Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.; August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010), was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of the titular characters in the Walt Disney television miniseries Davy Crockett (1954–55; ABC) and the long-running television series Daniel Boone (1964–70; NBC). He was also a winemaker and resort owner-operator. Early years Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised on a farm in Tom Green County near San Angelo. His father -- born Fess Parker but later added the initial "E." -- was a tax assessor. The name Fess had been given to him in honor of the educator and politician Simeon D. Fess. The future actor decided to change his name from F.E. Parker Jr. to Fess Elisha Parker Jr. He selected the middle name himself, when he was a teenager (about 1937), because it sounded rhythmic and matched his middle initial. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the latter part of World War II, hoping to become a pilot. He was turned down because he was too tall at . He then tried to become a radioman gunner, but he was found too large to fit comfortably into the rear cockpit. He was finally transferred to the United States Marine Corps as a radio operator and shipped out to the South Pacific shortly before the war ended. Discharged in 1946, he enrolled at Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, with assistance from the GI Bill. After an automobile collision, he was stabbed in the neck by the other driver during an argument. He was an active member of the H-SU Players Club and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin in 1947 as a history major and continued to be active in drama. One of his roommates there was the future actor L.Q. Jones. Parker graduated from UT in 1950 with a degree in history. He had been initiated into the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Having one year remaining on his GI Bill benefits, he studied drama at the University of Southern California, where he pursued a master's degree in theater history. Career Parker began his show-business career in the summer of 1951 when he had a $32-a-week job as an extra in the play Mister Roberts, although he is credited with the voice of Leslie, the chauffeur, in the 1950 film Harvey. Within months, he