A simple Google search for the name Jack Moore will return several results about different people of the same name. You’ll find everything from a referee to a college basketball player to a cartoonist, a Canadian actor to an American liberation preacher.
The focus of this play is on Jack Moore, the American actor. Moore was a television and film hero of the 1940s and 1950s. He was best known for playing the character of a former Texas Ranger fighting outlaws in a mask in the television series Lone Ranger and the television series of the same name.
Everything you need to know about Jack Moore, the American Actor
Moore’s early life
Moore was born Jack Carlton Moore on 14 September 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the last of three children born to his parents Charles Sprague Moore and Theresa Violet. His father, originally from New York, worked as a real estate agent in Chicago to help provide for his family. Moore’s family seemed to be a high-income family, according to the 1930 census report, which shows that they had a full-time housemaid living with them. Her name was Amelia Hirsch.
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Jack Moore’s youthful days and athletic habits are probably one of the reasons he was able to take on the role of Lone Ranger. When he was eight years old, Jack became a circus acrobat. He stayed in the circus until his late teenage years and performed a trapeze act at the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. However, Jack found the time to attend school. He completed his primary education at the K. Hayt Elementary School. Afterward, he attended Sullivan Junior High School and Senn High School in Chicago.
His modeling and military days
Before the success of his acting career, Jack tried his hand at modeling. He was a model for John Robert Powers, and successfully so. In the late 1930’s he moved to Hollywood and added stuntman to his growing career.
Jack Moore’s acting talent shone through even when he joined the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Moore worked in the Air Force’s film production unit and played the lead role in the film Target-Invisible.
The Lone Ranger character
Then in 1949, the Lone Ranger project was added. Before that, Moore had worked on a series of films almost every year since 1937. Among his works were films like The Son of Monte Cristo, Black Dragons, The Sheriff of Wichita, and The Spirit of Zorro. At the time, there was a radio series called The Lone Ranger. The producer of the series, George Trendle, got wind of Moore’s talent through his work on Ghost of Zorro.
When the film was adapted for television, Trendle made Jack the main character, along with co-star Jay Silverheels, who played the role of Tonto, an Indian Mohawk. The Lone Ranger was broadcast on ABC and was the station’s first real success story. In 1950, the television show was nominated for an Emmy Award.
After the first two seasons, Moore was replaced due to some disputes over contract negotiations. However, he returned to the project for the last two seasons. Jack claimed he had received no explanation as to why he was replaced or reinstated.
The fifth season, which was also the last one, was the only one shot in color; all seasons before that were shot in black and white. In total, Jack Moore recast his role for 169 of the 221 episodes produced.
Other Projects
During his work on the Lone Ranger, Moore found the time to participate in other projects. In 1952, for example, he made a guest appearance in an episode of The Adventures of Kit Carson. The success of Moore and Silverheels in Lone Ranger also earned them leading roles in two feature films about the Lone Ranger. They were entitled The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958).
In the next forty years after these two films, Jack appeared as himself in a wealth of personal engagements. These included The Lone Ranger restaurants in Southern California, classic commercials, and guest appearances on television. In the commercials, he appeared as his Lone Ranger character.
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However, these appearances led to a publicly concealed lawsuit in 1979. Jack Wrather, the creator of the Lone Ranger character, wanted to make a new film version based on the character and did not want Moore to grab the limelight and undermine the value of his new Lone Ranger look. Weather received a court order to prevent Moore from making further appearances as The Lone Ranger. Moore responded with a countersuit, changing his costume a little bit to look different but not to be confused with anyone other than the famous character he had played most of his acting career. Jack Moore eventually won the lawsuit and continued to perform in costume until shortly before his death.
Life Recognitions and Jack Moore Death
Jack Moore was so inseparably interwoven with the character during his lifetime that it became almost impossible to distinguish between Jack and the Lone Ranger. Moore, who often spoke about his love and respect for the character, said he spent his life living by the creed and principles of the Lone Ranger in his real life.
He was inducted into the Stuntman’s Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 1990. He was also recognized on the Western Walk of Fame in Newhall, California. Starting in 2006, Jack Moore was the only person whose star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame bore the name of a character he had played, and not just his real name. The star was “Clayton Moore – The Lone Ranger”.
Jack Moore died in a hospital in West Hills, California, from a heart attack he suffered at his home in Calabasas. He was married four times in his life, leaving behind his fourth wife, Clarita Moore, and Dawn Angela Moore, their adopted daughter.
