Dan Blocker and his family leased a home in Switzerland so they wouldn't have to board their children at school.

Dan Blocker died in 1972 of a pulmonary embolism after gall bladder surgery. He was 43. The 300-pound, 6-foot-4 actor was buried in De Kalb, Texas, where he was born, according to obituaries.

Dan Blocker starred in Bonanza as middle son Hoss Cartwright, who knew his way around a rifle when the moment called for it. But Blocker proved that his Wild Western character did not rub off on ...