October 04, 2019
Today's featured celebrity is a legend of the TV screen - it's Johnny Crawford! Crawford, besides being one of Walt Disney's original Mouseketeers, is known to classic TV and western fans as Mark McCain, the son of Chuck Connors' Lucas McCain, on the hit ABC Western, The Rifleman. The series ran for 5 years and made Conners and Crawford stars.
Crawford has gone on to a very impressive career both as an actor and singer. Plus, in the last year, Crawford has taken to acting again after a long 20 year hiatus. So let's check in with this classy cowboy and see what he's been doing lately.
Remember, I did NOT forget the rest of today's issue. So if you would like to see the rest of this issue which includes Crawford's CREDITS and WHERE HE IS NOW, the answers to DEAD OR ALIVE?, and the list of WHO PASSED ON THIS WEEK, then please, please, please click the link right here:
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--DEAD OR ALIVE?--
See if you know if the following celebrities have had a visit from the "Grim Reaper":
Peter Weller - Starred in RoboCop, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, and Naked Lunch
Dan Hedaya - He played Nick Tortelli on the TV series "Cheers" and the father of Cher (the main character) in the movie Clueless
George Cukor - Director, Adam's Rib, The Philadelphia Story
(Answer at the bottom)
Johnny Crawford
Learn More About Johnny Crawford, see Then & Now pictures, and find out What He's Been Up To on Celebrity Nooz
BIRTH DATE: March 26, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA
BIRTH NAME: John Ernest Crawford
CLAIM TO FAME: Johnny Crawford is an American actor, singer, and musician who's best known for playing Mark McCain, the son of Chuck Connors' Lucas McCain, in the hit ABC Western series, The Rifleman (1958-1963).
FAMILY LIFE: In 1990, Crawford reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Samco. The two married in 1995 and are still together today.
INFO: His acting mentor was the late Chuck Connors.
As a teen Crawford had a recording career that generated four Billboard Top 40 hits, including the single, "Cindy's Birthday", which peaked at number 8, in 1962. His other hits included "Rumors" (number 12, 1962), "Your Nose is Gonna Grow" (number 14, 1962), and "Proud" (number 29, 1963).
While serving in the Army in the late 1960s, he appeared in a number of period training films remembered by veterans of the times.
Brother of Robert Crawford Jr., son of Robert Crawford.
His maternal grandfather, Belgian violinist Alfred Megerlin (1880-1941), was concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic (1918-1922), the Minneapolis Symphony (1923-1926), and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1927-1929).
His paternal grandfather, Robert "Bobby" Crawford (1889-1941), was a horse jockey from Chicago who changed his occupation to song "plugger" and became a very successful music publisher as the founder of De Sylva, Brown & Henderson and Crawford Music Corp.
A former member of the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) and the AJRA (American Junior Rodeo Association), he competed frequently at rodeos throughout the country during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Is of Russian, German, English and Irish ancestry.
Since 1992, Crawford has led a California-based vintage dance orchestra, named the JCO (Johnny Crawford Orchestra), which performs at special events.
Crawford gave a eulogy at Chuck Connors' memorial service.
TRIVIA: Crawford first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer.
Was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor, at age 13, for his role as Mark McCain on The Rifleman.
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy was a USC student film Crawford agreed to do as a favor to his close friend, producer John Longenecker. It won the 1970 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject.
Crawford had a key role in the early career of entertainer Victoria Jackson, of Saturday Night Live fame. After the two appeared together in a summer stock production of Meet Me in St. Louis, he presented her with a one-way ticket to California and encouraged her to pursue a Hollywood career. This led Jackson to early appearances on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, before she was cast as a regular on SNL.
WHERE IS HE NOW: Earlier this year Crawford starred in Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws, his first acting role since 1999. Crawford plays a legendary lawman that's convinced to star in a bank robbery silent film featuring real outlaws.
Sadly, in 2019, it was announced that Crawford had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
CREDITS:
2019 Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws...William S. Hart
1999 The Thirteenth Floor...Singer
1997 Rupert Patterson Wants to Be a Super Hero (TV Movie)...Art / Gus
1991 The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (TV Movie)...Mark McCain
1989-1990 Paradise (TV Series)...Doug McKay / McKay
- Crossfire (1990) ... Doug McKay
- A Gathering of Guns (1989) ... McKay
1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway...Musician (uncredited)
1987-1988 William Tell (TV Series)...Crown Prince Ignatius / Prince Ignatius
- Rejection (1988) ... Crown Prince Ignatius
- The Rebirth (1988) ... Crown Prince Ignatius
- The Handmaiden (1988) ... Prince Ignatius
- Lotus (1988) ... Crown Prince Ignatius (uncredited)
- The Princess (1988) ... Prince Ignatius
- The Citadel (1988) ... Crown Prince Ignatius
- The Four Horsemen (1987) ... Prince Ignatius
1985 The All American Cowboy (TV Movie)
1985 Murder, She Wrote (TV Series)...Noah Paisley
- A Lady in the Lake (1985) ... Noah Paisley
1984 Movie Macabre (TV Series)...Horsey
- Village of the Giants (1984) ... Horsey
1983 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (TV Movie)...Masket
1981 Macbeth (Video)...Seyton
1976 Little House on the Prairie (TV Series)...Ben Shelby
- The Hunters (1976) ... Ben Shelby
1976 The Great Texas Dynamite Chase...Slim
1974 Sonic Boom (Short)...Charlton Heston
1974 The Inbreaker...Chris MacRae
1973 The Naked Ape...Lee
1971 Cade's County (TV Series)...Billy Don Bucknell
- Requiem for Miss Madrid (1971) ... Billy Don Bucknell
1970 The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (Short)...Broncho Billy
1969 The Big Valley (TV Series)...Deputy Sheriff Billy Norris
- The Other Face of Justice (1969) ... Deputy Sheriff Billy Norris
1968 Hawaii Five-O (TV Series)...Private Jerry Franklin
- By the Numbers (1968) ... Private Jerry Franklin
1968 Lancer (TV Series)...Jeff Dane
- The Prodigal (1968) ... Jeff Dane
1967 El Dorado...Luke MacDonald
1965 Rawhide (TV Series)...Aaron Bolt
- Crossing at White Feather (1965) ... Aaron Bolt
1965 The Restless Ones...David Winton
1965 Village of the Giants...Horsey
1965 Mister Ed (TV Series)...Jeff Kerrigan
- Ed a Go-Go (1965) ... Jeff Kerrigan
1965 Indian Paint...Nishko
1964-1965 Mr. Novak (TV Series)...USSR - United Nations Assembly / JoJo Rizzo
- The Tender Twigs (1965) ... USSR - United Nations Assembly
- Let's Dig a Little Grammar (1964) ... JoJo Rizzo
1965 Branded (TV Series)...Deputy Sheriff Clay Holden
- Coward Step Aside (1965) ... Deputy Sheriff Clay Holden
1958-1963 The Rifleman (TV Series)...Mark McCain
All 168 Episodes
1963 The Dick Powell Theatre (TV Series)...Pete Johnson
- Apples Don't Fall Far (1963) ... Pete Johnson
1961 The Donna Reed Show (TV Series)...Victor
- A Very Bright Boy (1961) ... Victor
1958 Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series)...Tommy Peel
- The Dealer (1958) ... Tommy Peel
1958 The Space Children...Ken Brewster
1958 The Restless Gun (TV Series)...Ned Timberlake
- Gratitude (1958) ... Ned Timberlake
1956-1958 Matinee Theatre (TV Series)...Leo - Orphan Boy / Dickie Browning / Young Heathcliff / ...
- The Cause (1958)
- Some Blessed People (1958)
- O'Rourke's House (1958)
- The Iceman (1958) ... Leo - Orphan Boy
- Forever and Ever (1958)
- Sunday in Sonora (1957)
- Mr. Windigo (1957) ... Dickie Browning
- Puzzle in the Stars (1957)
- Wuthering Heights (1957) ... Young Heathcliff
- Cupid Rode a Horse (1956)
- The Serpent's Tooth (1956)
- The Children of Papa Juan (1956) ... Pepe
- A Woman Named Ruby (1956)
- From the Desk of Margaret Tydings (1956) ... Jimmy
1958 Trackdown (TV Series)...Eric Paine
- The Deal (1958) ... Eric Paine
- The Boy (1958) ... Eric Paine (as Johnnie Crawford)
1958 Playhouse 90 (TV Series)...Chuck Ohringer
- The Dungeon (1958) ... Chuck Ohringer
1958 Wagon Train (TV Series)...Jimmy Bennett
- The Sally Potter Story (1958) ... Jimmy Bennett
1958 Zane Grey Theater (TV Series)...Mark McCain / Billy Prescott
- The Sharpshooter (1958) ... Mark McCain
- Man Unforgiving (1958) ... Billy Prescott
1957-1958 Whirlybirds (TV Series)...Timmy Thompson / Jimmy Aldane / Ricky Scott
- The Brothers (1958) ... Timmy Thompson
- Panic at Green Ridge (1957) ... Jimmy Aldane
- Ghost Town Flight (1957) ... Ricky Scott
1958 Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (TV Series)...Johnny
- Spurs for Johnny (1958) ... Johnny
1956-1958 The Danny Thomas Show (TV Series)...Peter Lorenzo / Rusty's Friend
- Pardon My Accent (1958) ... Peter Lorenzo (as John Crawford)
- Wyatt Earp Visits the Williamses (1956) ... Rusty's Friend
1957 Have Gun - Will Travel (TV Series)...Robbie AKA Chiwa
- The Hanging Cross (1957) ... Robbie AKA Chiwa
1957 Mr. Adams and Eve (TV Series)
- The Producers (1957)
1956-1957 The Loretta Young Show (TV Series)...Bobby Wright / Arthur Mullen / Freddy
- The Little Witness (1957) ... Bobby Wright (as John E. Crawford)
- Rhubarb in Apartment B-7 (1956) ... Arthur Mullen
- The End of the Week (1956) ... Freddy
1957 The Millionaire (TV Series)...Wally
- The Frank Keegan Story (1957) ... Wally
1957 The Frank Sinatra Show (TV Series)...Gaby
- That Hogan Man (1957) ... Gaby
1957 Courage of Black Beauty...Bobby Adams (as John Crawford)
1957 Crossroads (TV Series)...Kenny
- Patchwork Family (1957) ... Kenny
1956-1957 Telephone Time (TV Series)...Chuckie LaPlante
- Bullet Lou Kirn (1957) ... Chuckie LaPlante (uncredited)
- Fortunatus (1956)
1957 The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series)...Manuel Bernel
- I Am an American (1957) ... Manuel Bernel
1957 The O. Henry Playhouse (TV Series)...Hermitage
- Hearts and Hands (1957) ... Hermitage
1957 Climax! (TV Series)
- Stain of Honor (1957)
1956 The Count of Monte Cristo (TV Series)...Gerard
- Andorra (1956) ... Gerard (as John Ernest Crawford)
1956 Cavalcade of America (TV Series)...Billy Brandon (as a boy)
- Innocent Bystander (1956)
- The Boy Nobody Wanted (1956) ... Billy Brandon (as a boy) (as John E. Crawford)
1956 The Lone Ranger (TV Series)...Tommy McQueen
- The Cross of Santo Domingo (1956) ... Tommy McQueen (as John Crawford)
1956 Lux Video Theatre (TV Series)...Jerry / Jean
- Road of Fear (1956) ... Jerry
- Little Boy Lost (1956) ... Jean
1956 Chevron Hall of Stars (TV Series)...Samson Hoytfire
- A Man Named March (1956) ... Samson Hoytfire
1956 The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit...Italian Boy with Groceries (uncredited)
1950 The Pinky Lee Show (TV Series)
- Episode dated 26 January 1950 (1950) ... (as John Crawford)
To see Then & Now pictures of Johnny Crawford, visit: Celebrity Nooz
--Answers to DEAD OR ALIVE--
Peter Weller - ALIVE
Born: 06/24/1947
Dan Hedaya - ALIVE
Born: 07/24/1940
George Cukor - DEAD (Heart attack)
Born: 07/07/1899 Died: 01/24/1983
WHO PASSED ON THIS WEEK...
10/2
Tiny Hill, 92, New Zealand rugby union player (Canterbury, Counties, national team) and selector.
Giya Kancheli, 84, Georgian composer.
Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi, 87, Indian nephrologist.
Barrie Masters, 63, British singer (Eddie and the Hot Rods).
10/1
Anders Ferm, 81, Swedish diplomat, Ambassador to the United Nations (1982-1988).
Karel Gott, 80, Czech singer, acute myeloid leukemia.
Miguel León-Portilla, 93, Mexican anthropologist and historian.
Michel Létourneau, 69, Canadian politician, MNA (1994-2007).
Bat McGrath, 73, American musician and songwriter (Friends and Love, "Come Some Rainy Day"), liver cancer.
C. K. Menon, 70, Indian businessman and philanthropist.
Fred Molyneux, 75, English footballer (Southport, Plymouth Argyle, Tranmere Rovers).
Eric Pleskow, 95, Austrian-born American film producer, President of United Artists (1973-1978) and Orion Pictures (1978-1991).
Ed Simonini, 65, American football player (Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints), cancer.
Peter Sissons, 77, British journalist and broadcaster (BBC News, ITN, Question Time).
Arto Tchakmaktchian, 86, Armenian-Canadian sculptor and painter.
Beverly Watkins, 80, American blues guitarist.
9/30
Sir David Akers-Jones, 92, British colonial official, Chief Secretary (1985-1987) and acting Governor of Hong Kong (1986-1987), colon cancer.
Tom Allsop, 90, Australian footballer (Hawthorn).
Wayne Fitzgerald, 89, American film (Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather Part II) and television (The Bronx Zoo) title designer, Emmy winner (1987).
Hal Guthrie, 82, American restaurateur, founder of Guthrie's.
Shinya Inoué, 98, Japanese-born American scientist.
Viju Khote, 77, Indian actor (Sholay, Andaz Apna Apna, Zabaan Sambhalke), multiple organ failure.
John D. Larson, American insurance executive, CEO and CoB of National Guardian Life.
Gianni Lenoci, 56, Italian jazz pianist.
Sharon Malcolm, 72, American politician, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (since 2018).
Enrico Masseroni, 80, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Mondovi (1987-1996) and Archbishop of Vercelli (1996-2014).
Kornel Morawiecki, 78, Polish politician and theoretical physicist, Senior Marshal of the Sejm (since 2015) and Chairman of Freedom and Solidarity (since 2016), pancreatic cancer.
Jessye Norman, 74, American opera singer, Grammy winner (1984, 1988, 1989, 1998), multiple organ failure.
Ben Pon, 82, Dutch racing driver, Olympic sports shooter (1972) and businessman.
Louie Rankin, 66, Jamaican-born Canadian dancehall reggae artist and actor (Belly, Shottas), traffic collision.
Pete Turnham, 99, American politician, member of the Alabama House of Representatives (1958-1998).
Hanna Yusuf, 27, Somali-born British journalist (BBC News).
9/29
Beatriz Aguirre, 94, Mexican actress (The Tiger of Jalisco, Flight 971, My Mother Is Guilty).
Luz Amorocho, 97, Colombian architect.
Martin Bernheimer, 83, American music critic, Pulitzer Prize winner (1982), sarcoma.
busbee, 43, American songwriter ("Try", "Our Kind of Love", "Summer Nights") and music producer, glioblastoma.
Paavo Korhonen, 91, Finnish Nordic skier, world champion (1958).
Ilkka Laitinen, 57, Finnish military officer, Chief of the Border Guard (2018-2019) and Executive Director of Frontex (2005-2014).
Tim Lee, 62, American government official, Cobb County, Georgia Chairman (2010-2016), esophageal cancer.
Yuriy Meshkov, 73, Russian politician, Prime Minister (1994) and President of Crimea (1994-1995).
Stanley Nwabia, 43, Nigerian social commentator and blogger, blood transfusion complication.
Nguy?n H?u H?nh, 93, Vietnamese military officer (Army of the Republic of Vietnam).
Michael de Zoysa, 73, Sri Lankan cricket administrator.
9/28
José Aldunate, 102, Chilean Roman Catholic theologian and human rights activist.
Suad Besirevic, 56, Slovenian football player (Borac Banja Luka, Apollon Limassol) and manager (Olimpija Ljubljana).
M. Chandran, 77, Malaysian football player (Selangor, national team) and manager.
Franco Cuter, 79, Italian-born Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Grajaú (1998-2016).
John Haylett, 74, British journalist, editor of the Morning Star (1995-2009).
Ismail Petra of Kelantan, 69, Malaysian royal, Sultan of Kelantan (1979-2010).
José José, 71, Mexican singer ("El Triste", "Como Tú") and actor (Gavilán o Paloma), pancreatic cancer.
Jan Kobuszewski, 85, Polish actor (Kwiecien, Alternatywy 4).
Nicolás Nogueras, 84, Puerto Rican politician, Senator (1973-1985, 1988-1996), heart disease.
Dessie O'Halloran, 79, Irish fiddler and vocalist.
Graciela Palau de Nemes, 100, Cuban literary critic.
Baikunth Lal Sharma, 89, Indian politician, MP (1991-2009).
Hogan Sheffer, 61, American television writer (The Young and the Restless, As the World Turns, Days of Our Lives).
Gérard Tremblay, 100, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Montréal (1981-1991).
Mark Zakharov, 85, Russian theater and film director (The Twelve Chairs, An Ordinary Miracle, To Kill a Dragon), pneumonia.
9/27
Rudy Behlmer, 92, American film historian and writer.
Dante Bernini, 97, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Velletri-Segni (1981-1982) and Albano (1982-1999).
Abu Solaiman Chowdhury, 42, Bangladeshi civil servant.
Jack Edwards, 91, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1965-1985), pancreatic cancer.
Bob Esty, 72, American composer (Roller Boogie) and producer (Donna Summer), metastatic cancer.
Rob Garrison, 59, American actor (The Karate Kid, Iron Eagle, Prom Night).
Rana Afzal Khan, 70, Pakistani military officer and politician, Minister of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs (2017-2018) and MP (2013-2018), heart disease.
John Francis Kinney, 82, American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Bismarck (1982-1995) and Saint Cloud (1995-2013).
Jack Lasenby, 88, New Zealand children's author.
Luis Ospina [es], 70, Colombian film director.
Guillermo Perry, 73, Colombian economist and politician, Minister of Finance and Public Credit (1994-1996) and of Mines and Energy (1986-1988).
Russell Robins, 87, Welsh rugby union player (Pontypridd, national team).
Inder Singh, 86, American human rights activist, founder of GOPIO.
Jan Schmidt, 85, Czech film director (The Lanfier Colony).
John J. Snyder, 93, American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of St. Augustine (1979-2000), namesake of Bishop John J. Snyder High School.
Jimmy Spicer, 61, American rapper, brain and lung cancer.
József Szekó, 64, Hungarian politician, MP (2010-2014).
Joseph C. Wilson, 69, American writer (The Politics of Truth) and diplomat, Ambassador to Gabon (1992-1995), organ failure.
9/26
Myron Bloom, 93, American French horn player.
Giovanni Bramucci, 72, Italian road cyclist, Olympic bronze medallist (1968).
Plato Cacheris, 90, American defense lawyer, pneumonia.
Jacques Chirac, 86, French politician, President and Co-Prince of Andorra (1995-2007), Prime Minister (1974-1976, 1986-1988) and Mayor of Paris (1977-1995).
Peter Downsborough, 76, English footballer (Halifax Town, Swindon Town, Bradford City).
Boleslaw Gleichgewicht [pl], 100, Polish scientist.
Ken Jones, 87, Welsh sports writer (Sunday Mirror, The Independent).
William Levada, 83, American Roman Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Portland (1986-1995) and San Francisco (1995-2005).
Gennadi Manakov, 69, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-10, Soyuz TM-16).
Imre Molnár, 70, Hungarian Olympic gymnast (1972, 1976).
Nick Polano, 78, Canadian ice hockey player (Philadelphia Blazers) and coach (Detroit Red Wings).
Ronald L. Schlicher, 63, American diplomat, Ambassador to Lebanon (1994-1996) and Cyprus (2005-2008).
Sun Dafa, 73, Chinese general, Political Commissar of the PLA General Logistics Department (2005-2010).
Kåre Tønnesson, 93, Norwegian historian.
Vukasin Visnjevac, 80, Bosnian football manager (Sarajevo, Vardar, Leotar).
Martin Wesley-Smith, 74, Australian composer, cancer.
9/25
Paul Badura-Skoda, 91, Austrian pianist.
Michael D. Coe, 90, American archaeologist and anthropologist.
Katy Collins, 32, American mixed martial artist (Bellator MMA), brain aneurysm.
Obong Ufot Joseph Ekaette, 80, Nigerian economist, administrator and politician.
Jesper Hoffmeyer, 77, Danish biologist, heart attack.
Lyubomir Levchev [fr], 84, Bulgarian poet.
Venu Madhav, 50, Indian comedian and actor (Master, Tholi Prema, Hungama), kidney disease.
John McAdorey, 45, Irish Olympic sprinter (2000), melanoma.
Linda Porter, 86, American actress (Superstore, Dude, Where's My Car?, Twin Peaks), cancer.
Omeofa Oghene, Nigerian reggae singer.
Libi Staiger, 91, American actress (The Most Happy Fella).
Arne Weise, 89, Swedish journalist and television personality (SVT).
Sir John Wilsey, 80, British military officer, Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces (1993-1996).
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