Gail Davis; Starred as ‘Annie Oakley’ on TV

Actress Gail Davis, best known for her role as a gun-toting, pigtailed rancher in the popular 1950s television series “Annie Oakley,” has died of cancer. She was 71.

Davis died Saturday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Her daughter, Terrie Manning, was with her at her death.

A skilled rider and a crack shot, Davis appeared in several Gene Autry westerns and did most of her own stunt work. Autry created the syndicated “Annie Oakley” TV series for Davis in 1953, a children’s western set in the town of Diablo. The show, the first western to star a woman, ran for four years and continued on into the ‘60s in reruns.

Davis stayed with Autry’s personal appearance tours for many years before retiring. In 1994 she received a “Golden Boot” award in recognition of her contribution to westerns.

Born in McGhee, Ark., Davis at age 2 was named most beautiful baby in Arkansas. She later attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied drama and dance and married fellow student Bob Davis. They were divorced in 1952, six months after the birth of their daughter.

Davis later married auto dealer Carl Guerriero, who died in 1982. She is survived by her daughter, Terrie, of Irving, Texas.

Funeral arrangements at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills were pending.