Wayde Preston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayde Preston (September 10, 1929–February 6, 1992) or William Erskine Strange was a television actor noted for the series Colt .45 (1957-1960) and for his appearance as Waco Williams in an episode of Maverick (1957) entitled "The Saga of Waco Williams." Tom Selleck's recurring comical character of Lance White in The Rockford Files was loosely based by writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell upon Waco Williams (Selleck and Preston also resembled each other.) Each actor immediately got his own series after these appearances, Colt .45 for Preston and Magnum P.I. (1980) for Selleck. "The Saga of Waco Williams," a critical favorite which paired Preston with James Garner, drew more viewers than any other episode of Maverick and remains a career milestone for Preston.
In Colt .45, Preston played Christopher Colt, a government undercover agent masquerading as a pistol salesman traveling through the Old West. The series lasted until Preston, like James Garner and Clint Walker during the same period, ran afoul of the Warner Bros. studio. Donald May replaced Preston in 1959 and 1960, playing Colt's cousin Sam Colt, Jr. until the show was cancelled.
Preston played roughly twenty roles in TV and movies between 1957 and 1991.
