Biography
Gangly L.A.-born Rand Brooks made his first film appearance in 1938. The following year, he gained a small niche in film history with his performance as Charles Hamilton, ill-fated first husband of Scarlett O'Hara (
Vivien Leigh), in
Gone With the Wind (1939). He spent the next several years in Westerns, most frequently appearing as Lucky Jenkins in the
Hopalong Cassidy series. On television, Brooks was seen as Corporal Boone on
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1956-1958). Rand Brooks was at one time married to comedian
Stan Laurel's daughter Lois, with whom he operated a successful emergency ambulance service. As the 1970s wound to a close, Brooks disappeared entirely from the screen.
On September 1, 2003, the man who gave legendary bombshell
Marilyn Monroe her first screen kiss died of cancer at his Santa Ynez, CA home. He was 84.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide