John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield; June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American actor and commercial fisherman.

Early years

Farron Bromfield was born in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. He played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and was a

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

champion at

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs w ...

, where he also lettered in football, baseball, track and swimming. In the 1940s, he gained his first acting experience at the La Jolla Playhouse. Bromfield served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in World War II.

Film

Bromfield's screen debut came in ''

Harpoon A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...

'' (1948). The same year, he was cast as a detective in '' Sorry, Wrong Number'', starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

and Barbara Stanwyck for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. In 1953, Bromfield appeared with

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

, Van Johnson and Tony Martin in '' Easy to Love''. He also starred in horror films, including the 1955 3D production '' Revenge of the Creature'', one of the '' Creature from the Black Lagoon'' sequels.

Television

In the middle 1950s, Bromfield appeared in westerns, such as NBC's ''

Frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

in the role of a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

in the episode "The Hanging at Thunder Butte Creek".Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 960.''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Washington, D.C., September 26, 2005, p. B 4

Later years

In 1960, Bromfield retired from acting to produce sports shows and work as a commercial fisherman off

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

Personal life

Bromfield married Grace Landis while in college. They later divorced. He married actress Corinne Calvet in Boulder, Colorado, in 1948. They were divorced March 16, 1954. He also was divorced from actress/dancer Larri Thomas. He and his fourth wife, actress/dancer and author Mary Ellen Bromfield, were married 43 years.

Death

Bromfield died September 18, 2005, at age 83 from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

in Palm Desert, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
John Bromfield website
johnbromfield.com; accessed May 15, 2015

BriansDriveinTheater.com; accessed May 15, 2015
The Colt Revolver in the American West—John Bromfield's Official Police Model
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bromfield, John 1922 births 2005 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from kidney failure in California Male actors from Indiana Actors from South Bend, Indiana People from Palm Desert, California Male Western (genre) film actors United States Navy sailors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors United States Navy personnel of World War II