Dr. Kildare and Search for Tomorrow actor John Wesley Napier was born in Roda, Virginia

Actor John Napier was from Roda, Virginia.Photo byIMDb screenshot

SWVA actor made his mark

Many actors from Southwest Virginia may not be very well known. One is John Wesley Napier, best known for the film The Great Sioux Massacre and for portraying Reverend Ken Cleveland on the hit 1960s television series, "Dr. Kildare."

Napier was born on December 2, 1926, in Roda, Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Wise County, Virginia, less than two miles from the Kentucky border.

Napier appeared on popular television series

His first professional acting role was in the 1960s CBS daytime drama, "Search For Tomorrow." He had an uncredited role in the film, "Father Goose," and appeared in the TV series "Gomer Pyle," "Perry Mason," "Bonanza," and "The Time Tunnel"

He later appeared in the films Rough Night in Jericho, The Name of the Game, and The Girl Who Knew Too Much. He retired from acting in the 1970s and passed away on November 17, 2008, at 82 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There is no information on whether or not he ever returned to Virginia.