Howard Keel

Harry Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s. He is best known to modern audiences for his starring role in the CBS television series Dallas from 1981 to 1991, as Clayton Farlow. But to an earlier generation, with his rich bassbaritone singing voice, he was known as the star of some of the most famous MGM film musicals ever made.

Keel was born Harry Clifford Keel in Gillespie, Illinois, to Navymanturnedcoalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Osterkamp Keel. . Young Harry spent his childhood in poverty. One of his teachers, Miss Rosa Burke, noticed one day that he had no lunch. From that day forward, Miss Burke would pack two lunches one for herself and one for Harry. When he became famous and would perform near Gillespie, Burke always received tickets to attend his performances. After his fathers death in 1930, Keel and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at age 17. He worked various odd jobs until settling at Douglas Aircraft Company as a traveling representative. Keels mother was a Methodist.

Source: Wikipedia