CINEFILER

John Crawford

Born
September 13, 1920
Died
September 21, 2010
Burly, handsome and rugged character actor John Crawford appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows combined in a career that spanned over 40 years, usually cast as tough and/or villainous characters. Crawford was born Cleve Richardson on September 13, 1920, in Colfax, Washington. He was discovered by a Warner Bros. scout while attending the University of Washington's School of Drama. Although he failed his screen test, Crawford nonetheless joined RKO as a laborer. He then got a job building sets at Circle Theater in Los Angeles, and eventually persuaded the producers to cast him in some of their plays. He was soon signed to Columbia Pictures to act in secondary roles in westerns. In the late 1950s he graduated to bigger parts in such films as Ordre de tuer  (1958), La clé (1958) and Un homme pour le bagne (1960), all of which were made in the UK. Crawford returned to America in the early 1960s and began a prolific career in both movies and TV series, up until 1986. His most memorable film roles include the ill-fated chief engineer inL'aventure du Poséidon (1972), the hearty Tom Iverson in La fugue (1975), the bumbling mayor of San Francisco in L'inspecteur ne renonce jamais (1976), hard-nosed police chief Buzz Cavanaugh in Un couple en fuite (1977) and amiable old mine hand Brian Deerling in The Boogens (1981). John had recurring parts as Sheriff Ep Bridges inLa famille des collines (1971) and Capt. Parks on Sergent Anderson (1974). Among the many TV shows he made guest appearances in are The Lone Ranger (1949), Superman(1952), Les espions (1965), La quatrième dimension (1959), Les incorruptibles (1959),La grande caravane (1957), Le fugitif (1963), Star Trek (1966), Perdus dans l'espace(1965), Bonanza (1959), Stalag 13 (1965), Mission impossible (1966), Gunsmoke(1955), Super Jaimie (1976), Dallas (1978) and Dynastie (1981). Crawford died at age 90 following complications from a stroke on September 21, 2010, in Thousand Oaks, California. He's survived by his ex-wife Ann Wakefield, four daughters and two grandchildren. - IMDb Mini Biography
Known For
The Poseidon Adventure
(1972)
Chief Engineer
The Greatest Story Ever Told
(1965)
Alexander
The Enforcer
(1976)
The Mayor
Jason and the Argonauts
(1963)
Polydeuces (uncredited)
The Towering Inferno
(1974)
Callahan
Solomon and Sheba
(1959)
Joab
The Longest Day
(1962)
Col. Caffey (uncredited)
Cyrano de Bergerac
(1950)
Cadet
Duel at Diablo
(1966)
Clay Dean
Exodus
(1960)
Capt. Hank Schlosberg
The 300 Spartans
(1962)
Agathon the Spartan Spy
The Asphalt Jungle
(1950)
Reporter (uncredited)
The Americanization of Emily
(1964)
Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams
Night Moves
(1975)
Tom Iverson
The Big Heat
(1953)
Al - Bannion's Brother-in-Law (uncredited)
Full Filmography
Acting
The Phantom of 42nd Street
(1945)
John Carraby
The Time of Their Lives
(1946)
Dandy at Party (uncredited)
Without Reservations
(1946)
Soldier (uncredited)
Sons of Adventure
(1948)
George Norton
Dangers of the Canadian Mounted
(1948)
Danton - Henchman
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
(1948)
Amos Ramsey
Radar Patrol vs. Spy King
(1949)
Sands
Ghost of Zorro
(1949)
Agent Mulvaney - Ch. 3, 4
Cyrano de Bergerac
(1950)
Cadet
Mystery Street
(1950)
Reporter (uncredited)
Lonely Heart Bandits
(1950)
Stevedore
The Invisible Monster
(1950)
Harris
Union Station
(1950)
Hackett (uncredited)
The Asphalt Jungle
(1950)
Reporter (uncredited)
Northwest Territory
(1951)
LeBeau
Hollywood Story
(1951)
1st Detective (uncredited)
Honeychile
(1951)
Marvin McKay
Raton Pass
(1951)
Sam
Actors and Sin
(1952)
Movie Hero
Blackhawk
(1952)
Chuck
Old Oklahoma Plains
(1952)
Chuck Ramsey
A Star Shall Rise
(1952)
Gaspar
Zombies of the Stratosphere
(1952)
Roth
Son of Geronimo
(1952)
Ace Devlin [Chs.1-9]
Star of Texas
(1953)
Texas Ranger Stockton
Slaves of Babylon
(1953)
Avil
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd
(1953)
Captain Kidd
Secret of Outlaw Flats
(1953)
King Bradshaw
Serpent of the Nile
(1953)
Captain Domitius
The Big Heat
(1953)
Al - Bannion's Brother-in-Law (uncredited)
Prisoners of the Casbah
(1953)
Guard (uncredited)
Rebel City
(1953)
Joe Spencer
Marshal of Cedar Rock
(1953)
Chris Peters - Henchman
Battle of Rogue River
(1954)
Capt. Richard Hillman
Jesse James vs. the Daltons
(1954)
Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl
(1954)
Bonnett
Trader Tom of the China Seas
(1954)
Bill Gaines
Satan's Satellites
(1958)
Roth
Floods of Fear
(1958)
Jack Murphy
Orders to Kill
(1958)
Kimball
Intent to Kill
(1958)
Boyd
The Key
(1958)
American Captain
Solomon and Sheba
(1959)
Joab
John Paul Jones
(1959)
George Washington
Hell Is a City
(1960)
Don Starling
The Man Who Was Nobody
(1960)
South Africa Smith
Piccadilly Third Stop
(1960)
Joe Preedy
Exodus
(1960)
Capt. Hank Schlosberg
The Devil's Messenger
(1961)
Donald Powell
The Impersonator
(1961)
Sgt. Jimmy Bradford
The Longest Day
(1962)
Col. Caffey (uncredited)
The Long Shadow
(1962)
The 300 Spartans
(1962)
Agathon the Spartan Spy
Come Fly with Me
(1963)
Co-Pilot
Jason and the Argonauts
(1963)
Polydeuces (uncredited)
The Americanization of Emily
(1964)
Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams
I Saw What You Did
(1965)
Trooper
The Greatest Story Ever Told
(1965)
Alexander
Duel at Diablo
(1966)
Clay Dean
Return of the Gunfighter
(1967)
Butch Cassidy
Spring Night, Summer Night
(1967)
Virgil
The Ravine
(1969)
Captain Keller
J.W. Coop
(1971)
Rancher
The Poseidon Adventure
(1972)
Chief Engineer
Message to My Daughter
(1973)
Abortionist
The Severed Arm
(1973)
Doctor Sanders
Strange Homecoming
(1974)
Winston
The Towering Inferno
(1974)
Callahan
The Swiss Family Robinson
(1975)
Nate Bidwell
Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case
(1975)
Fred Stoner
Night Moves
(1975)
Tom Iverson
The Enforcer
(1976)
The Mayor
Outlaw Blues
(1977)
Buzz Cavenaugh
Desperate Women
(1978)
The Two-Five
(1978)
Capt. Paul Carter
The Sky Trap
(1979)
Lawman Without a Gun
(1979)
Sgt. Hunt
Dreamer
(1979)
Riverboat Captain
Hard Knocks
(1979)
Josh
Tilt
(1979)
Mickey
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
(1979)
Captain Sherick
Donovan's Kid
(1979)
Thunder City Sheriff
Elvis and the Beauty Queen
(1981)
Vernon Presley
The Boogens
(1981)
Brian Deering
The Other Victim
(1981)
Price
Grave Secrets
(1989)
Homer
Writing
Data provided by TMDB