Stuart Whitman, a veteran actor known for his roles in numerous classic films and television shows, passed away at his home in Montecito, California on March 16th, 2020 at the age of 92. Born in San Francisco on February 1, 1928, he dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. After being rejected numerous times, he was eventually cast as an extra in 1947's The Unfinished Dance. He then moved to New York, where he acted on Broadway, and starred in television shows such as The Alcoa Hour, Israel: A Village Story and Play of the Week. One of his breakthrough roles came in 1959, when he played Marshal Jeb Clark in the western The Law and Jake Wade. Exploiting his Western-style good looks, he continued to act in other westerns throughout the decade, including Cimarron Strip and The Virginian. In 1962, he won the Academy Award for his role in The Best Man, a role he also reprised in the sequel, The Best Man: Reunion. In 1966, he took on the role of prison warden Paul Eddington in the 1967 classic, Cool Hand Luke. He also reprised his role of Marshal Clark in The Undefeated and worked with John Wayne in The Comancheros. Throughout the rest of the 1960s and 1970s, he starred in a number of television shows, including The High Chaparral, The Iron Horse and then a starring role in the series, The Monte Walsh, which ran for two seasons between 1970-1971. He continued to act throughout the next few decades, in movies such as The Longest Yard (1974), The Missouri Breaks (1976) and Choke Canyon (1986). His last role was in 1994's Forced to Kill. He was an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and held the presidency between 1983 and 1984. In 2010, he was honored with the Laguna Beach Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Stuart Whitman is survived by his wife, Pat, three children, and twelve grandchildren, as well as numerous family friends and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.