Walker, Texas Ranger's Noble Willingham dies 08:47 AM CST on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 By JANE SUMNER / The Dallas Morning News Actor Noble Willingham, who made a career out of playing crusty old boys with a gift for one-liners, died Saturday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif. The actor, a native of Mineola, Texas, was 72. The courtly Mr. Willingham appeared in more than 30 feature films and many major TV series. But to Saturday TV fans, he was best-known as semi-retired lawman C.D. Parker, wounded in the line of duty, owner of C.D.'s Bar & Grill and Chuck Norris' mentor in the long-running Walker, Texas Ranger series. In 2000, the actor, who considered flamboyant liberal California Democrat Willie Brown, another Mineola native, one of his favorite people, left the series for a short-lived career in politics. Democrat Rep. Max Sandlin of Marshall survived a challenge by the Republican celebrity for his U.S. House seat in East Texas. When he left the show, actress Sheree J. Wilson, a Walker regular, said, "We're all incredibly sad. ... He's a classic example of what growing up in the South means. He's friendly and welcoming and loves to talk to people." A fiscal conservative and a champion of civil rights, the actor formed the Noble Willingham Foundation, which gave nearly all his residuals to the all-black Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. A solid, dependable actor, he played in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Brubaker, Chinatown, City Slickers and its sequel, Norma Rae, La Bamba and Good Morning, Vietnam, among others. His many TV appearances include The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Home Improvement; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Murder, She Wrote; L.A. Law; The Waltons; Bonanza; and Northern Exposure. In his early years, he taught economics and government at Sam Houston High School in Houston. Then in 1970, urged by a drama teacher, he got a role in The Last Picture Show, which was filmed in Archer City. It was only a small part, but director Peter Bogdanovich liked him and told the Texan that if he came to Los Angeles, he'd give him another job. He did, and the director cast him in Paper Moon. It was the start of new career. "Noble teaches every time he acts," Ms. Wilson told The Dallas Morning News in 2000. "What he teaches is the great art of being present, of being in the moment and responding. He's the classic example of living the part." A veteran, Mr. Willingham had a master's degree in educational psychology from Baylor. Survivors include his wife, Patti; a daughter, Stori Willingham; and a grandson, Noble Willingham of Mineola. Friends will be received at Weisels and Sons, 690 Vella Road in Palm Springs, from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday with military honors at 5:30 p.m. Memorial services will be held later in Texas and California.
