Tom Laughlin, the maverick actor and filmmaker best known for the "Billy Jack" films, has died. He was 82.Laughlin died Thursday in Thousand Oaks, his family announced.
Laughlin had been married to actress Delores Taylor since 1954 and also had several ill-fated runs for president. But he was best known for the "Billy Jack" films, which also starred Taylor. In 1967, he wrote and directed (under the pseudonym T.C. Frank) and starred in "The Born Losers," a motorcycle exploitation film that became a big box-office hit. It introduced the world to the part-Native American Vietnam veteran title character.