The Legacy of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans: Meet the Cowboy Icon’s Nine Children

Roy Rogers, famously dubbed the “King of the Cowboys”, and his spouse Dale Evans, known as the “Queen of the West”, emerged as early luminaries in Hollywood’s nascent television era.

Rogers, celebrated for his role as the singing cowboy alongside his loyal palomino Trigger, ascended to become the preeminent star of Westerns during his time. He starred in more than a hundred films and headlined his own television series, The Roy Rogers Show.

Over the course of his life, Rogers fathered a total of nine children through his marriages with Grace Arline Wilkins and Dale Evans. While some of his offspring followed his footsteps into the entertainment industry, others pursued quieter lives away from public scrutiny. Here’s an individual glimpse into each of Roy Rogers’ children:

Cheryl Rogers: Adopted in 1941 with his second wife, Grace Arline Wilkins, from Hope Cottage in Texas. Cheryl grew up in the presence of her father’s beloved horse Trigger and appeared in several of his films during her childhood, including Meet Roy Rogers and Trail of Robin Hood.

Linda Lou Rogers: Born two years after Cheryl’s adoption to Grace. Linda married Gary Johnson, a minister, and the couple shared over four decades together until his passing in 2008. Linda now resides in California, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

Roy Rogers Jr. (Dusty): The only biological son of Roy Rogers, born shortly before Grace’s untimely death due to childbirth complications. Dusty made childhood appearances on The Roy Rogers Show and later managed his father’s career. He also performed with the Sons of the Pioneers and formed his band, Roy Rogers Jr. and the High Riders.

Robin Elizabeth Rogers: The only child born to Dale Evans and Roy Rogers, Robin tragically passed away before her second birthday due to complications from the mumps. In her memory, Dale authored the book Angel Unaware.

Dodie Rogers: Adopted at seven months old, Dodie, of Native American heritage, married Jon Patterson, a NASA employee, and they welcomed a daughter named Kristin. Dodie now enjoys her role as a grandmother.

Mimi Rogers: Born Marion Fleming in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mimi was discovered by Roy and Dale in a children’s home due to her exceptional singing talents. She became a cherished member of their family, marrying Dan, a Marine Corps member, with whom she had three children before his passing. Mimi is now a grandmother herself.

Debbie Rogers: Adopted during the Korean War after becoming orphaned, Debbie tragically died at the age of 12 in a bus accident in Los Angeles while traveling with other children from her church.

Sandy Rogers: Adopted following Robin’s passing, John David “Sandy” Rogers later joined the U.S. Army but sadly passed away at age 18 in a choking incident at a military hospital in Germany.

Tom Fox: Dale’s biological son from her previous marriage, Tom was raised by Roy and Dale. He pursued a career as a school teacher and music minister before his passing in 2012.

The saga of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ family is marked by a tapestry of happiness, sorrow, and love, emblematic of their enduring family values and profound legacy.

See 1970s icon Faye Dunaway now at 83

Among the few living real legends is Faye Dunaway.

The legendary actress, well-known for portraying strong, resentful, and challenging women, is among the best in movie history.

And the eighty-three-year-old continues on…

Dunaway is best known for her twisted cry in the campy cult film Mommie Dearest, “No more wire hangers!” She also starred in Hurry Sundown with Michael Caine and Bonnie & Clyde, winning the main part over Jane Fonda and Natalie Wood.

The Florida native actress, who was also awarded three Golden Globes and an Emmy, was born in Bascom.

It’s difficult to discuss Faye Dunaway’s career without bringing up the film Mommies Dearest. Channeling Joan Crawford’s energy, Faye Dunaway shocked the Mommie Dearest crew when she initially appeared from the dressing room in the legendary role of the four-year-old actress.

The sensationalized movie Mommie Dearest (1981) is based on Christina Crawford’s memoir of the same name, which describes her troubled connection with the late actress Joan Crawford, who was her adopted mother.

Dunaway managed to create a combination of charm and terror.

In her unsettling portrayal of Crawford, Dunaway blurred the boundaries between reality and resurrecting Joan, both on and off the set. She was so desperate that she declared, “I want to climb inside her skin,” to a Hollywood biographer.

Dunaway either developed her method acting skills to a high degree or her spirit took over. In her memoir, Looking for Gatsby, she writes. “I was told by one that it felt like Joan herself had risen from the dead.”

In reality, the media began to believe that Crawford was haunting Dunaway.”(Dunaway) appears to have borrowed it for 12 weeks from the ghost of Joan Crawford,” the Los Angeles Times remarked about her voice.

In a part that will live in legend, Dunaway expresses remorse. She told Entertainment Tonight, “I think it turned my career in a direction where people would irretrievably have the wrong impression of me—and that’s an awful hard thing to beat.” “I should have known better, but sometimes you don’t know what you’re getting into and you’re vulnerable.”

Working with some of the sexiest men in Hollywood, like Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Kirk Douglas, and Johnny Depp, Dunaway showed extreme self-control and maintained a platonic connection with her co-stars.

A few individuals were drawn to particular things; perhaps Jack (Nicholson) and Warren (Beatty), but not many. Though Steve McQueen was contentedly devoted to someone at the time, Warren was at that point in his bachelorhood. “I wouldn’t mess around with something like that even if it were offered, but it wasn’t,” Warren said.

“You simply don’t,” she remarked in a Harper’s Bazaar interview. “You don’t do that because you know it will ruin the performance and the movie. That’s my rule.

The dapper, Italian award-winning actor Marcello Mastroianni, broke the rules for the timeless beauty with her delicate high cheekbones because he was too much of a temptation.

Life imitates art in her connection with the Italian celebrity. starring in the 1968 film A Place for Lovers, which Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times referred to as the “most godawful piece of pseudo-romantic slop I’ve ever seen!”-Dunaway portrays a fashion designer who is having an extramarital romance with Mastroianni, a race car driver. She had a brief but intense three-year romance with the actor in real life, which she ended when he refused to leave his wife.

Dunaway stated, “I was deeply in love with him,” in a People interview. I had never encountered a man like him before, and I felt incredibly safe with him.

She wed musician Peter Wolf, the lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band, in 1974; they separated after five years.

According to a Marie Claire article from 2017, Dunaway began an affair with renowned British photographer Terry O’Neill because she was dissatisfied in her marriage to Wolf. With her Oscar from the movie The Network on the table next to her, O’Neill captured a picture of her lounging by the pool at The Beverly Hills Hotel.

After being married in 1983, Dunaway misled the public for many years, claiming that her son Liam, who was born in 1980, was actually her biological child. In 1987, Dunaway and O’Neill were divorced.

Dunaway is alleged to be a manipulative diva who is very difficult and unpredictable for co-stars, production personnel, and even hotel employees.

She was fired from her role as Audrey Hepburn in the off-Broadway production of Tea at Five in 2019 for creating a “dangerous” and “hostile” environment, and she was fired by Andrew Lloyd Weber from his Sunset Boulevard production in Los Angeles, California, in 1994.

She was dubbed the “gossamer grenade” by one of her leading men, Jack Nicholson, and when Johnny Carson questioned her in 1988, “Who’s one of the worst people you know in Hollywood?” “Faye Dunaway and everybody you can put in this chair would tell you exactly the same thing,” was the swift response from the feisty and unrepentant Bette Davis. “I don’t think we have the time to go into all the reasons—she’s just uncooperative,” the woman said. For Miss Dunaway, Miss Dunaway is Miss.

Dunaway is still a very talented performer despite her challenging, frequently harsh, and nasty demeanor.

She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996, and in 1997, People magazine listed her as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People.

Regarding her romantic status, she is now single.

She stated in a 2016 People interview that she was still open to dating. She says, “I’m very much a loner.” “I always think that if I could find the right person, I would like to have a partner in life, and I would.”

Her most recent credit dates back to 2022, when she costarred in the Italian film L’uomo che disegnò Dio with Kevin Spacey.

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