Noble Willingham

American actor best known for his role as C.D. Parker on the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-1999). After earning a master's degree in educational psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Willingham taught high school government and economics in Houston before following his dream of becoming an actor. He won a role in The Last Picture Show (1971), which was filmed in Texas. He appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Paper Moon (1973), Chinatown (1974),The Boys in Company C (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Harry's War (1981), Independence Day (1983), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), City Slickers (1991), City Slickers II (1994), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and Up Close & Personal (2001). On television, Willingham had a recurring role in the ABC series Home Improvement with Tim Allen. He guest starred in Three for the Road; Murder, She Wrote; Star Trek: The Next Generation, Northern Exposure, Rockford Files and Quantum Leap. In 2000, Willingham was the Republican challenger in the northeast Texas 1st congressional district, running a hard-hitting but unsuccessful campaign. On January 17, 2004, he died in his sleep of a heart attack in Palm Springs at the age of 72, survived by two children and a grandson. Link to Wikipedia biography