Walter “Walt” LaRue was born in Canada in 1918 to American parents. As a child he came to the United States and lived most of his life in California, working as a guide and packer in the Sierra Nevadas and Rocky Mountains. Later, he gained experience working as a ranch hand. From 1942 to 1954, LaRue participated in roughstock events at rodeos throughout the United States including the Madison Square Garden Rodeo in New York; California Rodeo Salinas in Salinas, California; the Los Angeles Rodeo in Los Angeles, California; the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver, Colorado, and many more.
A Cowboys Turtle Association member (#1848), LaRue was also a Rodeo Cowboy Association (RCA) member and PRCA gold card holder. Aside from ranch work and rodeo, LaRue’s ability on horseback led him to find work in Hollywood as a stuntman and bit actor during the heyday of Westerns. He doubled for Gabby Hayes, Audie Murphy and others, appearing as either stuntman or actor in more than 50 film projects.
A natural storyteller, musician and artist, LaRue produced fine art and also drew covers for the RCA’s Buckboard magazine for eight years and cartoons for Western Horseman, plus advertisements for Levi Strauss. Recipient of an American Cowboy Culture Award in 2004 and a lifetime member of the Stuntman Association of Motion Pictures, LaRue was honored with the Golden Boot Award in 2007 and performed musically throughout the Los Angeles area before his death in 2010 at age 91.
Bio
Walter “Walt” LaRue was born in Canada in 1918 to American parents. As a child he came to the United States and lived most of his life in California, working as a guide and packer in the Sierra Nevadas and Rocky Mountains. Later, he gained experience working as a ranch hand. From 1942 to 1954, LaRue participated in roughstock events at rodeos throughout the United States including the Madison Square Garden Rodeo in New York; California Rodeo Salinas in Salinas, California; the Los Angeles Rodeo in Los Angeles, California; the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver, Colorado, and many more.
A Cowboys Turtle Association member (#1848), LaRue was also a Rodeo Cowboy Association (RCA) member and PRCA gold card holder. Aside from ranch work and rodeo, LaRue’s ability on horseback led him to find work in Hollywood as a stuntman and bit actor during the heyday of Westerns. He doubled for Gabby Hayes, Audie Murphy and others, appearing as either stuntman or actor in more than 50 film projects.
A natural storyteller, musician and artist, LaRue produced fine art and also drew covers for the RCA’s Buckboard magazine for eight years and cartoons for Western Horseman, plus advertisements for Levi Strauss. Recipient of an American Cowboy Culture Award in 2004 and a lifetime member of the Stuntman Association of Motion Pictures, LaRue was honored with the Golden Boot Award in 2007 and performed musically throughout the Los Angeles area before his death in 2010 at age 91.
