Dale Robertson | Star of westerns, 89

Dale Robertson, 89, an Oklahoma native who became a star of TV and movie westerns in the genre's heyday, died Tuesday in La Jolla, Calif., of lung cancer and pneumonia.

He had bit parts in films including The Boy With the Green Hair and the Joan Crawford vehicle Flamingo Road before landing more high-profile roles such as Jesse James in Fighting Man of the Plains.

In the 1950s, he moved into TV, starring in series such as Tales of Wells Fargo (1957-62), Iron Horse (1966), and Death Valley Days (1968-70).

He continued to work in TV in the 1970s and in the 1980s landed roles in the night-time soaps Dallas and Dynasty. In 1993, he took what would be his final role, as Zeke for two episodes in the CBS Lloyd Bridges show Harts of the West, before retiring to spend more time at his ranch in Yukon, Okla., where he lived until moving to the San Diego area in recent months, niece Nancy Robertson said.

He fought in North Africa and Europe during World War II. He was wounded twice and awarded the Bronze and Silver Stars and the Purple Heart. - AP