What a legacy! James Drury died in April 2020 with a really impressive net worth. After starring on the hit ’60s show, The Virginian for almost a decade, he was valued at $1.5 million before his death, according to celebritynetworth.com.

The actor played the Virginian on the show from 1962 to 1971, and during that time he showed the world what a cowboy could do. “The Virginian was an indelible character,” he told the Oklahoma newspaper The Daily Ardmoreite in 2018. “I had a great deal of issues getting past being seen as the man in the black hat.”

The Virginian, USA
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The show was so popular that James often found himself working on multiple episodes at the same time. “See, we had to provide one episode every week — but it took eight days to make one, so we had to make two or three at a time,” he explained to Cowboys and Indians magazine in 2016. “You’d have a show where Doug McClure would have the largest role, and I’d come in for a small part. Then I’d go to another episode where I had the starring role, and I’d do several pages of script. And then I’d go someplace where Gary Clarke maybe had the starring role. It was fascinating how it all worked out, how it was all put together.”

When he was asked why fans loved the series so much, James simply said it’s because of the great storyline. “I think people respond to it because they get involved in the story, and it takes them away from their own problems, which is the definition of entertainment,” the actor gushed. “That’s what we were able to do, so I was very pleased and honored to be part of it. I still am quite proud of the show. And rightfully so, I believe.”

James is survived by his two sons, Timothy Drury and James Drury Jr.