Rex Reason, the man who played the heroic Dr. Cal Meacham in This Island Earth passed away. He died from bladder cancer on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at his home in Walnut, California. Shirley, his wife of 47 years, shared his passing. Reason was 86 years old.

In the late ’50s, Reason played Adam MacLean, on the show Man Without a Gun. His character was the publisher and chief reporter for The Yellowstone Sentinel. From ’60 to ’61 he played a newsman on the show The Roaring 20’s. In This Island Earth, directed by Joseph M. Newman, Reason’s character was recruited to help the planet Metaluna to fight a war against another alien race.

Reason was born in 1928, raised in Los Angeles, California. He went to Hollywood High School, then Hoover High School in Glendale before a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. He started acting on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. After being found by a talent scout, he was cast as the lead in the war drama Storm Over Tibet. He starred in Salome, Mission Over Korea, Band of Angels, Badlands of Montana, and Thundering Jets. On television he also appeared in 77 Sunset Strip, Bourbon Street Beat, The Alaskans, and Perry Mason. His final role was an episode of Wagon Train in 1963.

After leaving the film and TV industry he became a real estate broker. In addition to his wife, Shirley, he is also survived by his children Andrea and Brent.