The guy who gave Rip Wheeler a pair of spurs in the mid-season premiere of Yellowstone is a true Western legend: Billy Clapper. Today we will discuss about Billy klapper yellowstone actor: Obituary,Bits & spurs,Still alive,Cole Hauser.
Billy klapper yellowstone actor: Obituary,Bits & spurs,Still alive,Cole Hauser
Yellowstone returns to The Paramount Network and Paramount Plus, with Season 5B beginning with a significant name-drop by Lloyd Pierce, who is being played by Forty J. Smith has played.
Billy Clapper, a famous spur maker and the last of his kind to make single-piece spurs for cowboys, was mentioned.
Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, was depicted admiring a pair of spurs at a shop in Pampa, Texas. These special spurs were crafted by the real-life Billy Clapper himself, well known to every cattleman and cowboy on the Pampa.
Billy made his first pair of spurs in 1966 while working as a farm head. His works rapidly gained popularity, leading him to focus on inspiration-making full-time.
His craftsmanship was soon recognized by the global community of cattlemen and cowboys. As reported by Mirror, he filmed for a guest role for the final episode of the series, but unfortunately he died on September 10, 2024, before seeing his on-screen appearance.
Billy died at his home in Pampa at the age of 87, with his daughters by his side. His career began as a ranch hand at the Buckley L Ranch in Childress and later the Y Ranch in Paducah.
He spent a lot of time with the famous bit and spur maker Adolf Beyers, who inspired him to delve into the world of spur-making.
Billy met his wife Roberta through mutual friends in Amarillo and they married in 1973. They remained together until his death in 2021.
His obituary read: “Billy will be remembered as a good man, a friend to all, and above all as a ‘true’ cowboy.”
“He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Billy kept the ‘Western’ alive for years and now he is part of the legacy.”
He leaves behind two daughters, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
In a candid conversation with The Western Horseman before his passing, Billy reflected on a key moment in his life.
Obituary
“I loved doing cowboys, but there was no money in it, and I had a family. It’s just living from paycheck to paycheck.”
In the hit series Yellowstone, Rip was awarded a pair of spurs crafted by the famous Billy Clapper. One of the 6666 Ranch Cowboys told Rip, “We’re almost out of legends, there are none left to take their place.”
He leaves behind two daughters, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
In a candid conversation with Western Horseman before his passing, Billy spoke about a pivotal moment in his life when he had to choose between his art and his cowboy lifestyle.
“It got to the point that I had so many orders, I would have to quit [making bits and spurs] or quit doing cowboys,” he shared.
“It might cost me a little more work, but I thought I could make more money and stay warm in the winter.”
Bits & spurs
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 is finally here, and it can’t be denied that the show hasn’t lost its charm at all. The mid-season premiere of the popular TV series did not let us take our eyes off the screen even for a second. While many events in the new episode of Yellowstone blew our minds, one name that was mentioned by Lloyd Pierce when he was talking to Rip has us wondering who this person is.
Yes, you guessed it, we’re talking about Billy Clapper. So, who is he? Like me, if you are someone who gets intrigued by even the smallest details of a TV show or movie, then scroll down this page as I go in depth to help you know about this guy .
Billy Clapper was a famous spur maker, known as the last spur maker to make single-piece spurs for cowboys.
In Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9, we see Rip admiring a pair of spurs at a local shop in Pampa, Texas. They were spurs made by real-life spur-maker Billy Clapper. In Pampa, every cattleman and cowboy knows who Billy Clapper is.
He made his first pair of spurs in 1966 when he worked as a farm head. He was strongly influenced by another famous spur maker, Adolf Beyers, to make a career out of “bit and spur”. Soon, Billy saw a significant demand for his spurs, and that’s when he decided to quit his job and make spurs-making a full-time job.
His work was soon accepted by the entire community of cattlemen and cowboys globally. Starting out making spars from a small workshop in Pampa, it soon developed 200 spars per year, with 680 patterns of custom spar designs.
His work was soon accepted by the entire community of cattlemen and cowboys globally. Starting out making spars from a small workshop in Pampa, it soon developed 200 spars per year, with 680 patterns of custom spar designs.
Still alive
In the mid-season premiere of Yellowstone, the episode was dedicated “In Loving Memory of Billy Clapper”. But who is Billy Clapper? Well, if you watched the mid-season premiere you saw that.
In the episode, Rip (Cole Hauser) stops by a local Lauriner in Pampa, Texas to pick up some items for Lloyd (Forry J. Smith). While there, Rip observed the artistry of Lauriner’s work, and admired the set of spurs made from a single piece of metal.
He was the real-life lawman Billy Clapper, renowned in the cowboying and ranching circles for his craftsmanship and handcraft.
The real-life Clapper died at the age of 87 on September 10 after filming a guest role on Yellowstone. Clapper, survived by his daughters and grandchildren, made his first set of spurs in 1966 and learned much about the business by spending time with renowned spur maker Adolf Beyers.
Billy klapper yellowstone actor: Obituary,Bits & spurs,Still alive,Cole Hauser
Clapper quit working as a cowboy and began making gear full time in 1968. He had learned some metalsmithing from Byers, and gained from him knowledge of how to make a spur from a single piece of metal rather than welding the pieces together. Clapper’s work became highly sought after – in fact, the bit Rip was choosing for Lloyd was “27”, one of Clapper’s most popular bits.
Working as a Lauriner for nearly 50 years, Clapper has created approximately 900 bit designs and approximately 800 spar designs, all drawn in spiral notebooks that are kept in a desk drawer in his shop.
RELATED: Is Barry Corbyn on Yellowstone? Who are the old cowboys on the 6666 ranch?
This isn’t the first time Yellowstone has featured episodes dedicated to IRL cowboys or people known in cowboying or ranching circles. In the fifth episode of season 4, “Under a Blanket of Red”, viewers got the chance to meet famous horse trainer Buster Welch. Northern Exposure actor Barry Corbin was also featured in this episode. Corbin is not only an actor but also an experienced cowboy who has competed in several cutting horse competitions.
Cole Hauser
Also in Season 4, another episode was dedicated to John Prine. While the country folk songwriter did not appear in the third episode of the season that was dedicated to him, his music can be heard at the end of the episode.
Billy made his first pair of spurs in 1966 when he worked as a farm head. His works soon became in demand and he turned his attention to making them full-time.
His work was soon accepted by cattlemen and the cowboy community around the world. He filmed for a guest role in the final episode of the series, but was unable to see his on-screen appearance, as he tragically died on September 10, 2024.
Billy klapper yellowstone actor: Obituary,Bits & spurs,Still alive,Cole Hauser
He died at the age of 87 at his home in Pampa with his daughters by his side. Billy began working as a ranch hand at the Buckeye L Ranch in Childress and later the Y Ranch in Paducah.
He spent much time with the famous bit and spur maker, Adolf Beyers, who inspired him to venture into the world of spur-making.
