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Gordon, Leo

Born December 2, 1922;

New York City, New York, USA

Died December 26, 2000;
Los Angeles, California, USA

Maverick Actor

Leo Gordon was born into poverty in Brooklyn, and grew up during the Great Depression. He joined the United States Army at the outset of World War II, but was unsuited for Army discipline. He was honorably discharged after only two years in service, and found himself homeless. He drifted to Southern California and fell into a life of crime. He was convicted of armed robbery and sentence to four years at San Quentin, where he earned a reputation as a tough inmate and troublemaker.

After his release from prison, he took advantage of the benefits of the GI Bill and financed acting lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he met his future wife, character actress Lynn Cartwright.

Gordon worked on stage and in films, usually cast as a heavy, due to his large build and intense features. One of his earliest roles was in “Riot in Cell Block 11,” which was filmed in part at San Quentin, where he had served time. Many of the guards were cautious of him, remembering him as one of the prison’s toughest inmates. As a result, Gordon wasn’t permitted to enter or leave with the other cast members, being searched each time under special escort. Don Siegel, the film’s director, referred to Gordon as “the scariest man I ever met.”

The recurring role of Big Mike McComb in Maverick is likely his best-known work. James Garner recalled in his interview for the Archive of American Television that Gordon intentionally punched him for real in a scene in the pilot episode, “War of the Silver Kings.” Garner also recalled hitting him back in the following scene.

Big Mike McComb never appeared in Maverick after its second season, but Gordon also had a talent for script writing. He teamed up with Paul Leslie Piel to write four fourth-season Maverick scripts. Thirty-three years later, he shared one more scene with Bret Maverick (this time portrayed by Mel Gibson) in the 1994 movie release, “Maverick.”