Dan blocker bio biography wikipedia

How did dan blocker die

All All. Sign In. Bobby Don Blocker. Dan Blocker is one of the true television immortals, having played Hoss Cartwright -- the heart and soul of Bonanza -- for 13 seasons, before his untimely death in at the age of After Blocker's death, "Bonanza" -- still in the Top 20 with Hoss after being 8 the previous year -- didn't last another entire season.

The character of Hoss was conceived as a stereotype: The Gentle Giant. The 6'4", lbs. Blocker filled Hoss's cowboy boots and ten-gallon hat admirably but brought something extra to the role, a warmth and empathy that helped ground the show. Personal accounts of Blocker testify to the fact that the man was gregarious and friendly to everyone.

He brought that upbeat personality to the character of Hoss. Hoss originally had been conceived as dull-witted, but ironically, Blocker's professional acting career was assured after he moved his family to California so he could pursue a PhD at U. A native of West Texas, he reportedly was discovered while making a call in a phone booth while outfitted in Western garb, including a straw cowboy hat, his standard dress being a native son of Texas, soon after arriving in California.

He reportedly was the biggest baby ever born in Bowie County. By the age of 12, he already was 6' tall and weighed lbs. Towards the end of "Bonanza", he reportedly had ballooned past his stated weight of to as much as lbs. A "TV Guide" story after his death reported that back in Texas, the young Dan once lifted a car off of a man after it slid off a jack and pinned him under the auto.

Ora Blocker lost the farm and later went into the grocery business.