Roger Herren

Roger Herren was a handsome young U.S. actor of brief acclaim in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Blessed with good looks and southern charm, Herren appeared to be headed for stardom, yet he is known to have had only one credited film role and one credited stage role. Born in Baxter, Tennessee, in September 1945, Herren is the older of four sons of a carpenter father and homemaker mother. He joined the U.S. Navy and was discharged in 1968 after serving in Vietnam. As a boy he excelled as a volleyball player and was considered Olympic caliber when he played in the International Military League. After his discharge from the Navy he secured his first role (uncredited) in the 1969 big-budget musical film production of Lerner and Loewe's Paint Your Wagon (1969) starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. He had a higher-profile stage role with credits as the cowboy gigolo in southwest U.S. stage productions of "The Boys in the Band." His career peaked and ended with his co-starring performance as Rusty Godowsky in the 1970 film of Gore Vidal's 1968 best-seller Myra Breckinridge (1970). The controversial film featured established stars Raquel Welch in the title role, Mae West and John Huston, as well as other newcomers Farrah Fawcett, who played Herren's girlfriend, and Tom Selleck, in a small but unforgettable role opposite the inimitable West (he lost the larger role to Herren). The film was a flop and his acting career tapered off. Amid his brief time in front of the lights and cameras, Herren had something of a roller-coaster personal life which included dating Barbara Thinnes, ex-wife of actor Roy Thinnes. He lived inauspiciously in Santa Barbara, California and could still be found on the beach until his death at the age of 68.