"Abel Fernández, who has died aged 85, was a half Yakaii Indian and half Mexican professional boxer who became a successful Hollywood character actor. From modest beginnings Fernández went on to have a 45-year film career, co-starring opposite Robert Mitchum in Second Chance (1953), Humphrey Bogart in The Harder They Fall (1956) and Gregory Peck in Pork Chop Hill (1959). He also had something of a cult following on the popular ABC television series The Untouchables (1959-1963), set in 1930s Prohibition-era Chicago, for his role as Federal Agent William “Bill” Youngfellow, a character based on William Jennings Gardner, a real-life Native American member of the Untouchable Federal Squad. “The show was the biggest thing on TV at the time,” Fernández recalled. “Even John F. Kennedy was said to be a fan of mine.” Abel Gonzalez Fernández was born on July 14 1930 in Los Angeles, California. His mother was a Yakaii Indian, and his father was a Mexican. Abel was the youngest of a large family and his mother died giving birth to him. At the age of 16 Fernández enlisted in the US Army, serving at the end of the Second World War in the 11th Airborne as a paratrooper. He also boxed regularly, often sparring with the heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/06/09/abel-fernndez-actor--obituary/
