From baseball diamond to Hollywood stardom: Incredible story of Chuck Connors who played in MLB for Dodgers and Cubs

Former baseball player Chuck Connors was mostly known for his famous role in the television series “The Rifleman.”

While he was still playing baseball, the player caught the eye of a fellow baseball enthusiast who worked as a casting director for MGM. He suggested Connors to take up a role in the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedy Pat and Mike (1952).

Originally, he was supposed to act in the role of a prizefighter, but Aldo Ray was casted in place of him. Therefore, Connors had to take up the role of a state police captian.

Eventually, he decided to bid goodbye to his sports career and instead focus on building his career as an actor.

In a short-lived television series that aired in 1963 named “Arrest and Trial,” Connors played the role of a lawyer named John Egan. He played a major character in “Cowboy in Africa” that was telecasted in 1967.

He made the films "Target Zero" in 1955, "Hold Back the Night" in 1956, "The Big Country" in 1958, "Geronimo" in 1962 and "Support Your Local Gunfighter" in 1971.

Connors didn't just play major roles in almost six television series, he was also a part of several miniseries like Alex Haley's "Roots" in 1977. He was nominated for an Emmy for his role of a lustful slave owner named Tom Moore in the miniseries.

Chuck Connors’ career in baseball

Connors sat out the 1941 season, following which he signed up with the New York Yankees farm team, the Norfolk Tars.

Chuck Connors grew up as a die-hard fan of the Dodgers and wanted to play for the team someday. He was with the Boston Celtics for the 1946-47 season, however, he went early for spring training with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Connors catered to his passion for baseball by spending the following years playing in the minor leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In May 1949, despite the stint being a short-lived one, he at last realized his lifelong dream of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He played with the Chicago Cubs in 1951 and only registered two home runs during his tenure with the team. In 1952, Connors joined the L.A. Angels, which was the Triple-A farm team of the Cubs.