THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA —Tom Laughlin, best known to Indian country as Billy Jack, passed away on Thursday, December 12, 2013 near his home in Thousand Oaks, California. He was 82.

Billy Jack, the fictional character of the movie with the same name, was half-Indian who had been a Green Beret in Vietnam War veteran, who performed martial arts, heroic feats, while wearing black shirts, blue jeans and a black hat lined with Indian beads. Seemingly, there was no feat too difficult or risky for Billy Jack.

In all Laughlin starred in and directed four films—over the course of a decade—in a series about the iconic character Billy Jack. They included: “The Born Losers,” a 1967 biker movie; “Billy Jack” in 1971; and “The Trial of Billy Jack” in 1974. A fourth film, “Billy Jack Goes to Washington,” had only a limited release after its production in 1977.

While Laughlin was not American Indian, he gained his appreciation for American Indians while spending time in South Dakota, where he attended the University of South Dakota.