Johnny Crawford



Johnny Crawford in The Rifleman (1961)



Crawford in 1963

Born: John Ernest Crawford; March 26, 1946 , Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died; April 29, 2021 (aged 75); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Relatives: Robert L. Crawford, Jr. (brother)
Website: Johnny Crawford fansite



Johnny Crawford and Chuck Connors in The Rifleman (1960)

John Ernest Crawford (born March 26, 1946) is an American actor, singer, and musician. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing Mark McCain, the son of Lucas McCain (played by Chuck Connors), in the popular ABC Western series, The Rifleman, which aired from 1958 to 1963. Crawford first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer.

Family life

Crawford was born in Los Angeles, the son of Betty (née Megerlin) and Robert Lawrence Crawford, Sr. His maternal grandparents were Belgian; his maternal grandfather was violinist Alfred Eugene Megerlin. In 1959, Johnny, his older brother Robert L. Crawford, Jr., a co-star of NBC's Laramie series, and their father Robert, Sr., were all nominated for Emmy Awards (the brothers for acting and their father for film editing).

Career

One of The Walt Disney Company's original Mouseketeers, in 1955, Crawford has acted on stage, in films, and on television.

Disney started out with 24 original Mouseketeers. However, at the end of the first season, the studio reduced the number to 12, and Crawford was released from his contract. His first important break as an actor followed with the title role in a Lux Video Theatre production of "Little Boy Lost", a live NBC broadcast on March 15, 1956. He also appeared in the popular Western series The Lone Ranger, in 1956, in one of the few color episodes of that series. Following that performance, the young actor worked steadily with many seasoned actors and directors. Freelancing for 2 1/2 years, he accumulated almost 60 television credits, including featured roles in three episodes of NBC's The Loretta Young Show and an appearance as Manuel in, "I Am an American", an episode of the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise. By the spring of 1958, he had also performed 14 demanding roles in live teleplays for NBC's Matinee Theatre, appeared on CBS's sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve, in the Wagon Train episode "The Sally Potter Story" (in which Martin Milner also appeared) and on the syndicated series, Crossroads, Sheriff of Cochise, and Whirlybirds, and made three pilots of TV series. The third pilot, which was made as an episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, was picked up by ABC and the first season of The Rifleman began filming in July 1958.

Crawford was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor, at age 13, for his role as Mark McCain, the son of Lucas McCain, played by Chuck Connors, in the American Broadcasting Company's series produced by Four Star Television, The Rifleman. Throughout The Rifleman's five seasons, a remarkable on-screen chemistry existed between Connors and Crawford in the depiction of their father-son relationship. They were still close friends when Connors died on November 10, 1992, and Crawford gave a eulogy at Connors' memorial service.

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While enlisted in the United States Army for two years, Crawford worked on training films as a production coordinator, assistant director, script supervisor, and occasional actor. His rank was sergeant at the time of his honorable discharge in December 1967.

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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.

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Personal life and death

Crawford reconnected with Charlotte Samco, his high school sweetheart, in 1990, and they married in 1995.

In 2019, MeTV reported that Crawford had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His longtime friend, actor Paul Petersen, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover Crawford's medical costs. Crawford died in a personal care home on April 29, 2021, at age 75, after contracting COVID-19 and pneumonia before later succumbing to Alzheimer's disease.

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MickeyMouseClubChannel
Published on Feb 3, 2017

This is the recycled roll call segment featured every Friday on the first season (1955-1956) for Talent Round-Up Day. According to Annette Funicello's autobiography, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", this was the first number she ever took part in with the mouseketeers.

Featuring:
Karen Pendleton
Cubby O'Brien
Doreen Tracey
Mark Sutherland (in for Lonnie Burr for some reason)
Darlene Gillespie
Johnny Crawford
Nancy Abbate
Mike Smith
Annette Funicello
Don Underhill
Sharon Baird
Bobby Burgess
Roy Williams
and Jimmie Dodd.

WARINING: THIS CHANNEL IS NOT AFFILIATED OR ASSOCIATED WITH THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IN ANY WAY. ALL CONTENT ON THIS CHANNEL IS OWNED BY THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY.

davekcomics
Published on Oct 24, 2008

kim darby and johnny crawford

The Resurrection of Broncho Billy 1970 - Cortometraje
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Cortos En Corto
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Danny B
Published on Jul 31, 2014

Classic

Johnny Crawford - "No One Really Loves A Clown" Shivaree Show. Early David gates song.
20,223 views Mar 18, 2021

Cucamonga Sewing Circle
592 subscribers