Mead Howard "Robert" Horton Jr. (July 29, 1924 – March 9, 2016) was an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Flint McCullough in Wagon Train (1957–1962). Early life One of two sons, Mead Howard Horton Jr. was born on July 29, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Mead Howard Horton Sr. and Chelta McMurrin. Horton said that he never felt he fitted into his proper Latter-day Saint household because at times he was rather impetuous. He survived several surgeries in childhood, including hernia repair and treatment for an enlarged kidney. Horton attended California Military Institute in Perris, where he played football. After graduation in 1943 at age 19, he enlisted in the Coast Guard, but was medically discharged because of his kidney. In 1945, a chance encounter with a talent scout led to an uncredited part in Lewis Milestone's film A Walk in the Sun (1945). He first studied dramatics at the University of Miami but later changed schools and graduated cum laude from UCLA. He relocated from California to New York City, where he worked as a struggling actor, before returning to California. At age 28, Horton signed a contract with MGM, appearing in films. It was there where he met younger actors Robert Fuller and James Drury, who both became Horton's lifelong friends. Career Horton's experience on stage included work with the American Theatre Wing in New York City, where he was the "resident leading man". From that, he was signed to a contract with MGM Studios, where he "appeared in numerous films." His "first major TV role" was in Ford Theatre in the episode "Portrait of Lydia" on December 16, 1954. In his six decades of television, Horton, who became known for his voice, was most noted for his role as the frontier scout Flint McCullough in the television series Wagon Train from 1957 to 1962. His co-stars were Ward Bond, John McIntire, Terry Wilson, and Frank McGrath. He eventually quit the series to pursue a career in musical theater. His role on Wagon Train was taken by Robert Fuller as the scout Cooper Smith. Fuller, a veteran of the western series Laramie, resembled Horton, and the two actors coincidentally shared the same birthday, albeit nine years apart. Horton played Drake McHugh, Ronald Reagan's role in the television version of Kings Row (1955), which featured Jack Kelly, and ran for seven episodes