Johnny Berardino

John Beradino (born Giovanni Berardino, May 1, 1917 – May 19, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball infielder and actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Berardino, John Baradino, John Barardino or John Barradino.

Early life and education

Beradino was born in Los Angeles and was raised near Hollywood. He attended Belmont High School in downtown Los Angeles. Beradino won a football scholarship to the University of Southern California in 1936, but he soon switched to baseball.

Although Beradino is sometimes believed to have appeared in the silent ''Our Gang'' comedies as a child actor, he has not been identified as having appeared in any of the existing films.

Career

Baseball

After attending the University of Southern California, where he played baseball under coach Sam Barry and was member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, Beradino was a major league player from 1939 to 1952, except for three years of military service in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II from 1942 to 1945. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the World Series with the Indians in 1948. While primarily a middle infielder, playing second baseman or shortstop, he also played first and third base.

After injuring his leg and being released by Pittsburgh in 1952, he retired from baseball and returned to acting, having appeared in his first film in 1948.

Acting

Beradino appeared briefly in an uncredited role as a state trooper in the 1954 thriller '' Suddenly'', starring Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden, and later performed as a policeman who allows Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) to make a phone call to his mother in the 1959 Hitchcock thriller ''North by Northwest''.

Beradino (still billed as John Berardino) played a cameo role in the 1954 sci-fi thriller ''Them!''. He also appeared in a 1956 episode of the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' titled "The Unlucky Number" as a small-time criminal struggling to reform.

Beradino appeared twice on the Western series ''Annie Oakley:'' as Gorman in "Annie Rides the Navajo Trail" and as Roscoe Barnes in "Amateur Outlaw" (both 1956). He appeared as an outlaw in the opening scenes of Budd Boetticher's ''Seven Men From Now'' in 1956. He guest-starred on John Bromfield's syndicated crime drama with a modern Western setting, ''Sheriff of Cochise'', and Bromfield's successor series, ''U.S. Marshal''. He was also cast in an episode of David Janssen's crime drama series ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective''.

Beradino played a minor gangster in ''The Untouchables'' pilot that originally aired as an installment in the ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse''. He then played the recurring role of gangster Augie Viale in two episodes from the first season of ''The Untouchables'' series, "The Jake Lingle Killing" and "One-Armed Bandits".

On December 2, 1959, Beradino appeared in the episode "The Third Strike" of the syndicated adventure series ''Rescue 8'', playing a professional baseball player who loses consciousness when struck by a wild pitch and awakens with short-term amnesia.

After appearing in more than a dozen B-movies, as well as in supporting roles on the series ''I Led Three Lives'' and '' The New Breed'', he was offered the role of Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap opera ''General Hospital''. Beradino also played a version of his ''General Hospital'' character on an episode of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air''.

Recognition

For his contribution to the television industry, Beradino has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He has also been inducted into the University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame.

He is the only person to have won a World Series (1948) and have his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1993).

Beradino received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for best actor in a daytime drama.

In tribute, ''General Hospital'' left Beradino's image with that of Rachel Ames in its opening sequence for more than a year after his death, through several updates. His image was finally removed in early 1998, but an action clip of Beradino's character remained in the sequence until its 2004 retirement.

Personal life and death

Beradino had two children, Toni and Cindy. from his first marriage and two children, Katherine Ann and John Anthony from his second marriage. He had a third wife, Marjorie, when he died.

Beradino was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1996 and died later that year, aged 79, on May 19, 1996 in his Los Angeles home.

Beradino supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Sources

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beradino, John
1917 births
1996 deaths
American male film actors
American male soap opera actors
Baseball players from Los Angeles
Belmont High School (Los Angeles) alumni
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California
Cleveland Indians players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Military personnel from California
Pittsburgh Pirates players
St. Louis Browns players
20th-century American sportsmen
United States Navy reservists
University of Southern California alumni
USC Trojans baseball players
20th-century American male actors
United States Navy personnel of World War II