Actor From ‘Gunsmoke,’ ‘Bonanza’ and Other Classics Dead at 93: RIP to Edward Faulkner

Actor Edward Faulkner has died at 93.

Known for roles in classics such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, Faulkner passed away on Aug. 26 of natural causes at a health care facility in Vista, California, his daughter, Leslie Wadsworth, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Faulkner was born on Feb. 29, 1932 in Lexington, Kentucky. After partnering with a friend in a comedy song-and-dance act in high school, he studied at the University of Virginia and the University of Kentucky. There, he acted in plays until he graduated in 1954. Following college, Faulkner was a fighter in the U.S. Air Force for two years and moved to Los Angeles in 1958 to pursue acting.

After moving to LA, he was introduced to CBS staff director Andrew V. McLaglen, who put him in an episode of the Western series Have Gun – Will Travel, which turned into 13 episodes from 1958 to 1962. That wouldn’t be the last time that Faulkner would work with McLaglen, as he actually directed him in a handful of projects, such as Gunsmoke, Rawhide, The Lieutenant, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, and Something Big, among others.

While appearing on Have Gun – Will Travel, in which he played numerous roles, Faulkner also appeared in Playhouse 90, Flight, Hotel de Paree, Insight, Gunslinger, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, Lawman, and Everglades! Throughout the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. In 1959, Faulkner started recurring on the Western series Rawhide, appearing in various roles for seven episodes across the first six seasons.

The same year he got Rawhide, Edward Faulkner landed yet another classic Western series, Gunsmoke, appearing in six episodes from 1959 to 1972 in various roles. Additionally, he appeared on Bonanza from 1961 to 1966, also in a few different roles. Other credits throughout his career include Lassie, Kisses for My President, Sergeant Dead Head, The Fugitive, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, The Ballad of Josie, Dragnet 1967, The Virginian, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, and Hard Ground. Faulkner’s final role was in the 2014 TV movie It’s a Merry Christmas When Pigs Fly.

Acting was not the only thing Faulkner did. In 1976, he took a break from acting for a little over 10 years. He worked for a company that leased cargo containers to the marine transportation industry and owned and operated hotels around the world. He is survived by his daughter, his son, Edward III, and his grandchildren, Tyler, Wyatt, Steven, Olivia, and Brooke. His wife of nearly 60 years, high school sweetheart Barbara, died in May 2013.