Though he never reached the lead actor status he labored so relentlessly
to achieve, Warren Oates (1928--1982) is one of the most memorable and
skilled character actors of the 1970s. With his rugged looks and
measured demeanor, Oates crafted complex characters who were at once
brazen and thoughtful, wild and subdued. Friends remember the
hard-living, hard-drinking actor as kind and caring, but also sometimes
as mean as a blue-eyed devil. Married four times, partial to road trips
in his RV affectionately known as the "Roach Coach," and famous for
performances for directors ranging from Sam Peckinpah to Steven
Spielberg, Warren Oates remained a Hollywood outsider perfectly suited
to the 1960s and 1970s counterculture.
Born in the small town of Depoy in rural western Kentucky and reared in
Louisville, Oates began his career in the late 1950s with bit parts in
television westerns. Though hardly lucrative work, it was during this
time Oates met renegade director Sam Peckinpah, establishing the
creative relationship and destructive friendship that produced some of
Oates's most unforgettable roles in Ride the High Country (1962),
Major Dundee (1965), and The Wild Bunch (1969), as well as a leading
part in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). Though Oates
maintained a close association with Peckinpah, he had a penchant for
working with a variety of visionary directors who understood his
approach and were eager to enlist the subtle talents of the consummate
character actor. With supporting roles in In the Heat of the Night
(1967), The Hired Hand (1971), Badlands (1973), 1941 (1979), and
Stripes (1981), Oates delivered solid performances for filmmakers as
diverse and talented as Norman Jewison, Peter Fonda, Terrence Malick,
Steven Spielberg, and Ivan Reitman.
Oates's offscreen personality was just as complex as his on-screen
persona. Notorious for being a nightlife reveler, he was as sensitive
and introspective as he was outgoing and prone to periods of exuberant,
and at times illegal, excess. Though he never became a marquee name,
Warren Oates continues to influence actors like Billy Bob Thornton and
Benicio Del Toro, as well as directors such as Quentin Tarantino and
Richard Linklater, all of whom have cited Oates as a major inspiration.
In Warren Oates: A Wild Life, author Susan Compo skillfully captures
the story of Oates's eventful life, indulgent lifestyle, and influential
career.
