Rex Holman

Cast

Born

December 11, 1935 · Oklahoma, USA

Birth name

Rexford George Holman

Gaunt, emaciated-looking American character actor, typically cast as sneering, psychotic western gunslingers or henchmen. Born Roy Eugene Baker, he was billed as 'Roye Baker' in his motion picture debut as Lloyd Barker (1896-1949), a member of Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960) (the infamous Barker-Karpis Gang). Though he originally hailed from Oklahoma, Holman's family settled in southern California during the depression era. He was educated at Pierce Junior College in Woodland Hills and found his way to acting via an acquaintance, beginning his career in college and community theatre and summer stock. He was also at one time employed by a Hollywood film editing company. Between 1960 and 1979, Holman made numerous guest appearances in TV westerns (invariably as vicious, snarky outlaws), racking up the most credits in Gunsmoke (1955), The Virginian (1962), The Big Valley (1965), Wagon Train (1957) and Rawhide (1959). Fans of Star Trek (1966) will also remember him as Morgan Earp in the episode 'Spectre of the Gun' and as J'Onn, one of Sybok's disciples in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). His other forays into the science fiction genre include The Twilight Zone (1959), The Outer Limits (1963) and Land of the Giants (1968). In popular crime and espionage-themed series, he was similarly cast as callous or shifty types with names like Tiger, Evil Face, Oregano, Snake and Angel. As in the westerns, most of his characters ended up the worse for wear (usually afflicted by 'lead poisoning') by the end of the episode. In 1959, Holman declared his hobbies to be flamenco guitar playing and dancing. He retired from acting in 1989 after reputedly investing wisely in real estate.