--- name: "Noble Willingham" canonical: "https://film.one/person/noble-willingham" fi1m_id: "noble-willingham" imdb_id: "nm0932244" tmdb_id: 31005 wikidata_id: "Q716424" roles: ["Actor"] born: "31 August 1931" died: "17 January 2004" reviewed_on_fi1m: 11 average_fi1m_score: 77 average_as: "actor" average_over: 11 updated: "2026-10-04T21:44:17.023182+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Noble Willingham ## Identity Noble Willingham - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/noble-willingham - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** noble-willingham - **IMDb ID:** nm0932244 - **TMDB ID:** 31005 - **Wikidata ID:** Q716424 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Willingham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q716424, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932244/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31005 Actor. Born 31 August 1931 in Mineola, Texas, USA. Died 17 January 2004. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 31 August 1931, Mineola, Texas, USA - **Died:** 17 January 2004 - **Active:** 1971–1994 - **Also known as:** Nobel Willingham, Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. - **Frequently works with:** [Bruno Kirby](https://film.one/person/bruno-kirby.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 11 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 88 (4), 1980s 75 (3), 1990s 68 (4) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 69 across 9 titles - **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 5 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 7, Comedy 5, Crime 3, Mystery 3, Thriller 2, Action 1 - **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $694m across 10 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Willingham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q716424, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932244/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31005 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*City Slickers*](https://film.one/film/city-slickers.md) (76) - **The Roku Channel:** [*The Last Boy Scout*](https://film.one/film/the-last-boy-scout.md) (73) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Noble Willingham > Noble Willingham was the general, the rancher, the councilman: the man behind the desk who says no in an East Texas voice and turns out to be reasonable. He was rarely the point of a film and almost never its problem. Somewhere in the second act of a great many American films, a man in his fifties or sixties stands up behind a desk, or leans on a fence, and tells the hero what he cannot do. Between 1971 and 2003 that man was often Noble Willingham. He played generals, ranchers, councilmen and bar owners, nearly always in the voice of the Texas he came from, and nearly always with the air of someone who has heard this nonsense before and is prepared, against his better judgement, to listen to it once more. He came to acting in his late thirties, and it shows in the best way: he never had a period of playing young men, so he arrived on screen already looking like somebody's boss. Peter Bogdanovich gave him a small part in *The Last Picture Show* (1971), shot in Texas, and used him again in *Paper Moon* (1973). *Chinatown* (1974) followed, a councilman in the crowd. From there it was thirty years of steady work in more than thirty films and a great deal of television, and the parts hardly changed size. He settled into the good old boy with common sense, in comedy and drama alike, and he did not fight it. The films of his we have reviewed show the pattern. In *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987) he is Gen. Taylor, the officer on Robin Williams's side; in *City Slickers* (1991) he is Clay Stone, who owns the ranch the tourists are pretending to work on; in *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994) he is Riddle. In none of those reviews did we single him out, and we are not going to pretend now that we should have. That is the career: a man whose job was to make a scene believable and then get out of the way of the star. We went back to *Good Morning, Vietnam* to watch him rather than Williams, and found something we had missed. The script gives Taylor a desk and a rank, and Willingham gives back a man who plainly likes the disc jockey he is expected to rein in, and is faintly amused at having to. It is a small thing, but a film that keeps flinching from its subject needed one grown-up who was not frightened, and he is it. The obvious criticism is fair: he was hired to be the same man every time, and he obliged. The part that gave him most room was on television. *Walker, Texas Ranger* made him C.D. Parker, the retired ranger behind the bar, for roughly 155 episodes between 1993 and 1999, and it is what most people who know his face know him from. He came back once more, for *Blind Horizon* (2003), released after his death. Do not go looking for a Willingham film; there is not one. Put on *City Slickers* and notice what the ranch feels like when he is in the frame and when he is not. That was the whole job, and he was good at it. ## Biography Noble Willingham (31 August 1931 – 17 January 2004) was an American character actor who appeared in more than thirty films and numerous television series. Born in Mineola, Texas, he graduated from North Texas State College in 1953 and earned a master's degree in educational psychology from Baylor University before working as a teacher. He later moved into acting, with early film roles including appearances in *The Last Picture Show* (1971) and *Paper Moon* (1973). Willingham played Clay Stone in the 1991 film *City Slickers* and its 1994 sequel *City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold*. He was best known for his recurring role as C.D. Parker on the television series *Walker, Texas Ranger* (1993–1999). Other notable credits include *Chinatown* (1974), *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987), *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994) and guest appearances on series such as *The A-Team*, *Tales from the Crypt* and *Home Improvement*. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.* ## On Fi1m (11) - *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994), Fi1m 44, as Riddle — [page](https://film.one/film/ace-ventura-pet-detective.md) - *The Hudsucker Proxy* (1994), Fi1m 78, as Zebulon Cardozo — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hudsucker-proxy.md) - *City Slickers* (1991), Fi1m 76, as Clay Stone — [page](https://film.one/film/city-slickers.md) - *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), Fi1m 73, as Sheldon Marcone — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-boy-scout.md) - *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987), Fi1m 68, as Gen. Taylor — [page](https://film.one/film/good-morning-vietnam.md) - *La Bamba* (1987), Fi1m 72, as Howard — [page](https://film.one/film/la-bamba.md) - *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987), Fi1m 84, as Texas — [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation.md) - *Norma Rae* (1979), Fi1m 82, as Leroy Mason — [page](https://film.one/film/norma-rae.md) - *Chinatown* (1974), Fi1m 93, as Councilman — [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md) - *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86, as Mr. Robertson — [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md) - *The Last Picture Show* (1971), Fi1m 89, as Chester — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-picture-show.md) ## Complete filmography (105) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Blind Horizon* (2003), as Deputy Shirl Cash - *The Corndog Man* (1999), as Ace Barker - *Up Close & Personal* (1996), as Buford Sells - *City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold* (1994), as Clay Stone - *Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion* (1994), as C.D. Parker - *The Hudsucker Proxy* (1994), as Zebulon Cardozo — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hudsucker-proxy.md) - *Guarding Tess* (1994), as Sheriff Janson (uncredited) - *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994), as Riddle — Fi1m 44, [page](https://film.one/film/ace-ventura-pet-detective.md) - *Walker, Texas Ranger* (1993), series, as C.D. Parker - *Men Don't Tell* (1993), as Riley - *Fire in the Sky* (1993), as Blake Davies - *The Distinguished Gentleman* (1992), as Zeke Bridges - *Of Mice and Men* (1992), as The Boss - *Article 99* (1992), as Inspector General - *Woman With a Past* (1992), as Chairman - *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), as Sheldon Marcone — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-boy-scout.md) - *Home Improvement* (1991), series, as Mr. Binford - *Sweet Poison* (1991), as Sheriff - *City Slickers* (1991), as Clay Stone — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/city-slickers.md) - *Career Opportunities* (1991), as Roger Roy McClellan - *Pastime* (1990), as Clyde Bigby - *The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson* (1990), Actor - *Northern Exposure* (1990), series, as Gordon — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/northern-exposure.md) - *Capital News* (1990), series, Actor - *Ann Jillian* (1989), series, Actor - *The Heist* (1989), as Stuckey - *Blind Fury* (1989), as MacCready - *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), series, as Mr. Petermeyer - *The Road Raiders* (1989), as Crankcase - *Quantum Leap* (1989), series, as Gene - *Unconquered* (1989), as Bear Bryant - *Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story* (1988), as Ted Simonsen - *A Stoning in Fulham County* (1988), as Judge Manning - *Shooter* (1988), as Rizzo - *Splash, Too* (1988), as Karl Hooten - *Longarm* (1988), Actor - *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987), as Gen. Taylor — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/good-morning-vietnam.md) - *The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory* (1987), as Dr. Pollard - *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987), series, as Texas — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation.md) - *Born in East L.A.* (1987), as Border Patrol Sergeant - *La Bamba* (1987), as Howard — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/la-bamba.md) - *Summer Heat* (1987), as Strother - *Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder* (1987), series, as Tesch - *L.A. Law* (1986), series, as Robert Kenyon - *Mr. Sunshine* (1986), series, Actor - *Matlock* (1986), series, as Rev. Morley Phelps - *The Atlanta Child Murders* (1985), series, as Jerry Armstrong - *Badge of the Assassin* (1985), as Airport Guard - *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Sheriff Pat McAllister - *Highway to Heaven* (1984), series, Actor - *Airwolf* (1984), series, as Chester Hansen - *Cutter to Houston* (1983), series, Actor - *Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story* (1983), as Dr. Graham - *The A-Team* (1983), series, as Pete Stockton, Zack - *Independence Day* (1983), as Andy Parker - *Missing Children: A Mother's Story* (1982), as Lander Hughes - *The Children Nobody Wanted* (1981), as McNaulty - *Coward of the County* (1981), as Car-Wash - *First Monday in October* (1981), as Nebraska Attorney - *Harry's War* (1981), as Major Andrews - *The Howling* (1981), as Charlie Barton - *The Georgia Peaches* (1980), as Jarvis Wheeler - *Brubaker* (1980), as Dr. Fenster - *The Gambler* (1980), as Conductor - *When the Whistle Blows* (1980), series, Actor - *Hart to Hart* (1979), series, Actor - *Butch and Sundance: The Early Days* (1979), as Captain Prewitt - *Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider* (1979), as Pop Bauer - *Norma Rae* (1979), as Leroy Mason — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/norma-rae.md) - *Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story* (1979), as 1st Doctor - *WKRP in Cincinnati* (1978), series, Actor - *The Critical List* (1978), series, as Charlie - *Just Me and You* (1978), as Gas Station Owner - *Dallas* (1978), series, as Senator Pascomb - *Cindy* (1978), as Sergeant - *Thaddeus Rose and Eddie* (1978), as Judge - *The Boys in Company C* (1978), as Sergeant Curry - *Man from Atlantis* (1977), series, as Artemus Washburn - *Lou Grant* (1977), series, Actor - *CHiPs* (1977), series, as Jake - *Greased Lightning* (1977), as Billy Joe Byrnes - *Liza’s Pioneer Diary* (1976), as Mr. Dunster - *Alice* (1976), series, Actor - *Fighting Mad* (1976), as Senator Hingle - *Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York* (1975), as Principal - *Aloha Bobby and Rose* (1975), as Uncle Charlie - *Black Bart* (1975), as Fern Malaga - *Where Have All the People Gone* (1974), as Jim Clancy - *Big Bad Mama* (1974), as Uncle Barney - *The Rockford Files* (1974), series, as B.J., Claude Orzeck — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md) - *Petrocelli* (1974), series, as Artie Jacobs - *Chinatown* (1974), as Councilman — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md) - *Evel Knievel* (1974), as Jack Decataur - *Sunshine* (1973), as Bartender - *Hit!* (1973), as Warden Springer - *Paper Moon* (1973), as Mr. Robertson — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md) - *Hawkins* (1973), series, as Carl Jackson - *The Girls of Huntington House* (1973), as Harry, Sara's Father - *The Waltons* (1972), series, Actor - *The Last Picture Show* (1971), as Chester — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-picture-show.md) - *Cannon* (1971), series, Actor - *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* (1970), series, as Hal — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mary-tyler-moore-show.md) - *My Sweet Charlie* (1970), as Grady - *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Mr. Kirby - *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Tuck --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/noble-willingham