'Bounty Law' Star Rick Dalton Dies at 90

Rick Dalton, fictional star of Bounty Law and The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey, has died at age 90. Dalton died peacefully at his home in Hawaii. His death was announced by Quentin Tarantino on the Twitter account for his Video Archives Podcast, which he cohosts with director-producer Roger Avary. Dalton first appeared as portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which depicted a tumultuous period in the actor's life in the late '60s, including his guest appearance on the western series Lancer and his fateful encounter with a home-invading gang of hippies. Tarantino has since gone on to write more on Dalton's career with the novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was released in 2021. A follow-up book, The Films of Rick Dalton, is in the works. Tarantino and Avary will also release a special episode of their podcast next week, memorializing Dalton.

Born in 1933, Dalton found himself with a TV hit on the TV western Bounty Law, where he played gun-slinging bounty hunter Jake Cahill from 1959 to 1963. Dalton attempted to branch out into film, as well; he primarily starred in westerns, like Hellfire, Texas, and Tanner, but also a played a memorable supprting role in the cult WWII actioner The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey. The true missed opportunity of his career was The Great Escape; Dalton was said to have been on the short list of actors slated to play Virgil Hilts, the role that eventually went to fellow TV western star Steve McQueen. However, Dalton's career hit a slump after the end of Bounty Law; unable to land lead roles, he found himself relegated to guest appearances on a number of the TV shows of the day, including Tarzan, The FBI and Lancer. Following the advice of producer Marvin Schwarz, Dalton travelled to Europe, where he starred in a number of successful pictures, including the spaghetti westerns Kill Me Quick, Ringo, Said the Gringo and Nebraska Jim, and the crime caper comedy Operazione Dyn-O-Mite! In Europe, Dalton also met and married Italian actress Francesca Capucci. After his European sojourn, Dalton returned to America, resulting in one of the strangest incidents in Hollywood history. Dalton's Hollywood home was invaded by a trio of Charles Manson cultists, who were dispatched by Dalton's longtime friend and compatriot, stuntman Cliff Booth, Booth's dog Brandy, and Dalton himself, wielding the flamethrower from The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey.

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which starred DiCaprio as Dalton, Brad Pitt as Booth, and Margot Robbie as Dalton's neighbor, actress Sharon Tate, was a critical and box office success, earning over $370 million at the box office and garnering ten Academy Awards nominations; Pitt won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Booth, and DiCaprio was nominated for Best Actor. However, it did earn controversy over its depiction of Booth's alleged fight with Bruce Lee, who was starring in The Green Hornet at the time.

Watch the cast and crew of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood discuss the making of the film below.