The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

Ted Adams Real name: Richard Theodore Adams 1890 - 1973

(Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

New York born Ted Adams was a frequent villain during the 1930s and 1940s in both westerns and serials, and appeared in films done at all the major and minor production outfits. His Hollywood career spanned about twenty five years and his film and TV credits run from about 1930 through the early 1950s.

He seemed to find most of his work with the Poverty Row independents as well as the smaller film production companies such as Monogram and PRC. His film credits at Republic Pictures, from 1936-1951, number about two dozen pictures, but about a third of these are productions from A. W. Hackel (of Supreme Pictures) which starred Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Steele. In the year or so after the formation of Republic Pictures, they needed some cowboy films to round out their releases and attract distributors and theater owners. Republic contracted with Hackel to release his Brown and Steele films under the Republic logo. One of Adams' best roles was playing the reformed gunfighter in the Bob Steele ARIZONA GUNFIGHTER (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937).

Much of the B western and serial work had faded away by the early 1950s. Ted Adams was one of many western film performers who transitioned into TV work and he appeared in episodes of THE LONE RANGER, CISCO KID, more.

Les Adams has Ted identified in about 200 sound films --- of that number, 162 are westerns and 17 are serials.

You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for: Richard T. Adams, born 3/17/1890 in New York, and he passed away on 9/24/1973. There is a corresponding record in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI).

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Ted Adams.  Click HERE.

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website notes that Adams was cremated at Chapel Of The Pines Crematory in Los Angeles: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7989811

(Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above from L-to-R are heroine Lois January, Tim McCoy in his Mexican disguise, and baddie Ted Adams in BORDER CABELLERO (Puritan, 1936). Above from L-to-R are Ted Adams, Ernie Adams, and Bob Steele in ARIZONA GUNFIGHTER (Republic, 1937), one of the A. W. Hackel/Supreme oaters released by Republic.  This was one of Ted Adams' better roles, playing a reformed gunman. Above from L-to-R are Carleton Young (hand on door handle) followed by Ted Adams and behind him is Robert (Bob) Walker.  On the right side of the door are Bob Steele and Betty Mack.  From THE PAL FROM TEXAS (Metropolitan, 1939). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Bob Steele, Ted Adams and Bud Osborne in Steele's last for Metropolitan and Harry S. Webb, WILD HORSE VALLEY (Metropolitan, 1940). Above, Ted Adams (left) is all tied up in this discussion with Lee Powell in ROLLING DOWN THE GREAT DIVIDE (PRC, 1942), one of the six films in the Frontier Marshals series. Above from L-to-R are Roy Barcroft, Ted Adams and Allan Lane in STAGECOACH TO DENVER (Republic, 1946), one of the Red Ryder adventures. Above from L-to-R are Ted Adams, Frank Ellis, Shirley Patterson (Shawn Smith) and singin' cowboy Eddie Dean in TUMBLEWEED TRAIL (PRC, 1946). Above, Johnny Mack Brown and Ted Adams wait for the baddies in CODE OF THE SADDLE (Monogram, 1947).