cimarron City
1959 The Young Captives 
1959 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1957-1958 The Restless Gun 
1958 The Rifleman 
1958 Maverick 
1958 Zorro 
1956-1958 Gunsmoke 
1958 Jefferson Drum 
1958 Decision 
1957-1958 Cheyenne
1956-1958 Playhouse 90 
1958 The Thin Man 
1958 Have Gun - Will Travel 
1958 The Walter Winchell File
1958 Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1958 Sugarfoot 
1958 Wagon Train 
1958 Zane Grey Theater
1957 Outer Space Jitters
1957 Colt .45 
1957 Gunsight Ridge 
1957 The Girl in Black Stockings
1957 Black Patch 
1957 Tales of Wells Fargo
1957 Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
1957 Telephone Time 
1957 Sheriff of Cochise 
1955 Hook a Crook