Can You Name These TV and Movie Western Sidekicks?

By: Khadija L.
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Name These TV and Movie Western Sidekicks?
Image: United Artists Walter Wanger Productions

About This Quiz

Western is a genre of movies which is centered around the latter half of the 19th century in the American frontier. When you think about Western movies, some of the first things that come to mind are cowboys, mighty steeds, gun-slinging outlaws, lots of liquor and wide stretches of desert-like landscapes.Β 

While we all love a good hero, they would not be as successful without having the trusty sidekicks alongside them. These saddle pals not only provide much-needed comedic relief, but they are also the one, in most cases, who play an integral role into taking down the bad guy.

There are hundreds of actors who have the role of the sidekick, but there are very few who stay in our minds as the best. Some of them have been so successful that their roles have led to the creation of their own series. Some of these people include Smiley Burnette, Dub Taylor, Fuzzy St. John, Slim Pickens, Andy Clyde and Rand Brooks.

How well do you know some of the most popular Western sidekicks to ever grace both the big screen and television? If you would like to put your knowledge to the test, then this is definitely the quiz for you. Take it to see how well you will perform!

George 'Gabby' Hayes
NBC Television
Which of these actors is seen in the photo?
Jack Nicholson
Marlon Brando
George β€˜Gabby’ Hayes
Ian McKellen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Francis β€œGabby” Hayes (1888 – 1969) was an American actor who is best known for playing the roles of cantankerous, brave and loyal sidekicks in a string of Western films, 40 of which were in within 7 years. He is also known for saying the phrases β€œyoung whippersnapper” and β€œdadgummit”.

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Cliff Edwards
William P. Gottlieb
Which actor played the sidekick in the screenshot?
John Wayne
Cliff Edwards
Michael Douglas
Jon Voight
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Clifton Avon Edwards (1895 – 1971), also known as β€œUkulele Ike”, was an American actor and singer who is well known for being the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney’s 1940 classic Pinocchio. He also starred in a few Western comedies as a supporting character.

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Jay Silverheels
ABC Television
This sidekick was played by ____________.
Al Pacino
Geoffrey Rush
John Wayne
Jay Silverheels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jay Silverheels (1912 – 1980) was a Mohawk Canadian actor who is well known for playing the role of the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, to the Lone Ranger in the television series with the same name.

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Dub Taylor
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Which of the following actors played the sidekick role?
Dub Taylor
Christopher Waltz
Javier Bardem
James Stewart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Walter Clarence Taylor Jr. (1907 – 1994), better known as Dub Taylor, was an American actor whose 50-year career saw him starring in numerous Western films. One of his most popular roles was that of the co-hero β€œCannonball," which he reprised in over 50 movies.

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Slim Andrews
Edward F. Finney Productions
This accomplice was played by ____________.
Daniel Day Lewis
Slim Andrews
James Stewart
Colin Firth
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lloyd β€œSlim” Andrews (1906 – 1992) was an American actor who was best known for playing the role of a sidekick in a number of Western films from the 1940s to the 1950s. Some of his signature phrases include β€œGreat gobs of goose grease” and β€œHi Ho Josephine”.

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Paul Hurst
Tiffany Productions
Which actor brought this character to life?
Brad Pitt
Joaquin Phoenix
Paul Hurst
James Stewart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Paul Hurst (1888 – 1953) was an American actor and director who in his film career is best remembered for being the person who was shot by Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind." He is also known for starring in β€œThe Old Frontier”, β€œThe Missourians” and β€œBig Him McLain”.

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Robert Blake
ABC
The actor who played this role is ___________.
James Stewart
Robert Blake
Clint Eastwood
Gary Bale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Robert Blake (1933 - ) is an American retired actor who is best known for playing the recurring role of β€œLittle Beaver” the sidekick in more than 20 Western films. In 2002, he was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley.

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Roscoe Lee Browne
Warner Bros.
The sidekick was portrayed by _____________.
Roscoe Lee Browne
Dustin Hoffman
Edward Norton
James Stewart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roscoe Lee Browne (1922 – 2007) was an American actor and director, whose body of work has won him almost every major award. The most famous Western films that he has starred in is β€œThe Cowboys” where he played the role of a young cowhand who avenged the death of his rancher and friend.

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Chris Pin Martin
Paramount Pictures
Which actor is seen in the image?
Chris-Pin Martin
Roscoe Lee Brown
Hugh Jackman
John Wayne
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chris-Pin Martin (1893 – 1953) was an American actor who is best known for his portrayal of Mexican sidekicks in β€œThe Cisco Kid” film series. He also appeared in β€œKing of the Bandits”, β€œThe Ox-Bow Incident” and β€œRomance of the Rio Grande”.

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Jack Elam
United Artists
The actor seen here is ____________.
James Stewart
Roscoe Lee Brown
Anthony Hopkins
Jack Elam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

William Scott β€œJack” Elam (1920 – 2003) was an American actor who was best known for playing villainous roles in Western films. Throughout his career, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. He also appeared in β€œThe Night of the Grizzly” alongside Clint Walker.

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Leo Carrillo
Butternut Bread, sponsor of the show in the Chicago area.
Which of these actors is seen in the photo?
Jay Silverheels
Leo Carrillo
Mel Gibson
Harrison Ford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leo Carrillo (1880 – 1961) was an American actor who is best known for playing the role of Pancho in the Western television series β€œThe Cisco Kid” alongside Duncan Renaldo. He also starred in Viva Villa! and the Arizona Wildcat.

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Smiley Burnette
Republic Pictures
Which actor played the sidekick in the screenshot?
Jay Silverheels
Liam Neeson
Smiley Burnette
Woody Allen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lester Alvin Burnett (1911 – 1967), better known as Smiley Burnett, was an American actor who is best known for playing the role of sidekick to actors including Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. His famous role was in the film serial β€œThe Adventures of Rex and Rinty” as Jensen.

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Buddy Ebsen
CBS Television
This sidekick was played by ____________.
Buddy Ebsen
Jay Silverheels
Steve McQueen
Samuel L. Jackson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Buddy Ebsen (1908 - 2003) is an America actor whose career lasted for over 70 years, the most famous of which was the role of family patriarch in the sitcom β€œThe Beverly Hillbillies." In the 1950s, he starred in a string of Westerns including Utah Wagon Trail.

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Strother Martin
Batjac-Paramount Pictures
Which of the following actors played the sidekick role?
Buddy Ebsen
Orson Wells
James Dean
Strother Martin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Strother Martin (1919 – 1980) was an American actor who was known for appearing in numerous Western films as in support of actors like Paul Newman and John Wayne. His biggest success was in the film "Cool Hand Luke," where he was heard saying β€œWhat we’ve got here is a failure to communicate”.

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Al 'Fuzzy' St. John
Sigmund Neufeld Productions
This accomplice was played by ____________.
Jack Lemmon
Al St. John
Gene Kelly
Buddy Ebsen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Al St. John (1892 – 1963) was an American actor who is best known for starring as Fuzzy Q. Jones in the Billy the Kid series and the Lone Ranger series. In total, he made over 80 Western films as Fuzzy as the sidekicks of other characters.

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Andy Clyde
CBS Television
The actor who played this role is ___________.
Michael Caine
Bill Murray
John Wayne
Andy Clyde
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andy Clyde (1892 – 1967) was a Scottish-born American actor who has had a career exceeding 40 years. Some of his most significant roles include the supporting role of California Carlson in the Hopalong Cassidy movie series and as farmer Cully Wilson in the TV series Lassie.

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Johnny Depp
Walt Disney Pictures,Jerry Bruckheimer Films,Blind Wink Productions
The sidekick was portrayed by _____________.
Johnny Depp
James Stewart
Don Cheadle
Buddy Ebsen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Johnny Depp (1963 – ) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. In 2013, he starred as Tonto, a Native American warrior who accompanies the John Reid on his quests.

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Walter Brennan
Warner Bros.
Which actor brought this character to life?
Robin Williams
Walter Brennan
John Wayne
John Goodman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Walter Andrew Brennan (1894 – 1974) was an American actor who is one of three actors to have won three Academy Awards. He also starred in many sidekick roles alongside actors like Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Gary Cooper.

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Max Terhune
Republic Pictures
Which actor is seen in the image?
Robert Duvall
Max Terhune
John Wayne
Chris Evans
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Max Terhune (1891 – 1973) was an American actor who has starred on almost 70 different films, most of which were B-westerns. He was best known for playing the role of the comical sidekick, Lullaby Joslin, in The Three Mesquiteers movie series.

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Frank Yaconelli
Monogram Pictures
The actor seen here is ____________.
Sean Penn
Channing Tatum
Frank Yaconelli
George Clooney
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fran Yaconellu (1898 – 1965) was an Italian actor who is one of the more memorable sidekicks in western films. He is best known for portraying Mexican characters in movies like Senor Americano, Empty Saddles and Flirting With Danger.

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Gordon Jones
Republic Pictures
Which of these actors is seen in the photo?
Gordon Jones
Morgan Freeman
John Wayne
Ryan Reynolds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gordon Jones (1912 – 1963) was an American comedian and actor who has often been called one of the most overlooked sidekicks in B western films. Some of the films he has starred in include Belle of Old Mexico, Arizona Cowboy and Sunset in the West, North of the Great Divide.

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Frank Rice
K.B.S. Productions Inc.
Which actor played the sidekick in the screenshot?
Jeff Bridges
Buddy Ebsen
Frank Rice
Matt Damon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Frank Rice (1892 – 1936) was an American actor who initially began working in silent films taking on supporting actor roles. He then moved on the play the role of the helper and sidekick of Buzz Barton in many of the Buzz series.

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Emmett Lynn
Sigmund Neufeld Productions
This sidekick was played by ____________.
Sidney Poitier
Buddy Ebsen
Emmett Lynn
Paul Rudd
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Emmett Earl Lynn (1897 - 1958), nicknamed "Pappy," was an American actor who played several sidekick roles throughout his career, in movies including Frontier Outlaws, Blazing Guns, Fighting Frontiersman and The Kid from Broken Gun.

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Kevin Costner
Tig Productions,Majestic Films International,Allied Filmmakers
Which of the following actors played the sidekick role?
Peter O'Toole
Kevin Costner
Ben Affleck
Buddy Ebsen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kevin Costner (1955 – ) is an American actor who is best known for starring in films like Dances with Wolves and Waterworld. In 2003, he starred as Charley Postlewaite in the movie Open Range, the hired hand and "sidekick" of Boss Spearman, an open range cattleman.

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Tex Harding
Columbia Pictures Corporation
This accomplice was played by ____________.
Chris Pine
Chris Pratt
Chris Hemsworth
Tex Harding
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tex Harding (1918 - 1981) was an American actor who throughout the 1940s played a number of roles in Western films, the most popular of which was as Tex Harding, alongside other actors in more than 5 films.

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Pat Buttram
CBS
Which actor brought this character to life?
Pat Buttram
Gene Hackman
Tom Hardy
Dwayne Johnson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Maxwell Emmett β€œPat” Buttram (1915 – 1994) was an American actor who is best remembered for playing Gene Autry’s sidekick in numerous Western films and for playing the role of Mr. Haney in the series β€œGreen Acres.

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Matt Damon
Skydance Productions, Mike Zoss Productions, Scott Rudin Productions
The actor who played this role is ___________.
Ben Kingsley
Buddy Ebsen
Nicolas Cage
Matt Damon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Matt Damon (1970 – ) is an American actor who has starred in a number of big screen movies earning almost every major movie award. In 2010, he starred in "True Grit," as Texas Ranger LaBeouf, alongside Jeffrey Bridges as Rooster Cogburn in the search for the outlaw Tom Chaney.

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Ken Curtis
CBS photo by Gabor Rona
The sidekick was portrayed by _____________.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Tom Holland
Ken Curtis
Marlon Brando
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ken Curtis (1916 – 1991) was an American singer and actor who was best known for the role of the illiterate and cantankerous deputy, Festus Haggen in the Western television series, "Gunsmoke." He also starred in another Western series, "Death Valley Days."

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Pat Brady
NBC
Which actor is seen in the image?
Leonardo DiCaprio
Pat Brady
James Stewart
Spencer Tracey
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pat Brady (1914 – 1972) was an American actor who is best known for starring as the comical sidekick, Roy Rogers, in different Western films and television series including "The Golden Stallion" and "Man from Cheyenne."

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Jack Palance
Cinema Center Films
The actor seen here is ____________.
Jack Palance
Russell Crowe
Cary Grant
Johnny Depp
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jack Palance (1919 – 2006) was an American actor and Academy Award nominee who has starred in a string of western films, one of which includes "Monte Walsh" (1970) where he played the role of Chet Rollins the friend and worker of Monte Walsh.

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Andy Devine
Warner Bros., M-G-M
Which of these actors is seen in the photo?
Kevin Spacey
Humphrey Bogart
Clark Gable
Andy Devine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andrew Vabre β€œAndy” Devine (1905 – 1977) was an American actor who was best known for his raspy and crackly voice which was heard in a number of Western films. One of his most successful roles was that of Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in over 10 films.

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Slim Pickens
wikimedia
Which actor played the sidekick in the screenshot?
Humphrey Bogart
James Cagney
Paul Newman
Slim Pickens
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (1919 – 1983), better known as Slim Pickens, was an American actor who was known for starring in the Western series, "Blazing Saddles." He also starred in "Rocky Mountain", "One-Eyed Jacks," ​and "The Cowboys."

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John Wayne
Paramount Pictures
This sidekick was played by ____________.
Gregory Peck
Richard Burton
John Wayne
Charles Chapin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marion Mitchell Morrison, (1907 – 1979), better known as John Wayne, was an American actor and filmmaker who is best known for winning an Academy Award for his role in "True Grit." He is also known for the other roles as cowboys in over 80 films.

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Eduardo Noriega
Nix Films, Eter Pictures. Manto Films
Which of the following actors played the sidekick role?
Eduardo Noriega
Gary Cooper
Kirk Douglas
Ronald Colman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Eduardo Noriega (1973 – ) is a Spanish actor who has starred in a series of films both Spanish and English. In the 2011 movie "Blackthorn," he played the role of the Spaniard Eduardo Apodaca, who after being saved by lead character Blackthorn, sets off on a journey with him.

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Jackie Chan
Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment
This accomplice was played by ____________.
Henry Fonda
Jackie Chan
Errol Flynn
Gary Cooper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jackie Chan (1954 - ) is an American-Chinese martial artist and actor who has starred in over 150 films since the 1960s. Among many of his films is "Shanghai Noon," where he plays the role of Chon Wang who teams up with a train robber to take down a corrupt boss and to rescue a kidnapped princess.

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Lochlyn Munroe
NGN Productions,Nasser Group, North,Riding Films
Which actor brought this character to life?
John Wayne
James McAvoy
Jonah Hill
Lochlyn Munro
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lochlyn Munro (1966 - ) is a Canadian actor who has starred in many films including "Scary Movie," "White Chicks" and the western film, "Dawn Rider." In the movie, he plays the role of Rudd Gordon, the friend (and sometimes helper) of the lead character, John Mason.

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Dennis Weaver
CBS Television
The actor who played this role is ___________.
Kirk Douglas
Mark Wahlberg
Dennis Weaver
Bradley Cooper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

William Dennis Weaver (1924 – 2006) was an American actor who is best known for playing the role of Chester Good (the sidekick of Marshall Matt Dillon) on the series "Gunsmoke." He also appeared in "The Lawless Breed" and "War Arrows."

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Raymond Hatton
Clarence S. Bull
Thid sidekick was portrayed by _____________.
Tommy Lee Jones
Raymond Hatton
Ben Stiller
Vin Diesel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Raymond William Hatton (1887 – 1971) was an American actor who, throughout his career, has appeared in almost 500 films. One of his most popular roles was as the supporting character Rusty Joslin in the western film "The Three Mesquiteers" and also in the TV series, "Adventures of Superman."

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Ben Johnson
wikimedia
Which actor is seen in the image?
Sean Connery
Will Ferrell
Idris Elba
Ben Johnson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ben β€œSon” Johnson, Jr. (1918 – 1996) was an American rodeo cowboy and actor who has starred in a number of Western drama films and television series, most of which were as sidekicks. One of his roles won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

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Viggo Mortensen
Axiom Films, Groundswell Productions,New Line Cinema
The actor seen here is ____________.
Viggo Mortensen
Christopher Walken
Leonardo DiCaprio
Tyler Perry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Viggo Mortensen (1958 -) is an America actor who is known for playing numerous roles in western movies. Best known for playing the role of Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings" movie series, Viggo also played the role of Deputy Everett Hitch, the accomplice of peacekeeper Virgil Cole in the movie "Appaloosa."

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You Got:
/40
United Artists Walter Wanger Productions