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
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