Spade Cooley
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- December 17, 1910
- Died
- November 23, 1969
- Active Years
- 1939–1955 (17 Years)
- Total Credits
- 46 credits in database
Biography
Donnell Clyde Spade Cooley was born on December 17, 1910, and died on November 23, 1969, at the age of 58. He was an American Western swing musician, big-band leader, actor, television personality, composer, songwriter, conductor, arranger, inventor, and convicted murderer. Cooley worked as an actor, writer, and associate producer, with known credits including Destry Rides Again, Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing, The Kid from Gower Gulch, Rockin' in the Rockies, Bullet Code, Square Dance Jubilee, Dawn on the Great Divide, and Young Bill Hickok. His career ended in 1961 when he was arrested and convicted for the murder of his second wife, Ella Mae Evans.
Career overview
Donnell Clyde Spade Cooley was born on December 17, 1910, and lived until November 23, 1969. He was an American Western swing musician, big-band leader, actor, television personality, composer, songwriter, conductor, arranger, inventor, and convicted murderer. As a violinist, cellist, singer, and actor, he popularized Western swing music on film, on recordings, in person, and across radio and television.
Cooley was known for his work as an actor, writer, and associate producer, with a total of known credits that included acting roles. Some of the works associated with him include Destry Rides Again, Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing, The Kid from Gower Gulch, Rockin' in the Rockies, Bullet Code, Square Dance Jubilee, Dawn on the Great Divide, and Young Bill Hickok. Additionally, his musical contributions included working as a composer and songwriter for the track Shame On You, and his work was featured on the soundtrack for The Killer Inside Me.
His career came to an end in 1961 when he was arrested and convicted of the murder of his second wife, Ella Mae Evans. Throughout his life and career, he established himself as a prominent figure in Western swing and entertainment before his conviction and eventual death in late 1969 at the age of 58.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
46 titles- The Big Tip Off (1955) as Spade
- The Silver Bandit (1950) as Spade Cooley
- The Kid from Gower Gulch (1950) as Spade Cooley
- Everybody's Dancin' (1950) as Spade
- Everybody's Dancin' (1950) Writer
- Everybody's Dancin' (1950) Associate Producer
- Border Outlaws (1950) as Spade Cooley
- Square Dance Jubilee (1949) as Spade Cooley
- Vacation Days (1947) as Self
- Shame on You (1945)
- Senorita from the West (1945) as Bandleader
- Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing (1945) as Self
- Rockin' in the Rockies (1945) as Spade Cooley
- Outlaws of the Rockies (1945) as Singer Spade
- Texas Panhandle (1945) as Band Leader Spade
- My Chickashay Gal (1945) as Spade Cooley Band
- My Chickashay Gal (1945) as Band Leader
- I Love to Yodel (1944)
- Take Me Back to Tulsa (1944)
- Romance on the Range (1942) as Townsman
- Dawn on the Great Divide (1942) as Fiddler
- Heart of the Golden West (1942) as Rustler
- South of Santa Fe (1942) as Jim Clancy
- Sunset on the Desert (1942) as Musician
- Man from Cheyenne (1942) as Cowhand
- Home in Wyomin' (1942) as 1st Fiddler (uncredited)
- Lost Canyon (1942) as Fiddle Player
- Thundering Hoofs (1942) as Fiddler (uncredited)
- Bad Man of Deadwood (1941) as Musician
- Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941) as Soldier (uncredited)
- Sheriff of Tombstone (1941) as Fiddle Player
- In Old Cheyenne (1941) as Cowhand / Musician
- Nevada City (1941) as Musician
- Red Skins and Red Heads (1941) as Fiddle Player (uncredited)
- You're Not So Tough (1940) as Fiddle Player
- The Ranger and the Lady (1940) as Bent's Banjoist
- Melody Ranch (1940) as Melody Ranch Band Musician
- Colorado (1940) as Henchman
- The Border Legion (1940) as Musician
- Young Bill Hickok (1940) as Musician
- Bullet Code (1940) as Fiddler (uncredited)
- Destry Rides Again (1939) as Fiddle Player (uncredited)
- The Marshal Of Mesa City (1939) as Fiddler (uncredited)
- Frontier Pony Express (1939) as Charley Weston
- The Arizona Kid (1939) as Union Soldier
- Southward Ho! (1939) as Fiddler
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Spade Cooley best known for?
Spade Cooley is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Outlaws of the Rockies (1945), Texas Panhandle (1945), Lost Canyon (1942), Bardzo przygodowe podróże Kulfona (1997).
When and where was Spade Cooley born?
Spade Cooley was born on December 17, 1910. They passed away on November 23, 1969.
How many credits does Spade Cooley have?
Spade Cooley has accumulated over 46 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1939 to 1955.
What is Spade Cooley's background in cinema and television?
Donnell Clyde Spade Cooley was born on December 17, 1910, and died on November 23, 1969, at the age of 58. He was an American Western swing musician, big-band leader, actor, television personality, composer, songwriter, conductor, arranger, inventor, and convicted murderer. Cooley worked as an actor, writer, and associ...
Spade Cooley by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Outlaws of the Rockies (1945) as Singer Spade — aged about 34
- Texas Panhandle (1945) as Band Leader Spade — aged about 34
- Lost Canyon (1942) as Fiddle Player — aged about 31
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