Rod Cameron, born Nathan Roderick Cox, actor (b at Calgary 7 Dec 1910; d at Gainsville, Ga 21 Dec 1983). Rod Cameron left Canada at 12 years old after the death of his father. The family moved to New York City, and Cameron worked in a variety of construction jobs during the Depression before landing in California. While employed to help build a tunnel outside of Palm Springs, he was encouraged by friends to try the film business. He tested for several studios and was picked up by Paramount in 1939 as a contract player. Tall and handsome, Cameron appeared in more than 100 films and 400 television shows.

In 1943, after 3 years playing bit parts for Paramount, he moved to Republic Pictures and found himself the lead in 2 low-budget serials, *Secret Service in Darkest Africa* and *G-Men vs. The Black Dragon*, now considered classics of their genre. In 1945 he appeared for Universal with fellow Canadian Yvonne [DE CARLO](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/article/yvonne-de-carlo/) in *Salome, Where She Danced*, which was an unexpected hit.

Rod Cameron mostly appeared in low- to medium-budget westerns and action pictures, and at one point there was even a Rod Cameron comic book. In the 1950s he moved into television, starring in *City Detective* (1953-55) and *State Trooper* (1956-59), and making guest appearances in countless other shows. In the late 1950s he began appearing in European films and made his last in 1978.

Rod Cameron was a Canadian film and television actor known for his roles in Westerns and action films, with a career spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s. He was born Nathan Roderick Cox on December 7, 1910, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and passed away on December 21, 1983.