Biography
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
Acted in 158
1980s
- 1989
Grave Secrets
Homer
- 1983
- 1982
The Powers of Matthew Star
General Tucker · 22 episodes
- 1981
The Other Victim
Price
The Boogens
Brian Deering
Elvis and the Beauty Queen
Vernon Presley
1970s
- 1979
The Sky Trap
Mark Sanders
Dreamer
Riverboat Captain
Tilt
Mickey
Hard Knocks
Josh
Friends
TV
From Here to Eternity
Maj. Thompson · 3 episodes
Donovan's Kid
Thunder City Sheriff
- 1978
Desperate Women
Movie
The Two-Five
Capt. Paul Carter
- 1977
Outlaw Blues
Buzz Cavenaugh
- 1976
The Macahans
Hale Crowley
- 1975
Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case
Fred Stoner
The Swiss Family Robinson
TV
The Invisible Man
Coner, Prison Guard · 1 episode
The Swiss Family Robinson
Nate Bidwell
- 1974
- 1973
Brother, My Song
Dr. Bennet
- 1972
J.W. Coop
Rancher
- 1971
1960s
- 1969
The Ravine
Captain Keller
- 1968
- 1967
Hondo
TV
Spring Night, Summer Night
Virgil
- 1966
- 1965
I Saw What You Did
Trooper
- 1964
- 1963
Captain Sindbad
Aram
Come Fly with Me
Co-Pilot
- 1962
The Devil's Messenger
Donald Powell
- 1961
The Long Shadow
Kelly
The Impersonator
Sgt. Jimmy Bradford
- 1960
The Man Who Was Nobody
South Africa Smith
Piccadilly Third Stop
Joe Preedy
I Aim at the Stars
Dr. Bosco - White Sands, New Mexico
Hell Is a City
Don Starling
1950s
- 1959
13 Demon Street
Henry Waller, Donald Powell · 1 episode
John Paul Jones
George Washington
- 1958
Floods of Fear
Jack Murphy
Orders to Kill
Kimball
Intent to Kill
Boyd
The Key
American Captain
Satan's Satellites
Roth
- 1957
- 1956
Confession
Gunman
- 1955
- 1954
Battle of Rogue River
Capt. Richard Hillman
Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl
Bonnett
Jesse James vs. the Daltons
Movie
Trader Tom of the China Seas
Bill Gaines
- 1953
Secret of Outlaw Flats
King Bradshaw
Prisoners of the Casbah
Guard (uncredited)
Slaves of Babylon
Avil
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd
Rebel City
Joe Spencer
Serpent of the Nile
Captain Domitius
Marshal of Cedar Rock
Chris Peters - Henchman
Star of Texas
Texas Ranger Stockton
- 1952
A Star Shall Rise
Gaspar
Son of Geronimo
Ace Devlin [Chs.1-9]
Old Oklahoma Plains
Chuck Ramsey
Blackhawk
Chuck
Actors and Sin
Movie Hero
- 1951
Northwest Territory
LeBeau
Honeychile
Marvin McKay
The Red Badge of Courage
Soldier (uncredited)
Hollywood Story
1st Detective (uncredited)
Raton Pass
Sam
- 1950
Lonely Heart Bandits
Stevedore
The Invisible Monster
Harris
1940s
- 1949
Radar Patrol vs. Spy King
Sands
Ghost of Zorro
Agent Mulvaney - Ch. 3, 4
- 1948
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
Amos Ramsey
Sons of Adventure
George Norton
Dangers of the Canadian Mounted
Danton - Henchman
- 1946
The Time of Their Lives
Dandy at Party (uncredited)
- 1945
The Phantom of 42nd Street
John Carraby
Wrote 1
1970s
- 1970
