Jeremy Slate was a versatile and prolific actor who appeared in nearly 100 television shows and 20 feature films, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. He was best known for his roles in biker movies, such as The Born Losers and Hell’s Angels ’69, which he also co-wrote. He also starred alongside Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! and John Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder. He died on November 19, 2006, at the age of 80, after undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer. Here is a brief overview of his life and career, as well as the details of his death.
Early Life and Career
Jeremy Slate was born Robert Bullard Perham on February 17, 1926, in California. He attended a military academy and joined the United States Navy when he was 16. He participated in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day during World War II. After the war, he graduated with honors in English from St. Lawrence University in New York, where he was also a football player, a radio personality, and a student leader. He married Beverly Van Wert in 1948 and had four children with her.
He worked as a public relations executive and travel manager for W. R. Grace and Co., a multinational corporation. He then moved with his family to Lima, Peru, where he joined a professional theater group and won an award for his performance in The Rainmaker. He decided to pursue an acting career and left his corporate job.
Film and TV Success
He moved to Hollywood and made his film debut in The Devil’s Hairpin in 1957. He then appeared in various TV shows, such as Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Fugitive, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. He often played tough guys, villains, or anti-heroes.
He gained fame for his roles in biker films, which were popular in the late 1960s. He co-wrote and starred in Hell’s Angels ’69, which featured real members of the notorious motorcycle gang. He also played the leader of the Born Losers, a biker gang that terrorized a small town in the first film of the Billy Jack series.
He also worked with some of the biggest stars of Hollywood, such as Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, Clint Eastwood, and Burt Reynolds. He played Presley’s rival in Girls! Girls! Girls!, Wayne’s nemesis in The Sons of Katie Elder, Martin’s sidekick in Texas Across the River, Mitchum’s brother in Anzio, Eastwood’s friend in True Crime, and Reynolds’ boss in The Dukes of Hazzard.
Later Years and Death
In the late 1970s and 1980s, he switched to soap operas and played Chuck Wilson on One Life to Live for eight years. He also appeared on other shows, such as Dallas, Dynasty, Murder She Wrote, and Matlock. His last TV role was on My Name is Earl in 2005.
He married actress Tammy Grimes in 1966 but they divorced after a year. He had a daughter with her. His partner at the time of his death was Joan Benedict-Steiger.
He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2006 and underwent surgery to remove part of his esophagus. However, he developed complications after the operation and died on November 19, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. According to The Guardian, he was survived by two sons, two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Legacy
Jeremy Slate was a cult actor who had a long and diverse career in film and TV. He was known for his rugged looks and charismatic presence on screen. He wrote one of the most iconic biker films of all time and worked with some of the legends of Hollywood. He was also a war veteran, a scholar, an athlete, a radio host, and a theater actor. He died after a brave fight with cancer at the age of 80.
He will be remembered as one of the most versatile and prolific actors of his generation.
