| Date of birth: | January 26, 1918 |
| Place of birth: | Parkersburg, WV |
| Date of death: | September 6, 1998 (aged 80) |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Guard |
| College: | Louisiana State |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1948-1951 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Pro Bowls: | 1 |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Walter Lee Barnes born January 26, 1918 in Parkersburg, West Virginia died January 6, 1998 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Louisiana State University as was an actor in both American and European films. He appeared in several films with John Wayne, Lex Barker and Clint Eastwood.
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Barnes earned his nickname of "Piggy" from catching a piglet when a boy.[1] Playing football at Parkersburg High School, he was on the unbeaten 1938 team and played in the 1939 North-South Game.[2] Following military service in World War II as a US Army Sergeant[3] he enrolled in Louisiana State University [4] where he became not only a football player but a college weightlifting champion. Following graduation he joined the Philadelphia Eagles football team as a guard before retiring and becoming a coach of football teams of Columbia University and Arizona State University.
He was inducted into the Coaches' Association Hall in June 2010.
Barnes entered acting through after appearing several times on The Eagles Nest a local Philadelphia TV show. WCAU television placed him on several local shows.[5] His contacts with Walt Silver, a producer for Warner Bros. Television lead him into several appearances on television and films. Some of his more notable appearances included Bronco, Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel and Death Valley Days. John Wayne got him a small role as Charlie the Bartender in Rio Bravo.
Tiring of small roles and seeing opportunites overseas, Barnes was one of the many American actors who moved to Italy in the early 1960s. Kirk Douglas recommended him for a role in his The Vikings television spinoff Tales of the Vikings that was filmed for Douglas' production company in Germany. From 1960 to 1969, he was active in first Pirate movies, then Karl May movies and Spaghetti Westerns. His popularity in Germany would lead him to receive top billing when his films played there.[6]
Barnes returned to the United States in 1969 and appeared in more films and television series, which included The High Chaparral. His friendship with Clint Eastwood on Rawhide later lead him to several roles in Eastwood's films. He retired from acting in 1987 and became increasingly ill due to his Diabetes. Barnes died on September 6, 1998.
While he was an NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles, he was caught by the University of Oklahoma spying on their practices in Biloxi, MS prior to the 1950 Sugar Bowl with LSU. Tipped off by an LSU fan, a six man posse, with a photographer and a Biloxi policeman, caught Barnes with two ladders, a 4x6 perch between them, a tarp to hide under, a camera, notebook and binoculars. They took a picture which still hangs at Owen Field. He ran away and hid in the home of another former LSU player and denied it was him for the rest of his life. LSU denied any involvement which has been debated for over fifty years. Oklahoma won 35-0.[7]
Piggy attended the LSU 50 year reunion in 1997 and died in 1998. Piggy played in Clint Eastwood movies and was the sheriff on Bonanza. Piggy met Kings and Queens during his lifetime but said the greatest thrill he ever had was running underneath the goal posts at LSU. Piggy's body was cremated and his ashes were spread across Tiger stadium.
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