Celebrity Biographies
Red West
He is remembered as Red Webster in “By Profession: Tough”. In addition, he was one of the closest friends of Elvis Presley, with whom he appeared in various films. Red West passed away on July 18, 2017 at the age of 81, on Tuesday, July 18, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he was admitted after suffering an aortic aneurysm.
Robert Gene “Red” West was born in Memphis on November 20, 1936. He played college football, then served in the Marines and worked as a boxer and karate instructor. Close to Elvis Presley, his classmate when they were both high school students, West and his cousin Sonny worked under him as bodyguards and drivers for years. Red also wrote and co-wrote several songs for Presley, such as ‘Separate Ways’, ‘If Every Day Was Like Christmas’ or ‘If You Talk in Your Sleep’. Additionally, he appeared briefly in 18 of the divo’s films, including Firestar and Love in Hawaii .
In 1961 he married Pat Boyd, with whom he would have two children. Subsequently, Red West carved out an extensive career as a secondary, in series such as The Wild Wild West , or The A-Team . He played the most prominent role of him in By Profession: Tough , where he was a shopkeeper, victim of extortion, who received the help of the protagonist, played by Patrick Swayze . He last appeared on screen in 2013’s A Place to Have Shelter