Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American character actor.
A native Kentuckian, Oates started his acting career in the 1950s, appearing on stage and in various TV series, particularly Westerns. While guest-starring in The Rifleman he met the director Sam Peckinpah, beginning a collaborative relationship that would lead to him becoming a stalwart of Peckinpah's Production Posse in such films as Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Among the other directors Oates worked with in his career were Norman Jewison, Terrence Malick, Peter Fonda, William Friedkin, and Steven Spielberg.
Oates appeared in numerous other films and TV series until his untimely death from a heart attack at age 53. He was married three times and had four children.
Filmography on TV Tropes:
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Film roles
- Ride the High Country (1962): Harry Hammond
- Major Dundee (1965): O.W. Hadley
- The Shooting (1966): Willett Gashade
- In the Heat of the Night (1967): Sam Wood
- The Wild Bunch (1969): Lyle Gorch
- There Was a Crooked Man... (1970): Floyd Moon
- Two-Lane Blacktop (1971): G.T.O.
- The Hired Hand (1971): Arch Harris
- Dillinger (1973): John Dillinger
- Badlands (1973): Mr. Sargis
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974): Bennie
- Race with the Devil (1975): Frank Stewart
- Sleeping Dogs (1977) (1977): Col. Willoughby
- 1941 (1979): Col. "Madman" Maddox
- Stripes (1981): Sgt. Hulka
- Blue Thunder (1983): Capt. Jack Braddock (posthumous credit)
TV roles
- The Rifleman: Andrew Sheltin in "The Marshal" (1958), Jud Malakie in "Bloodlines" (1959), Santos in "The Prodigal" (1960), Marty Ryan in "Miss Milly" (also 1960), Willie Breen in "Day of Reckoning" (1962)
- Have Gun – Will Travel: John Bosworth in "Three Sons" (1958) and Harrison in "The Poker Fiend" (1960)
- Wanted: Dead or Alive: Jesse Cox in "Die by the Gun" (1958), Billy Clegg in "The Legend" (1959), George Aswell in "Angela" (1960) and Clem Robinson in "The Last Retreat" (1961)
- Gunsmoke: Jed Hakes in "Snakebite" (1958), Seth in "Small Water" (1960), Jep in "Love Thy Neighbor" (1961), Sweet Billy in "Marry Me" (also 1961), Chris Kelly in "The Do-Badder" (1962), Deke in "The Bassops" (1964), Speeler in "Circus Trick" (1965), Al Tresh in "Ten Little Indians" (1965), Lafe in "The Mission" (1966), and Tate Crocker in "The Wreckers" (1967)
- Black Saddle (1959): Simms in "Client: Steele"
- Wagon Train (1959): Private Silas Carpenter in "The Martha Barham Story"
- Bat Masterson: Sonny Parsons in "Lottery of Death" (1959) and Cat Crail in "Meeting at Mimbers" (1961)
- The Westerner (1960): Drunk in "Jeff"
- 77 Sunset Strip: Dink Strahman in "Blackout" (1960) and Orville in "Terror in a Small Town" (1962)
- Thriller: Benny in "Knock Three-One-Two" (1960) and Hugo Wheeler in "The Hollow Watcher" (1962)
- The Twilight Zone (1959): Jeep Driver in "The Purple Testament" (1960) and Cpl. Richard Langsford in "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" (1963)
- Rawhide: Marco in "Incident of the Dancing Death" (1960), Charlie "Rabbit" Waters in "Incident of the Prophecy" (1963), Weed in "The Race" (1964) and Jesse Gufler in "Hostage for Hanging" (1965)
- Bonanza (1962): Paul Magruder in "The Mountain Girl"
- The Untouchables (1962): Artie Krebs in "Pressure"
- The Virginian: Corbie in "Stopover in a Western Town" (1963), Roy Judd in "A Slight Case of Charity" (1965), Bowers in "One Spring Like Long Ago" (1966) and Buxton in "Ride to Delphi" (also 1966)
- Combat! (1962): Pvt. James Stark in "The Pillbox" (1964)
- The Outer Limits (1963): Reese Fowler in "The Mutant" (1964)
- The Fugitive: Herbie Grant in "Rat in a Corner" and Hanes McClure in "Devil's Carnival" (both 1964)
- Branded (1965): Pierce Crawley and Frank Crawley in "Judge Not" (1965)
- Lost in Space (1965): Jimmy Hapgood in "Welcome Stranger"
- The Big Valley: Korby Kyles in "The Murdered Party" (1965) and Duke in "The Great Safe Robbery" (1966)
- Cimarron Strip: Mobeetie in "The Battleground" and "Nobody" (both 1967)
- The F.B.I. (1971): Richie Billings in "Turnabout"
- The Blue and the Gray (1982): Preacher/Major Welles
- Tales of the Unexpected (1985): Harry in "Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery" (Oates' last credit, and another posthumous credit)
