STEVE COCHRAN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Steve Cochran was born on May 25th, 1917 in Eureka, California with the birth name Robert Alexander Cochran.  His father was a lumberman and he grew up in Laramie, Wyoming.  Throughout school he was very athletic but also dabbled in high school theatrical plays. 
 
After he completed high school he briefly found employment as a cow puncher, department store clerk, carpenter and railroad station helper and then decided to attend college at the University of Wyoming.   He briefly played on the college basketball team and when his teammates booted him, he joined the drama club.  He also would work on Summer stock as he gained more stage experience.     
 
In 1937, Cochran decided to quit college completely and move out to west to attempt to pursue a career as an actor.  He as given the chance to join the Shakespeare Festival in Carmel where he was able to gain even more stage experience.
 
When World War II hit, he wanted to serve but due to a heart murmur was unable to do so.   However, he assisted in ways he knew he could such as direct theater performances for the Army troops.
 
His big break came when he was cast for his first Broadway debut in 1944 on "Broken Hearts on Broadway" followed by another stage appearance in, "Hickory Stick".  It was during an appearance on, "Without Love" that Samuel Goldwyn discovered him and asked him to come to Hollywood to work with both the Goldwyn Studio and Columbia Pictures.
 
His screen debut was in 1945 on, "Wonder Man" starring Virginia Mayo and Danny Kaye.  He then received a couple roles in a series titled, "Boston Blackie" followed by the film role, "The Best Years of Our lives" (1946) and "The Kid From Brooklyn" (1946).  He was in one more film called, "A Song is Born" (1948), however after this role, lead roles were not being offered to him and therefore Columbia Pictures decided not to renew his contract.
 
Warner Brothers chose to sign him to a contract in 1949 through 1952 in which he established his gangster signature personality on screen.  He worked on, "White Heat" (1949), "The Damned Don't Cry" (1950), "Tomorrow is Another Day" (1951) and "Storm Warning".  When his contract with Warner brothers ended, he decided to start up his own production company.  One film produced under his new company was, "Come Next Spring" (1956) and he then chose to sail his yacht to Guatemala to search for new locations to film, but sadly passed away on June 15th, 1965 in the Pacific Ocean from acute infectious edema which was a lung infection.  His boat had to be rescued in the ocean near Guatemala on June 21st.  
 
His last film roles before taking this ocean trip were, "The Beat Generation" (1959) and "The Big Operator" (1959).  He married three times throughout his life, first to Florence Lockwood in the early 40's and the couple divorced in 1946.  They had one daughter together.  He then married Fay McKenzie in 1946 to 1948.  His final marriage was to Jonna Jenson whom he married in Las Vegas and she was only nineteen.  They were married from 1961 and it is unknown his exact date of divorce if it was ever finalized prior to his passing.        
 

Filmography
 
1965   Bonanza 
1965   Mozambique
1964-1965  Burke's Law 
1965   Tell Me in the Sunlight  
1964   Mr. Broadway 
1964   Death Valley Days
1963   Of Love and Desire 
1963   Route 66 
1963   Stoney Burke
1962   The Virginian 
1962   The Dick Powell Zane Grey Theatre
1961   Bus Stop 
1960-1961  The Untouchables 
1961   The Deadly Companions  
1960   The Renegade
1960   Shirley Temple Theatre
1960   Naked City
1959   Twilight Zone
1959   The Big Operator  
1959   The Beat Generation 
1959   The Loretta Young Show 
1958   Quantrill's Raiders
1958   Zane Grey Theater
1958   I Mobster  
1957   Schlitz Playhouse
1957   Il Grido 
1957   The Weapon  
1954-1957  Climax!
1957   Slander  
1954-1956  The Ford Television Theatre 
1956   Come Next Spring  
1955   G.E. True Theater 
1953-1955  Studio One in Hollywood 
1954   Robert Montgomery Presents 
1954   Private Hell 36 
1954   Circus of Love
1954   Carnival Story 
1953   Lux Video Theatre
1953   Back to God's Country  
1953   Shark River  
1953   The Desert Song 
1953   She's Back on Broadway  
1952   Operation Secret  
1952   The Lion and the Horse 
1951   The Tanks Are Coming  
1951   Jim Thorpe, All-American  
1951   Tomorrow Is Another Day  
1951   Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison  
1951   Raton Pass  
1951   Storm Warning  
1950   Dallas
1950   Highway 301  
1950   The Damned Don't Cry  
1949   White Heat 
1949   NBC Presents
1948   A Song Is Born  
1947   Copacabana
1946   The Best Years of Our Lives  
1946   The Chase 
1946   The Kid from Brooklyn  
1945   The Gay Senorita 
1945   Boston Blackie's Rendezvous
1945   Wonder Man  
1945   Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion