Walker, Texas Ranger Actors You May Not Know Passed Away
By Isabella Wilson
"Walker, Texas Ranger" shot the majority of its episodes on location in Texas, specifically the Dallas-Forth Worth era. As a result, it often cast Southwest- and Lone Star State-based performers in supporting and minor roles. These included James Drury, who played Ranger Captain Tom Price; Lou Hancock, who played Mabel Shoop; boxer turned actor Randall "Tex" Cobb, and numerous others, including multi-hyphenate Russ Marker.
Marker, credited with appearances in four episodes including the feature-length "Flashback," was born in Oklahoma but lived and worked in the Dallas area. In addition to his acting career, which included a minor appearance in "Bonnie and Clyde," Marker wrote, directed, and produced a handful of low-budget science fiction and horror films, all produced in the Texas area.
These included the offbeat thriller "The Yesterday Machine," in which Nazis use time travel in an attempt to win World War II, and "Night Fright," about a monster created by NASA experiments. Marker, who in later years focused on writing, died in Dallas on February 22, 2010.
