From Simon & Simon to Major Dad, the Collins native rose to fame in the 1980s and became a household name.
Whether you travel east or west, north or south, around the town of Collins, Mississippi, you will always see signs indicating that this is the birthplace of film and television star Gerald McRaney.
There is even a street named after him. Next to his house is the following landmark:
“Birthplace of Gerald McRaney, born August 19, 1947. This son of the city brought recognition to this community through his celebrity status as a television and film actor. Because his life was shaped by his legacy, he returns home each year to visit family and friends. This street was named in his honor so he will be remembered by all who pass by.”
Life before television and film
Gerald McRaney is the son of Clyde and Edna McRaney and has two siblings: a sister, Anne, and a brother, Buddy. He spent his early years in Collins before the family moved to the Gulf Coast, where Gerald graduated from Long Beach High School. As a child, he enjoyed playing football until he suffered a knee injury. At around age fourteen, he began to pursue theater and act in school plays. Looking back, we’d say he found his niche.
He attended the University of Mississippi and studied theater, but did not graduate. Instead, he worked in the oil fields of Louisiana. In an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, McRaney said his first job was with the survey crew. He also worked half the year as a mud collector and the other six months with a theater company in New Orleans. He did this for four years before moving to Hollywood.
Career in television and filmography
After arriving in Hollywood, he took acting classes and auditioned for television shows and films, but worked as a taxi driver to earn a living.
Gerald McRaney’s acting career began in 1969 with a role in the film Night of Bloody Horror. In 1970, he played the role of Terrance Bradford in Women and Bloody Terror (1970). He starred in the television series Night Gallery and Alias Smith and Jones (1972).
In an interview with Rich Eisen, McRaney said that he had roles in three episodes of Smoking Colts (1973-1975). He was the last actor to meet Matt Dillon, US Marshall, in a shootout. He said that the crew and cast of Smoking Colts were very nice and gave him many wonderful experiences.
McRaney’s first big acting opportunity came with the casting for the CBS television series Simon & Simonwhere he played the role of a private detective named “Rick Simon”. His co-star was Jamison Parker. They worked together for eight years (1981-1985), a total of 156 episodes.
Awards and other well-known programs
- He appeared in sixteen episodes of House of Cards (2013–2017). The role of Raymond Tusk earned him a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2014).
- McRaney made a guest appearance in NCIS: Los Angelesstarting with season six. Then, in season ten, he became a recurring character.
- From 2016 to 2022, McRaney was in the television program this is uswhere he played the role of Dr. Nathan Katowski in ten episodes. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (2017) and was nominated for the same award the following year.
Gerald McRaney’s career spans fifty years and he has acted in over 150 films and television shows. The following list is just a sample:
The Waltons (1974)
Hawaii Five-O (1976)
The Six Million Dollar Man (1977)
A Duke rarely comes alone (1979)
The Incredible Hulk (1977–1980)
Magnum, PI (1982)
Women design (1987–1988)
Take Me Home: The John Denver Story (2000)
Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004)
Filthy rich (2020)
Support for the military
In the television series Big Daddy (1989-1993) McRaney played the role of Major John D. “Mac” MacGillis. He also served as executive producer of the series. There were 96 episodes of this television show. Although he was never in the military, he had family members who had served.
McRaney spent time with the Marines at Camp Pendleton to perfect his portrayal of a military officer.
Marisa Ryan, who played his daughter in the show, said: “Yes, he’s a fascinating guy! The set was very relaxed. He’s brilliant, humorous, a detailed and imaginative storyteller – he tells stories whether anyone is listening or not! He’s very comfortable on television and enjoys being part of it; it’s his career. He had a lot of similar ideals to his character and almost became that character over the course of the show.”
In 1993, he traveled to Toulon, France, and spent Thanksgiving with the Marines and sailors. In a report on the trip, the Navy Public Affairs Library quoted him as saying, “I’m here to represent the millions of people back home who would have given anything to make this trip with me, especially on Thanksgiving, to thank you for what you do for the whole country… Every day it seems like you’re being asked to do more with less and less. It’s a great trick when you master it, and you guys do it better than anyone else.”
Gerald McRaney is the official celebrity spokesperson for the Wounded Warrior Project. He is the first recipient of the Bob Hope Entertainer of the Year Award for his service to the USO. He also received the Audie Murphy Award for Patriotism at the Spirit of American Festival.
McRaney is also known for his work with the Department of Veterans Affairs honoring hospitalized veterans. He was instrumental in promoting the need for volunteers at VA medical centers. His support and work through charitable efforts for the military is important to him.
Back home – life on the farm
McRaney met Delta Burke on the set of the television series Women design. His role was Dash Goff, Suzanne Sugarbaker’s ex-husband. He appeared twice, in 1987 and 1988. McRaney and Burke married on May 28, 1989. People Magazine They had it on the cover of their June 12, 1989 issue. In bold letters, the headlines on the front page read: “A true Hollywood romance – A sexy woman has her man – With blaring trumpets and a bagpiper, Women design‘s Delta Burke and Simon & Simon“Gerald McRaney marked their old-fashioned Southern love affair with a beautiful, lavish wedding.”
In 1991, McRaney starred alongside Burke in the television film Love and cursesHe was also the executive producer.
Burke and McRaney enjoy spending as much time as possible on their 500-acre farm near Collins, which sits on the Pearl River, where McRaney enjoys hunting and fishing. The couple lives full-time in the Vieux Carre in New Orleans.
On 12 May 1999 in an ABC Good morning America In an interview with Charles Gibson, Gerald McRaney said of his life in Mississippi: “I once wondered what it was about this place that produced so many good, creative people. Leontyne Price is from here in Laurel. William Faulkner, John Grisham, Beth Henley, Tennessee Williams – the list goes on. You are surrounded by life. You are constantly surrounded by creation. Some of it just has to rub off on you. And I think that’s what makes great writers, actors and musicians, and everything else is this reflection of nature. It makes me feel reborn.”
Over the years, McRaney remained connected to the state. In 2001 National Geographic Traveler Magazine published an article McRaney had written about Natchez. He attended the fundraising gala Mississippi Rising (2005), which benefited hurricane reconstruction efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi Encyclopediahe narrated an instructional video, The Singing River: Rhythms of NatureThe video was about the Pascagoula River Basin and was a production of Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
If you want to see McRaney tell a funny and memorable story about visiting his parents in Hollywood, watch here.
Oh, and one more thing: Happy 77th birthday, Mr. McRaney, a few days early.
— Article courtesy of Laura Lee Leathers of the Magnolia Tribune —
