Born of Serbian extraction in Goldfield, Nevada, in 1917, Boris Milanovich was briefly an amateur boxer before beginning theatrical training in the late 1930s. During World War II he served in the Air Corps where he performed under the stage name of Barry Mitchell in Winged Victory, a “Moss Hart” revue.
After the war, he worked steadily in radio dramas and in the theater. It was in the latter medium where director John Huston spotted him, casting him as a villain in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Billed from that point on as Brad Dexter, he continued to receive steady employment in various screen tough guy roles (including the lead thug opposite Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in 1946′s Heldorado) until his career received a significant boost when he was cast as the smooth-talking gunfighter Harry Luck in The Magnificent Seven. Dexter’s aptly-named character provides comic relief in the movie, particularly in the scenes where he quizzes various Mexican villagers regarding the whereabouts of what he believes to be is a hidden cache of riches.
Interestingly, Dexter was Brynner’s best man at the egg-bald cowboy’s wedding, and remained friends with co-stars James Coburn and Eli Wallach until his death.
During the 1960s, Dexter developed a close friendship with Frank Sinatra with whom he co-starred in None but the Brave (1964) and Von Ryan’s Express (1965). During location filming in Hawaii for the former movie, Dexter saved Sinatra and producer Howard Koch’s wife from drowning when the two were swept out with the tide while swimming. The powerfully built Dexter dove into the rough surf, reaching the pair when they were nearly unconscious. The actor kept their heads above water until lifeguards brought them to shore on surfboards. For more details of the harrowing experience and rescue, see Brad Dexter’s interview in the premiere issue of Wildest Westerns.
Besides Seven, the actor’s Westerns include The Oklahoman with Joel McCrea and Henry Hathaway’s Bottom of the Bottle [a.k.a. Beyond the River (both 1956)]; The Last Train from Gun Hill – also directed by John Sturges (1959); 13 Fighting Men (1960); Invitation to a Gunfighter – again with You Brynner (1964) and Jory (1972). He also had many guest appearances in episodic television Western including Wagon Train, Death Valley Days, Have Gun – Will Travel and Wanted: Dead or Alive.
Dexter, who said that he preferred playing heavies because the hero is “always bland,” is survived by his wife, stepson and three grandchildren. He was 85.