Terry Wilson

Career Highlights

• Trained by four stunt legends—Paul Baxley, Charles Horvath, Harvey Parry, and Allen Pomeroy—at Warner Bros. beginning in 1947.
• Doubled John Wayne in Hondo and Robert Mitchum, while becoming a valued member of John Ford’s legendary Stock Company.
• Played Bill Hawks in all 267 episodes of Wagon Train and even wrote the series episode “The Ah Chong Story.”

Biography

Terry Wilson was one of Hollywood’s most dependable cowboy actors and stunt performers, building a career that spanned more than four decades in film and television. Born on September 3, 1923, in Huntington Park, California, Wilson served his country during World War II before returning to Southern California to pursue a career in the motion picture industry. Blessed with athletic ability, exceptional horsemanship, and a rugged screen presence, he quickly found steady work in both acting and stunt performance during the booming years of the Western genre.

Wilson entered Hollywood in the late 1940s, initially performing stunt work and appearing in small acting roles. His experience as a horseman made him a natural fit for Western productions, where he frequently handled difficult riding scenes, stagecoach sequences, fistfights, and action work. Throughout the 1950s he became a familiar face in dozens of feature films and television series, often working alongside many of the greatest stunt performers and Western stars of the era. His ability to move effortlessly between acting and stunt work made him one of the industry’s most reliable supporting players.

His most enduring role came in 1959 when he was cast as Deputy Bill Hawks on The Lone Ranger. After that series concluded, Wilson achieved even greater recognition portraying ranch foreman Bill Hawks on Wagon Train. Appearing in well over 200 episodes, he became one of the series’ most recognizable faces and helped provide continuity throughout its successful eight-season run. While audiences knew him as a dependable television cowboy, fellow professionals respected him equally for his stunt background and practical understanding of action filmmaking.

Away from the camera, Wilson remained deeply connected to Hollywood’s Western community. He maintained lifelong friendships with many of the industry’s legendary stunt performers, horse wranglers, and action directors who helped define the Golden Age of Western filmmaking. His career represented the classic Hollywood tradition in which actors were expected to ride, fight, and perform much of their own physical action, earning the respect of both audiences and fellow craftsmen.

Terry Wilson left behind a legacy as one of Hollywood’s quintessential cowboy performers—a man equally comfortable doubling actors, performing stunts, or stepping in front of the camera as a leading supporting player. His decades of dependable work across hundreds of films and television episodes made him a familiar face to generations of Western fans. Through his contributions as both a stunt performer and actor, Wilson helped preserve the authenticity and excitement that defined America’s classic Westerns, securing his place among the industry’s respected action professionals.

Awards and Honors

• Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame Inductee
• U.S. Army veteran (World War II)

Distinctions & Industry Recognition

• Star of the long-running television series Wagon Train
• Recognized as one of television’s enduring Western character actors
• More than 40 years of contributions to Hollywood Western filmmaking

Notable Filmography

Year	Title	Position
1950	Rio Grande	Actor / Stunt Performer
1953	Hondo	Actor / Stunt Performer / John Wayne Double
1954	Riding Shotgun	Actor
1955	The Violent Men	Actor
1956	The Searchers	Actor
1957–1965	Wagon Train	Actor (Bill Hawks)
1962	The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance	Actor
1965	Shenandoah	Actor
1976	The Outlaw Josey Wales	Actor
1981	The Dukes of Hazzard	Actor

Photo Gallery