Trivia

His third wife, Marlene Schmidt, was Miss Universe of 1961.

After he left show business, he got involved in far-right-wing politics as an ultra-fundamentalist evangelical Christian preacher, railing against Jews and Catholics (calling them "impure Christians"). He formed an organization called the "Arizona Patriots" that stockpiled weapons for what they saw as a coming war with the "unholy" US government. Another of his organizations, an anti-tax group called the "Common Law Institute", issued fiery proclamations against the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies. The compound where his organizations were headquartered was eventually raided by the FBI and ATF, and a huge load of illegal weapons and ammunition was confiscated.

Hardin, after graduation from Signal OCS, served as a US Army officer during the Korean War.

"Ty" came from "Typhoon"--a childhood nickname, which was much more pleasing than his given first and middle names of Orison Whipple, and ultimately much more marketable as a Hollywood actor/idol's name too.

Hardin was married a total of 8 times, and also had 8 biological children (with 5 out of his 8 wives), plus several step-children.

Seventh, and longest lasting, wife Judy McNeill (known during their marriage as Judy Diane Hild) was a photographer's model in the 1960s, appearing in commercials for Maybelline cosmetics. She also modeled bathing suits for Oleg Cassini and is recognized as an accomplished artist. Hardin and McNeill's marriage lasted 19 years and 5 months.

Was the original choice of producers to play the lead in Batman (1966), the role ultimately portrayed by Adam West, but Hardin had to turn it down because he was filming a western in Italy. For the same reason he had to decline the lead in Por un puñado de dólares (1964), the role ultimately portrayed by Clint Eastwood, who had been Hardin's castmate six years earlier in Lafayette Escadrille (1958). At the time of Hardin's death on August 3, 2017, West who died just 24 days earlier, and Eastwood, still going strong, were household names, but Hardin was mostly unknown. Both roles, which Hardin had to turn down, became star vehicles, and if Hardin had not turned down the roles, it is likely his career would have been on a much better, and longer, trajectory than it actually had.

When he died some obituaries suggested Hardin's involvement in far right, anti-Semitic politics during the 1970s and 1980s had destroyed his career. However his film career had gone nowhere after the "Bronco" series ended in 1962.

Ty Hardin's career was one of the inspirations to writer/director Quentin Tarantino for the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Había una vez en Hollywood (2019).

Hardin credited John Wayne for giving him a major break when the actor helped him get a contract with Warner Bros.

Died on the same day as his Círculo de terror (1967) co-star Robert Hardy, and almost exactly 50 years after production wrapped on the movie they starred in together..

Attended Texas A & M University from 1955-56 as Ty Hungerford. Appeared in drama club (Aggie Players) productions of Eugene O'Neill plays, such as "Ah, Wilderness!".

Twin sons with Andra Martin: Jeff Orison and John Richard Hardin.

In July 2005 he appeared as a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, NC, along with Donna Douglas, Ed Nelson, Elena Verdugo, Richard Anderson, Lorna Gray, Jo Morrow and Henry Darrow.

With wife Judy he has three stepchildren and seven grandchildren.

Daughter with Marlene Schmidt.

The May 6, 1970, issue of "Variety", in the Italian Films Shooting section, lists a movie, "Zigzag", filming in Yugoslavia and Italy, Director was Maurizio Lucidi, with a cast of Hardin, John Smith and Virginia Wood. It was to be produced by Ika Panajotovic with Cabot Films and Prodi. There is no evidence this film was completed or released.

Grandfather of Camryn Walling.

He has an interesting birth date, as he was born on what is commonly referred to as the first day of a new decade (1930s). Actually, January 1, 1930 is the first day of the last, or tenth, year of the 1920s, not the first year of the 1930s. Like a century does not begin with the "zero year," beginning instead with the "first year," a decade also begins with the actual "number one" or first year, such as 1931, and not with the zero year, or 1930.

In 1974, he was arrested in Spain for drug trafficking and spent time in prison.