Native Arlington actor known for ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and ‘Star Trek’ roles dies
Morgan Woodward, an award-winning actor from Arlington, died Friday at the age of 93.
Woodward’s career spanned 40 years, and he played in more than 250 movies and TV shows with memorable characters such as Punk Anderson, Boss Godfrey and Old Harry Cokely on “The X-Files”.
He was perhaps best known for his film “Cool Hand Luke” and his roles on TV shows “Gunsmoke” and “Dallas.” He also guest starred on two episodes of the original Star Trek series — “The Omega Glory” and “Dagger of the Mind” — and played the reptilian alien Cayman in Battle Beyond the Stars.
Woodward was born in Fort Worth in 1925. In 1948, he graduated from North Texas Agriculture College and was named a UTA Distinguished Alumni in 1969.
In 1988, Woodward was presented with the “Golden Lariat Award” at the National Western Film Festival and received the prestigious “Golden Boot Award” from the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Fund, according to the Morgan Woodward official site.
In 2017, Woodward was honored by the Arlington Historical Society at the “Tribute to Morgan Woodward” event at the UTA Rosebud Theatre. The program included film clips, memorabilia and artifacts of Woodward’s distinguished career.
