John Crawford obit

Thesp John Crawford dies

 

He was not on the list.

Thesp John Crawford, who appeared in more than 200 titles in his over 40-year career, died of a stroke on Sept. 21 in Newbury Park, Calif. He was 90.

Crawford was spotted by a Warner Bros. scout while attending the U. of Washington’s School of Drama and though he failed a screen test he joined RKO as a laborer.

He followed that up by working at Circle Theater in Los Angeles building sets and persuaded the producers to cast him in some of its plays. Soon Columbia signed him to act in its westerns.

He moved to bigger roles in such films as 1958’s “Orders to Kill” and “The Key” in the U.K. On his return to the U.S. he was cast in 1970s action pics including “The Enforcer,” “Towering Inferno” and “The Poseidon Adventure.”

Crawford had recurring arcs in iconic TV shows of the era from “The Waltons” to “Swiss Family Robinson” and “Gunsmoke.” He last appeared on TV in 1986’s “Hardcastle and McCormick.” 

He was very prolific on TV in character roles, in scores of series such as State Trooper (in the episode "The Last Stage Robbery"), Gunsmoke (14 episodes between 1959 and 1974), The Twilight Zone, Combat!, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Wheels, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Incredible Hulk, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes, The Rockford Files and most notably as Sheriff Ep Bridges on CBS' The Waltons. 

In 2009, “My Rodeo Years: Memoir of a Bronc Rider’s Path to Hollywood Fame” was published, with Crawford sharing writing credits with stuntman Yakima Canutt.

Survivors include his longtime companion, Ann Wakefield; four daughters; and two grandchildren.

 

Selected filmography 

Thoroughbreds (1944) - (uncredited) 

The Phantom of 42nd Street (1945) - John Carraby 

Without Reservations (1946) - Soldier (uncredited) 

The Time of Their Lives (1946) - Dandy at Party (uncredited) 

G-Men Never Forget (1948, Serial) - Duke - Dictaphone Boobytrap Thug [Ch. 5] (uncredited) 

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (1948) - Danton - Henchman 

Sons of Adventure (1948) - George Norton - Cameraman 

Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948) - Amos Ramsey 

Ghost of Zorro (1949, Serial) - Mulvaney - Ch. 3, 4 

The James Brothers of Missouri (1949) - Mr. Carson (uncredited) 

Radar Patrol vs. Spy King (1949, Serial) - Sands [Chs. 7-8] 

Chain Lightning (1950) - Radio Operator (uncredited) 

The Invisible Monster (1950) - Harris 

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - Reporter (uncredited) 

Mystery Street (1950) - Reporter (uncredited) 

Lonely Heart Bandits (1950) - Stevedore 

Union Station (1950) - Hackett (uncredited) 

A Life of Her Own (1950) - Photographer (uncredited) 

Right Cross (1950) - Photographer (uncredited) 

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) - Cadet 

Cuban Fireball (1951) - Photographer (uncredited) 

Raton Pass (1951) - Sam 

I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) - FBI Agent McGowan (uncredited) 

Hollywood Story (1951) - 1st Detective (uncredited) 

Show Boat (1951) - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) 

The Red Badge of Courage (1951) - Soldier (uncredited) 

Honeychile (1951) - Marvin McKay 

Man in the Saddle (1951) - Isham Rider (uncredited) 

Northwest Territory (1951) - LeBeau 

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - Jack - Circus Attendant (uncredited) 

Scaramouche (1952) - Vignon (uncredited) 

Actor's and Sin (1952) - Movie Hero (segment "Woman of Sin") 

Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952) - Roth 

Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom (1952) - Chuck 

Old Oklahoma Plains (1952) - Chuck Ramsey 

The Ring (1952) - Cop in Diner (uncredited) 

Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952, Serial) - Ace Devlin [Chs.1-9] 

Invasion U.S.A. (1952) - Man in Bar (uncredited) 

Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) - State Trooper (uncredited) 

Star of Texas (1953) - Texas Ranger Stockton 

Marshal of Cedar Rock (1953) - Chris Peters - Henchman 

Salome (1953) - Guard (uncredited) 

Serpent of the Nile (1953) - Captain Domitius 

Rebel City (1953) - Joe Spencer 

Mission Over Korea (1953) - Tech Sergeant (uncredited) 

Conquest of Cochise (1953) - Capt. Bill Lawson (uncredited) 

The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953, Serial) - Capt. Kidd [Chs. 1-13] 

The Big Heat (1953) - Al - Bannion's Brother-in-Law (uncredited) 

Slaves of Babylon (1953) - Avil - Belshazzar's Chief Soldier 

Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) - Guard (uncredited) 

Three Sailors and a Girl (1953) - Shore Patrolman (uncredited) 

Man Crazy (1953) - Farmer 

Trader Tom of the China Seas (1954) - Bill Gaines 

The Battle of Rogue River (1954) - Capt. Richard Hillman 

Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954) - Gang Member (uncredited) 

Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954) - Bonnett 

The Key (1958) - American Captain 

Blind Spot (1958) - Doctor 

Orders to Kill (1958) - Maj. Kimball 

Intent to Kill (1958) - Boyd 

Floods of Fear (1958) - Jack Murphy 

John Paul Jones (1959) - George Washington 

Solomon and Sheba (1959) - Joab 

Hell Is a City (1960) - Don Starling 

I Aim at the Stars (1960) - Dr. Bosco - White Sands, New Mexico 

Piccadilly Third Stop (1960) - Joe Preedy 

The Man Who Was Nobody (1960) - South Africa Smith 

Exodus (1960) - Captain Hank Schlosberg 

The Impersonator (1961) - Sgt. Jimmy Bradford 

The Long Shadow (1961) - Kelly 

The 300 Spartans (1962) - Agathon the Spartan Spy 

The Longest Day (1962) - Col. Caffey (uncredited) 

Come Fly with Me (1963) - Co-Pilot 

Captain Sindbad (1963) - Aram 

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - Polydeuces (uncredited) 

The Victors (1963) - U.S. Army Captain at rest area 

The Americanization of Emily (1964) - Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams 

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - Alexander 

I Saw What You Did (1965) - State Trooper 

Duel at Diablo (1966) - Clay Dean 

Return of the Gunfighter (1967) - Butch Cassidy 

The Ravine (1969) - Captain Keller 

J. W. Coop (1971) - Rancher 

Napoleon and Samantha (1972) - Desk Sergeant 

Trouble Man (1972) - Sergeant Koeppler 

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) - Chief Engineer 

The Severed Arm (1973) - Doctor Ray Sanders 

The Towering Inferno (1974) - Callahan 

Night Moves (1975) - Tom Iverson 

The Enforcer (1976) - The Mayor 

Outlaw Blues (1977) - Buzz Cavenaugh 

Tilt (1979) - Mickey 

Hollywood Knight (1979) - Josh 

Dreamer (1979) - Riverboat Captain 

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) - Captain Sherick 

Elvis and the Beauty Queen (1981) - Vernon Presley 

The Boogens (1981) - Brian Deering 

The Other Victim (1981) 

McClain's Law (1981) - Salvi 

Yak's Best Ride (1984) - Director 

Grave Secrets (1989) - Homer