The reclusive Marlboro Man
In the 1950s, William Thourlby looked out from billboards and invited smokers to Marlboro Country.
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
In the 1950s, William Thourlby looked out from billboards and invited smokers to Marlboro Country, said Corey Kilgannon in The New York Times. “I’m the original Marlboro Man,” says the 88-year-old former actor and model. “But I never smoked or drank, and I was no cowboy.” For the past few decades, Thourlby has lived alone in a small room at the New York Athletic Club, surrounded by reminders of his star-studded career. He appeared with Jayne Mansfield on Broadway and with Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate, and once co-owned a restaurant with legendary athlete and Olympian Jim Thorpe. “Jim adopted me as his son in an Indian ceremony—I called him Dad and he called me ‘My Boy.’” His most famous role came in 1953, when he was sent on a casting call for Marlboro cigarettes. He posed bare-chested with a cowboy hat, and received a one-off fee of $300. “One day I’m walking out of rehearsals [for a Broadway play] and I see a truck go by with my face on it—I couldn’t believe it.” After a life lived in the spotlight, Thourlby now seems content with his own company. “People come over to me [at the club] and ask to sit down, but I’ve always been a loner,” he says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
'Orwellian nightmare’: passport database to be used to catch thieves
Talking Point Policing minister wants to use personal data to crack down on shoplifting crime wave
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Can HS2 get back on track?
Today's Big Question West Midlands mayor offers business solution to keep northern leg but final decision may rest with Labour
By The Week Staff Published
-
'A purported ban on phones in schools is a lazy sleight of hand'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week Staff Published