Red West (born 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.
Born Robert "Bobby" Gene West, he was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S. Marine, West played football for his high school and junior college teams and was a boxer in the Golden Gloves championships.
In 1955, Red West was the driver for Presley and band members Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and later D.J. Fontana when they toured the U.S. South performing live concerts as the "Blue Moon Boys." In 1960, following Presley's discharge from the United States Army, Red West went to work for the singer as a bodyguard and became known as one of the media-dubbed Memphis Mafia. When Presley was making films in the 1960s in Hollywood, Red West appeared in small roles in sixteen of the star's films. During this time, West became good friends with actor Nick Adams and his physical abilities got him hired on as a stuntman on Adams' television series, The Rebel. From there, West went on to do more stunt work in film as well as developing a career as an actor in a number of motion pictures and on television. He was often on screen as a henchman in the television seriesThe Wild Wild West. He was also a stuntman on the series and developed a strong friendship with the star Robert Conrad. He is best remembered as Sgt. Andy Micklin in the 1978 Robert Conrad series Baa Baa Black Sheep.
In addition, West was a talented songwriter who wrote songs that not only Elvis Presley recorded but also were recorded by teen idols Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone and Johnny Rivers.
In 1976, Red West was involved in a series of heavy-handed incidents in Las Vegas with aggressive fans that got out of hand and drew growing criticism by the media. More than that, West was becoming more vocal about Elvis' drug problem and how he needed rehab. As a result, Red West and two other bodyguards were fired by Vernon Presley. West continued his career in film and in 1977 collaborated with the other two former Presley bodyguards (his cousin Sonny West and Dave Hebler) and a professional writer (Steve Dunlevey) on a book about their time working for Elvis Presley titled "Elvis: What Happened" (ISBN 0-345-27215-3).
Today, Red West continues to work in motion pictures, his most recent role in the 2006 film, Glory Road.
In 1961, Red West married one of Presley's secretaries. Their son John Boyd West is a Hollywood actor.
Robert "Red" Gene West was known as a close friend of Elvis Presley and a member of the Memphis Mafia. He first met Elvis in high school where he was a year behind him. West played football for the Memphis Tigers high school football team, boxed in the Golden Gloves and played football for Jones Junior College playing center. West lived with his mother, Lois West, in the Hurt Housing project in Memphis. West became Elvis's personal driver in driving Elvis, and band members Scotty Moore (II), Bill Black (IV), and later D.J. Fontana to different cities in the South for live appearances from 1955 to 1956. West served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to late 1958 and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia which allowed him to stay in contact with Elvis. On August 14, 1958, West's estranged father, Newton Thomas West, died, the same day as Elvis's mother, Gladys, died. After Elvis' discharge from the U.S. Army in 1960, West was employed as one of Elvis' bodyguards. Over the years, Elvis bought West a number of vehicles as he became a world-famous celebrity. West also became a movie stuntman and appeared in 16 Elvis Presley movies in the 1960s, usually playing extras or bit and supporting parts. West married one of Elvis's secretaries, Pat West (II), on July 1, 1961. A man of many talents, West became a songwriter for songs that Elvis, Pat Boone (I), Ricky Nelson (I) and Johnny Rivers recorded, including the classic tune "Separate Ways" for Elvis which won a BMI Award. In addition to the Elvis movies, West appeared in three Robert Conrad (I) TV series "Wild Wild West, The" (1965), "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (1976) and "Duke, The" (1979). During the 1970s West, his cousin 'Del 'Sonny West and Dave Hebler were part of Elvis's bodyguards in transporting Elvis from city to city every day and keeping weirdo fans away from him. On July 13 1976, Vernon Presley, Elvis' father, fired West, Sonny West and Hebler from Elvis's employ after criticizing their heavy-handed tactics. The three of them collaborated on a book of their lives as Elvis's bodyguards which was published just two weeks before Elvis's death in 1977. West has since continued his acting career and his songwriting talent.
