Veteran actor Morgan Woodward, who played Phillip Colville on Days of our Lives and Punk Anderson on Dallas, passed away on February 22 at his home in the Hollywood Hills. The star was 93.
The Arlington, Texas, native began his acting career at Arlington State College, where he majored in music and drama. He later returned to school and obtained a degree in corporate finance from the University of Texas in 1948.
Though his career began in music, he moved to Hollywood in 1955 with dreams of breaking into the acting world via musicals. His hopes became a reality, and he appeared in films like Walt Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase and Westward Ho, the Wagons!
Woodward's career blossomed with roles on various Western television series like Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Buckskin, Wagon Train, How the West Was Won, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. So, it was an easy transition for him to join the 1980s Western soap Dallas, where he played the role of Marvin "Punk" Anderson from 1980 to 1987. As viewers of the soap may recall, Punk was a longtime family friend of the Ewing family, including parents Miss Ellie and Jock and their sons J.R. and Bobby.
Shortly after leaving Dallas, Woodward joined the cast of Days of our Lives as Phillip Colville, a role he played from 1987 to 1988. His Salem adventures were short-lived, but fans likely remember him because Phillip was father to Genie Francis' Diana Colville.
Woodward's additional credits include a role opposite Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke and notable appearances on Star Trek. After hanging his hat in the daytime genre in the late 80s, the actor went on to appear in series like Murder, She Wrote, 21 Jump Street, Matlock, and The X-Files. His final credit is playing the Iron Lung Man on Millenium in 1997.
Woodward, who served in World War II in the Army Air Corps and in the Korean War in the Military Air Transport Command, was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. He was also awarded the Golden Boot Award from the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Fund in August 1988.
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