Actor. He is best remembered as one of Hollywood’s singing cowboys. Born Buren Ely in Ada, Oklahoma, he grew up in the dust bowl of the Southwest. He mastered the guitar at the age of fifteen. Honing his craft by adding his vocals, he took his act on the vaudeville circuit and local western shows. During the height of WWII, he earned a position as a second string guitar player with the Stars Over Texas War Bond Drive. This aided in connections within the motion picture industry, by virtue of several studios which had stars and crew that worked the bond tour. Republic Pictures, caught the interest of Buren Ely. After the bond tour ended, he pursued his interests out West to Hollywood, California, and after a meeting with the studio heads, was signed to a contract with Republic Pictures. He was encouraged to change his name to fit the mold of a cinema personality. Monte Hale was born. He made his debut in the uncredited role of a singer in “The Big Bonanza” (1944). He had similar roles as cowboy or ranch hand in several more westerns. He was elevated to his own film series for Republic in 1946. Monte starred in nineteen major westerns for Republic Pictures between 1946 and 1950. In addition, he appeared in a variety of supporting roles, the most notable of which is the lawyer, Bale Clinch, in “Giant” (1955) starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. With the slow demise of the musical western in the 1950s, Hale toured the country as part of a musical cowboy act in rodeos and similar venues. He soon retired from movies entirely and begin to appear exclusively at western conventions. He made a success in the international comic book market of the era. Six Monte Hale series of animated books were published in over twenty-five languages. In later years, he was also a co-founder in what is now the Autry National Center of the American West, located in Los Angeles, California. The museum is devoted to preserving and interpreting the history and traditions of the American West. Monte encouraged other cowboy stars to contribute their personal movie memorabilia for permanent display in the museum’s motion picture gallery. The Palm Springs Walk of Stars Committee dedicated a ‘Star’ to Monte on January 16, 1998, located at 265 South Palm Canyon Drive. On November 12, 2004 for his contributions to motion pictures, he received a ‘Star’ on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. Monte Hale died in Studio City, California after a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Joanne, and two brothers. (bio by: katzizkidz)