Hoss Cartwright

Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright was a character from the television series Bonanza.

He was portrayed by Dan Blocker.

Born in 1836, Hoss was the son of Ben Cartwright and his second wife Inger, and the half brother of Ben's other sons Adam and Joseph Cartwright. Hoss's mother died in a massacre only a few weeks after his birth. Ben married again to Marie Cartwright, who died when Hoss was still a child.

Hoss grew up to be a large man. Due to his size Hoss often at first seemed intimidating, but was more of a gentle giant. While women were often attracted to Hoss's brothers, Hoss did have his share of female admirers as well, and eventually had a son named Josh.

Hoss drowned while trying to save another man's life, and his loss was deeply felt by his father and brothers.

Trivia

 * Dan Blocker's sudden death on May 13, 1972 at the age of 43 nesseciated writing Hoss out of the series. It was made clear that Hoss had died, but the circumstances of his death were not mentioned at the time.  In Bonanza: The Next Generation it was finally revealed that Hoss had died saving another man's life.