A cousin of cowboy actors Rex Allen and Glenn Strange, Taylor Curtis McPeters was the oldest son born to John and Leona Byrd McPeters in Weed (Otero County), New Mexico, USA on August 8, 1899. He was the second of eleven children. Glenn Strange's mother was Leona's sister. Rex Allen was 21 years McPeters junior on his father's side. McPeters and Strange learned ranching in Coke,Texas, USA before their families moved to Willcox (Cochise County), Arizona, USA. McPeters married Etta Sarah Jessee on July 4, 1922 in Tombstone, Arizona, USA. Cactus Mack was a talented musician. He played violin with Ray Whitley's "Six Bar Cowboys" and guitar with Fred Scott's "The Cimarron Cowboys". He later played villain roles in many westerns, along with other character parts. Injured during his final appearance on Gunsmoke, he required abdominal surgery in late 1961. As he was filming his closeups on location for The Ugly American with Marlon Brando, he died of a heart attack on April 17, 1962 in Hollywood, California, USA.