John William Saunders III, better known as John Quade, was born on April 1, 1938, in Kansas City, Kansas. He transferred to Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1954, where he played football, participated in track and basketball, and was a member of several clubs. Quade graduated in 1956 and attended Washburn University, before working for the Santa Fe Railway repair shop in Topeka.
In 1964, Quade moved to California, where he met an engineer building missile silos in Kansas, which led to a job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as an aerospace engineer. Some of the parts he constructed are still on the Moon.
Quade's transition to acting began in 1968, when he made his television debut on an episode of "Bonanza." He acted in his first movie in 1972. With his distinctive appearance and screen presence, Quade was frequently cast as mean, nasty heavies or hostile redneck law enforcers. He was best known as Cholla, the bumbling leader of the Black Widows in the Clint Eastwood comedy vehicles "Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can."
Quade had regular roles on the short-lived TV shows "Flatbush" and "Lucky Luke." He made guest appearances on many television programs, including "Gunsmoke," "Ironside," "Kung Fu," "Kojak," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Bionic Woman," "Charlie's Angels," "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," "Vega$," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "CHiPs," "Hill Street Blues," "The A-Team," "Hunter," "Werewolf," and "Baywatch."
After stopping his acting career in the 1990s, Quade became a devout Christian activist and outspoken opponent of the American government and its New World Order. He was opposed to the 14th Amendment, Social Security numbers, and drivers' licenses, and supported the Allied Title belief in common law. Quade was married to his wife Gwen for thirty-eight years and was the father of six children.
John Quade died on August 9, 2009, at the age of 71, at his home in Rosamond, California, as a result of a heart attack.
