The role of Henry Hooker was played by the legendary actor, Charlton Heston. In the original script, Heston’s part was quite large, and this was to show the closeness between Wyatt Earp and Henry Hooker. Charlton Heston was also one of the most well-known actors at the time, so it made sense to cast him into a role where they could maximize his star quality.
The real-life Henry Hooker was also kind of a celebrity. Well, actually, it was his real estate that was famous. He owned an enormous 250,000-acre estate in Arizona which was home to the Sierra Bonita Ranch. Famous for being one of the oldest cattle ranches in the United States, Sierra Bonita is also a national landmark.
Ultimately, Tombstone Is About Friendship
For all of the drama in "Tombstone", at its core, it is a story about friendship. It was Val Kilmer who spoke about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday’s bond. They were seemingly different characters who, on the surface, didn’t have much in common, but they had a level of empathy with each other that was very special.
Wyatt Earp was a lawman who gets the opportunity to earn some money and live a stress-free and wealthy life — the American Dream. However, something stops him, and he is forced to do the right thing. He could have just escaped and lived a life of leisure, which many of us would love to do. Conversely, his best friend is Doc, who we know has killed people and has a crazy side, and yet through it all, the two who appear to be very different characters remain close friends.
The Real-Life Story
John Henry Holliday was known in history as an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist — hence the nickname “Doc” — but most importantly, a dear friend of Wyatt Earp's. Although "Tombstone" might have depicted Doc Holliday as a good guy at heart, the truth is, Val Kilmer’s character was the exact opposite if you look at the historical accounts.
Doc Holliday was notorious for being the slickest gunslinger in the West. Unfortunately, his vices became even more severe, until at 37 years old, he passed away.
Where Was Robert Mitchum?
Robert Mitchum was one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors and was featured in "Tombstone" as the narrator. But how did this come about? Surely an actor of his ability could have been featured in the movie. After all, he played the role of Max Cady in the original "Cape Fear". The same role was later performed by the great Robert De Niro.
It was intended that Robert Mitchum would play the role of Old Man Clanton, but on his first day on set, he had an accident while riding a horse. It was decided that, due to his age, (he was in his late 70s) that his character, Old Man Clanton, be removed entirely from the script. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to have Robert Mitchum involved in the movie, he was cast as the narrator, and so his voice can be heard throughout the film.
Billy Claiborne and the Real-Life Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp is not only the name of one of the characters in "Tombstone" but of another actor who famously played roles including Billy Claiborne, another famous outlaw of the Wild West. In a crazy coincidence, Wyatt Earp the actor is, in fact, a distant relative of the original Wyatt Earp. Perhaps his parents knew they were related and so named him after his famous cousin.
Billy Claiborne was also present at the O.K. Corral gunfight, but when things got dangerous, he decided to run away and flee the scene as he was unarmed. Unfortunately, Claiborne passed away at the young age of 22 when he got into a brawl with the infamous “Buckskin” Frank Leslie. Conversely, the actor Wyatt Earp has had a long and successful career doing a variety of acting and voice-over work.