December 31 Birthday Wishes

Rhys Williams [1897 - 1969]
Rex Allen [1920 - 1999]
Tim Matheson [1947 - ]
Val Kilmer [1959 - ]

Rhys Williams was a pudgy, bald Welsh actor, who made his film debut in How Green Was My Valley. That movie was set in Wales, but Williams was the only actor in the film from Wales, and he doubled as a coach for the other actors on their Welsh accent. In 1945, he played Dr. McKay in The Bells of St. Mary's. He was in several films and TV shows, mostly playing doctors, judges, or politicians. He played Doc Burrage in six episodes of The Rifleman.

The Arizona Cowboy, Rex Allen, started as a singer and rodeo rider, and sang on the Chicago radio show National Barn Dance in the 1940's. Capitalizing on the success of singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, he was signed by Republic in 1949, where he made 19 films. On television, he played Dr. Bill Baxter on Frontier Doctor, and later narrated several films for Disney. He died of a massive heart attack just 2 weeks shy of his 79th birthday.

Tim Matheson started his career at a young age, doing voice acting for Hanna-Barbera, especially as the voice of Jonny Quest and Jace on the cartoon Space Ghost. In 1969, he joined the cast of The Virginan as Jim Horn, and was Griff King in the final season of Bonanza. But his most noted film role was that of Eric Stratton, aka Otter, in National Lampoon's Animal House. He continues to act, in recent years playing Vice President John Hoynes on the series The West Wing.

Val Kilmer started in comedy movies like Top Secret! (1984), and Real Genius, and then played in Top Gun, Willow, and Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid. He was cast by Oliver Stone to play Jim Morrison in The Doors, and the resemblance was uncanny. His most popular role is that of Doc. Holliday in Tombstone. He wore the cowl of the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever, and played Simon Templar in The Saint (1996). In 2008, he played Texas Ranger Captain Inish Scull in the Lonesome Dove prequel Comanche Moon, and was the voice of KITT in that year's Knight Rider series. Recently, he played an older Wyatt Earp in Wyatt Earp's Revenge.

Also Today:

Pat Brady (1914-1972) was Roy Rogers sidekick on The Roy Rogers Show in the 1950s. Before that, he was comic relief in some of the Charles Starrett Westerns in the '30s, and appeared with Roy in some of the Republic films as camp cookie Sparrow Biffle.

I would like to say happy birthday to these actors. All were good at their trade. I had no idea Matheson was Johnny Quest and Jace. I grew up as a great fan of both shows. I am glad that was pointed out....thanks
And Kilmer is stiil good at it.