Separated at Birth? Michael Gregory & Richard Devon.

Actors Richard Devon (top) and my friend, Michael Gregory.

Devon was an American character actor best known for his roles in television and episodic television and film, including The Rifleman, Lassie, and The Twilight Zone, and the films Machine Gun Kelly, The Comancheros and Kid Galahad. He passed away in February of this year at the age of 83.

Michael and I worked on the film Combustion a few years ago and have struck up a friendship since. He was the original "Dr. Rick Webber" in "General Hospital" for two years in the mid- to-late 1970's and has numerous film and television credits, including Matlock and McGyver. He even had a stint as Dean Martin's bodyguard for ten years. I'm a big Dino fan so Michael regales me with his DM stories. He's extremely busy in the voice-over market and works with a number of veterans' charities.

I caught the beginning of The Commancheros (featuring The Duke) and saw Richard Devon and thought, "is that Michael?". But Michael's almost 20 years younger, which is what led to this blog post. Above: Michael and I in West Hollywood in September 2009 right before I moved back to Wisconsin.