How tall was Forrest Tucker

Forrest Tucker's Height

6ft 4 (193 cm)

American actor best remembered for roles in TV show F Troop and films such as Auntie Mame, Chisum, Keeper of the Flame, The Westerner, Trouble in the Glen, The Nevadan, Never Say Goodbye, Hellfire and Sands of Iwo Jima. He was regularly described 6ft 4 and sometimes 6ft 5 during his career.

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Add a Comment24 comments

Average Guess (5 Votes)
6ft 3.45in (191.6cm)
Joseph Cully said on 31/Jan/22
I saw Sands of Iwo Jima and Chisum. In both films, Wayne and Tucker looked to be about the same height, with Tucker possibly edging out Wayne by a little bit. Like an inch or so. I saw Threee Violent People, another movie. In that movie, Charlton Heston looked to be about an inch taller than Forrest Tucker. So was Charlton heston taller than John Wayne? If Charlton Heston was 6 feet 3, Tucker would have been 6 feet two, and Wane would have been barely 6 feet 2, like maybe 6 feet 1 or 6 feet 1 and a half.
Joseph Cully said on 31/Jan/22
I saw Sands of Iwo Jima and Chisum. In both films, Wayne and Tucker looked to be about the same height, with Tucker possibly edging out Wayne by a little bit. Like an inch or so. I saw Threee Violent People, another movie. In that movie, Charlton Heston looked to be about an inch taller than Forrest Tucker. So was Charlton heston taller than John Wayne? If Charlton Heston was 6 feet 3, Tucker would have been 6 feet two, and Wane would have been barely 6 feet 2, like maybe 6 feet 1 or 6 feet 1 and a half.
talker said on 14/Dec/21
Tucker was simply a very tall ,big and strong man.In the movie with Flynn he picks him up like he was a little boy.Flynn was a full 6'2"(1.88m) contrary to what people may think,but was still dwarfed by Tucker who was said to have been either 6'4" or 6'5".In this movie he looks almost 4inches taller than flynn,but i think 8 cm taller than flynn is more probable,which still is enough height difference to give this effect, around the 6'5" mark.My guess is the guy was a strong 6'5"or 1.96m.
Tall In The Saddle said on 22/Apr/20
@Rob

Tucker was a big guy in all respects. If Flynn was a true 6'1" I would put Tucker at 6'5"+. If however Flynn was say 6' even, I would put Tucker at the least closer to 6'5" than 6'4".

Whatever Tucker's exact height, as someone posted prev., I would agree he was the same height as Sterling Hayden as per the movie FLAMING FEATHER. If either guy had the very slightest adv. I would say Tucker but really, for all intents and purposes, they were equal. As such, they were interchangeable when comparing them to other actors - meaning, as Tucker actually stood relative to celebrity X, so too would've Hayden and visa versa.

Tucker was clearly taller than Wayne in THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA. Interestingly, years later, Tucker was somehow (IMO, by way of adv. footwear, angles for Wayne) made to appear to equal to Wayne in CHISUM. Such was the tell tale irregularity of Wayne's height, even as compared to the same actor from one movie to the next (see Randolph Scott for another example of an actor who dropped height to Wayne from one movie to the next).

Now Hayden appeared in the movie HELLGATE alongside Ward Bond and James Arness. Relative to both men, Hayden stood very tall and uniformly so. Just on the reference of that movie alone, 6'5" was quite arguable. Certainly next to Arness, Hayden appeared to stand noticeably taller than John Wayne did alongside Arness in BIG JIM MCCLAIN.
Tall In The Saddle said on 19/Apr/20
I've linked this clip to both Errol's and Forrest Tucker's page. NEVER SAY GOODBYE 1946. Go to 1:35 sec mark.

Click Here

What gives here? Tucker is literally towering Errol from every angle. IMO that's an apparent 4.5" height pull at least. I haven't seen the whole film so I don't know if Tucker was given any boost for the sake of his character. Otherwise, it seems that either Errol might need a further downgrade or Tucker an upgrade. I've said before in THAT FORSYTE WOMAN 1949 Errol appears no taller than 6' listed Robert Young and a good few inches shorter than Walter Pidgeon. In other films there are moments where it appears Errol is pulling off about 6'1.5" but more often than not, he appears somewhat less.
Editor Rob
Could look over 6ft 4 there with Errol.
greg99 said on 23/Feb/20
Forrest Tucker was huge - I would have thought closer to 6'5" than 6'4". He was a good actor - could cut it in both comedic and serious roles.
Mon said on 23/Jun/19
This may be right, but if it is I think you would have to downgrade many others including John Wayne, because Tucker had more than a quarter of an inch on Wayne in two films decades apart. It's visible and a quarter inch is not detectable in the way you can see Tucker is taller, I would say it may be approaching an inch difference Why would the camera angles be portraying Tucker's character as taller decades apart if not because the man was taller in real life? You are probabally ARE right that all these leading actors were not the size reported (non lead Chuck Connors being legit 6'5) and but if you take one lead down you must do it for others too. Otherwise you are end up implying, as is being done on other pages, that eg, there was only a difference of a quarter of an inch between Sterling Hayden and John Wayne which is not credible.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 18/Sep/18
Forest Tucker was Taller than both 6'3" Gary Cooper& 6'3.75" John Wayne. He was not 6'5" or 6'4.5" but he was solid 6'4" or 6'4.25" same as Jeff Goldblum. He wore 15 shoes.
James said on 15/Jan/17
Forrest Tucker was actually 6'2".
Royce. Barton said on 20/Dec/16
Most leading men in those days werr over 6ft
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 18/Sep/16
Rob, could 6ft4½ be closer since he's been described 6ft4 and 6ft5?
mrbobh5344 said on 17/Sep/16
a tad taller in Rawhide "Incident Of The Death Dancer" next to Eric Fleming. Many scenes. Likely a solid 6'4".... and close to 6'5"..... Saw him in films many times showing his boots with normal to flat heels. Was tall enough that he did not feel need to 'stretch' or wear lifts.. like Wayne and others. Really good actor.... and one of the best heavies. Born in 1919.... he played parts where his character seems much older than he actually was in real life.
Bruno said on 22/May/16
In an episode of Colombo, Tucker looks at least 4" taller than Patrick O'Neal who was about 6'1''. However Tucker is wearing cowboy boots so probably 6'4" is about right.
Gonzalo said on 24/Sep/15
In this page there is a pic in which Tucker looks taller tan Lex Barker, listed at 1`93 in this site.
Click Here
And in this one he looks clearly taller tan Victor MacLaglen
Click Here
Mon said on 16/Sep/15
OK, that indeed looks modified or completely made up, but note Tucker is shown slightly taller by the studio PR. Although further from camera and with relaxed posture Tucker has two inches on Charlton Heston posing statuesquely in Pony Express. He looks at least the equal of drinking buddy Wayne in those two Chisum scenes I mentioned though, and he is clearly inches taller than Falconer who was maybe a weakish 6'3'' and looked it next to Wayne in many films Tucker and Wayne are also in the fight scene of Chisum together believe it or not.

If you look at him and Sterling Hayden in Flaming Feather, Tucker never looks taller or any shorter that I can see and PR photos show he had a slightly bigger head than Hayden.

Tucker's daughter (herself a 6 footer) was asked about his height and specifically said he was 6'5'', not 6'4''. Tucker himself said that he was 6'5'' and if you look at his films he rarely stood tall, often lounging about or leaning on things. Maybe it was all footwear advantage, he took size 14.5 shoes!.
Mon said on 13/Sep/15
w/ Lee Van Cleef if you take distance from the camera into account,Tucker is over 6'4'''.

With Wayne in Chisum Tucker looks a little taller in the bar scene and the street scene, he certainly looks much taller that the 6'3'' Edward Falconer.
Bruno said on 13/Sep/15
Good man Mon. back again are we, This is the photo I'm on about, It is made up.
Click Here
Bottom pic.
Mon said on 10/Sep/15
In his late 50's films like The Trollenberg Terror and The Abominable Snowman he was rather slouched. Sam;s photos are interesting, but I think with Van Cleef we see a man who could easily be over 6'4''. He is further from the camera yet obviously loftier that Van Cleef. Cooper had big cowboy boots in the Westerner and Tucker was playing a farmer with low flat heels (this is visible in several scenes ) and Cooper had 2 inches footwear advantage. With Rosalind Russel, NO comment!

I posted a clip of Tucker and Scott in the Nevadian a while ago and someone said he looked 6'6'' next to a bunch of other men including Scott. Tucker had thick wavy hair that stole him a little in that scene. He looked what he was, a fraction under 6'5''. But I suppose sometimes he was filmed to minimise that height, he was not a big star like Cooper or Wayne.The idea that for Chisum they faked a photo is a bit desperate. Tucker looked an bit taller than Wayne in that photo, because he was.



Sam should watch Flaming Feather, in which Tucker consistently looks as tall as Sterling Hayden. He developed bad posture rather young, but he was very very tall.

Peak was one inch taller than Wayne and 2.25 inches taller than Gary Cooper, who had excellent posture.
Bruno said on 31/Aug/15
I dont think that is a genuine photo with Wayne, I think it's made up for the film Chisum. I've recently watched Chisum and there is no scene where they stand toe to toe.

They did look pretty similar in the fight scene in The Sands of IWO JIMA.
Sam said on 29/Aug/15
Tucker w/ Randolph Scott: Click Here
w/ John Wayne: Click Here
w/ Edmond O'Brien: Click Here
w/ Rosalind Russell: Click Here
w/ Gary Cooper: Click Here
w/ Lee Van Cleef (third photo down): Click Here
I think 6'5" is out of the question although that actually seemed the most common listing. From all evidence I guessed around 6'3.5"...I think you could safely say he's no taller than Wayne.
Bruno said on 29/Aug/15
With Gary Cooper
Click Here
Bruno said on 29/Aug/15
I guess similar to John Wayne in height, looked similar in Sands of Iwo Jima. No good angle to determine their height comparisons in CHISUM.
Click Here
Brad said on 25/Aug/15
Hollywood columnist James Bacon had a small chapter on Tucker and measurement, so did Buddy Hackett at the Desert Inn when I saw him tell a tale of Tucker.
Arch Stanton said on 25/Aug/15
Thanks Rob, can you squeeze in Keeper of the Flame, The Westerner, Trouble in the Glen, The Nevadan and Never Say Goodbye? He could look a big 6 ft 4 guy but googling him and Gary Cooper he doesn't look it, also doesn't look quite 2 inches taller than Lee Van Cleef. 6'3" and change might be more likely, see what Sam thinks.

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