John Ernest Crawford is an American actor, musician, and singer. He first became famous at the age of 12 on the set of the TV series "Shooter" as the performer of the role of Mark McCain, son of Lucas McCain. The series was broadcast on ABC Western from 1958 to 1963.
Biography
John Crawford was born on March 26, 1946 in Los Angeles. Father - Robert Lawrence Crawford Sr., mother - Betty. The maternal grandfather and grandmother were Belgians. The maternal grandfather was the famous Belgian violinist Alfred Eugene Megerlin, concertmaster and first violinist of the New York Philharmonic.
In 1959, Johnny Crawford became one of the stars of the series "Shooter" on NBC and, along with his father, Crawford Sr. were nominated for an Emmy: the son - for best supporting actor, and the father - for best film editing. Thus Johnny Crawford at the age of 13 became one of the youngest nominees for this award.
After receiving his education, he was drafted into the army. While serving in the United States military (1965-1967), Crawford, as a motion picture specialist, was assigned to the Instructional Film Division for the U. S. Army. He acted as production coordinator, assistant director, script manager, and actor in occasional roles. In December 1967, when Johnny was solemnly released into the reserve, he was awarded the rank of sergeant.
Career and creativity
In 1955, Crawford played on stage, in films and on television. He was one of the earliest voice actors for Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse.
In 1955, Disney hired 24 original voice actors to voice the mice. But after the first season, the number of actors was decided to be reduced to 12, so Crawford lost his contract.
In 1956, Johnny starred in a production of Little Boy Lost for the Lux Video Theater. In the same year, Johnny appeared in the color episode of the series "The Lone Ranger" and after that he began to work constantly with many experienced actors and directors.
By the age of 12, Crawford Jr. has time to participate in 60 television projects, the most famous of which are three episodes of The Loretta Young Show, an episode of the TV series I Am American and an episode of the crime drama Sheriff Conchise.
By the spring of 1958, the famous actor had experience in 14 demanding roles on live broadcasts. Among them were participation in Theatrical Matinee, in the sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve, in the Ferris Train episode of The Sally Porter Story and in the Crossroads TV series.
Between 1958 and 1963, Johnny Crawford, along with his father Lawrence Crawford, starred in the TV series The Shooter.
Musical creativity
Starting in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Johnny Crawford became the idol of American youth and made a small career as a singer. In particular, Johnny recorded several of his songs on one of the record companies. Of these, four will become BillBoard Top 40 hits:
- the single "Cindy's Birthday" (8th place in 1962);
- Rumors (12th place in 1962);
- "Your nose will grow" (14th place in 1962);
- "Proud" (29th place in 1963).
From 1961 to 1968, Crawford recorded several albums: Charming Johnny Crawford (1961), Young Man's Fantasy (1962), Rumors (1962-1963) and His Greatest Hits (1962-1964). as well as other songs not included in the albums.
Best Movies
In 1961, Johnny appeared as Victor in the episode "Very Bright Boy" on the Donna Reed comedy show. His brother Robert became a guest star on the same show.
In 1964 and 1965, John Crawford appeared in the educational drama Mr. Novak as Jojo Rizzo.
In 1965, Crawford played Jeff, a math teacher who was more interested in pop music than his subject. This was in the 6th season of Mr. Ed (an American television sitcom that aired from 1961 to 1966).
In the 1965 western adventure film Indian Paint, Crawford played the lead role of an American Indian associated with a troubled young girl, played by Kim Darby.
He also played important roles in The Restless (1965), the Western Eldorado (1967) directed by Howard Hawks, and Another Face of Justice (1969).
In 1968, Crawford played a soldier wanted for murder in By the Numbers on the hit TV series Hawaii Five-O (an American police drama series that aired from 1968 to 1980).
In 1970, Johnny, at the request of his friend, producer John Longenecker, took on the title role in the western film Broncho Billy Resurrection. It was a student short film, John Carpenter's first work. Despite this, he won the 1970 Academy Award for Best Short Story.
In 1973, Crawford co-starred with Victoria Principal in the partially animated comedy film Nude Monkey.
In 1976, Johnny played the role of Ben Shelby in the 10th episode of "The Hunters" of the series "Little House on the Prairie," directed by Hugh Hefner. It was an American drama series that aired from 1974 to 1983.
In 1985, the actor appeared as Deputy Sheriff Noah Presley in Murder That She Wrote (an American crime drama series that aired from 1984 to 1996).
Since 1992, Crawford has been Artistic Director of the Early Music and Dance Orchestra, which performs at special events. The project is sponsored by the Playboy Jazz Festival. Under Johnny's direction, the orchestra won the right to participate in the annual Art Director Guild Awards in Beverly Hills. In 2012, the orchestra released their first album, Sweepin the Clouds Away, under the CD Baby label.
This orchestra is currently called the JCO (Johnny Crawford Orchestra) and the JCO logo appears on all drums in the orchestra.
Personal life
In the 1970s, Johnny had a romantic relationship with Debra Tate, the sister of the late actress Sharon Tate.
Since 1990, Johnny has dated his former classmate Charlotte Samco, with whom he fell in love in high school. Their relationship turned into an official marriage. The wedding was celebrated in 1995.
Crawford has done a lot for the successful career of entertainer Victoria Jackson, who became famous as the host of the show "Saturday Night". It was he who convinced her to go to Hollywood and start a career there, and then helped her in every possible way.
Crawford was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019, according to media reports.
