Chris Drake

For other people named Chris Drake, see Chris Drake (disambiguation).

Chris Drake (born James Christian Droste,^[1] December 11, 1923 – July 9, 2006) was an American actor best known for his co-star role of the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, in which he co-starred with Irish McCalla.

Chris Drake
Mitsuko Kimura and Christian Drake in Forever My Love (Itsu itsu made mo), 1952
Born	James Christian Droste (1923-12-11)December 11, 1923 near Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 9, 2006(2006-07-09) (aged 82) Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1961
Spouse	Margaret Shobe (m. 1958–2006; his death)
Children	4 children

Early life

Drake was born near Richmond, Virginia. He traced his family's roots in Virginia back to 1638. When he was 10 years old, he moved with his family to California, after his father had developed an incurable skin condition. They settled in Manhattan Beach.^{[citation needed]} Drake graduated from El Segundo High School.^[2]

He joined and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1942–1944 during World War II and fought, as a member of Carlson's Raiders, at Guadalcanal, where he suffered multiple wounds, after which he spent over 11 months in eight Naval Hospitals and was awarded the Purple Heart. Additionally, he also received two presidential unit citations for gallantry.^[3]

Career

After he played a bit part in an RKO film, the studio signed Drake to a long-term contract.^[4] He had the leading role in the film Forever My Love.^[3] He also co-starred in the 1954 Sci-Fi film Them! and appeared on such television series as Lassie, Stories of the Century (as Burt Alvord), Tales of Wells Fargo (as Charlie Ford), Dragnet, and The Lone Ranger.

Following his acting career, he sold real estate in California, owning wholly or a portion of 11 real estate offices in and around Palos Verdes, until 1990. He retired two years later to his native Virginia, where he died in 2006, aged 82.^{[citation needed]}