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John Ernest Crawford (March 26, 1946 – April 29, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing
Mark McCain Mark McCain is the son of fictitious rancher Lucas McCain in the ABC Western television series '' The Rifleman,'' starring Chuck Connors, which ran from 1958 to 1963. Singer/actor and former Mouseketeer Johnny Crawford was cast in the rol ...
in the series ''
The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...
'', for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award at age 13. Crawford had a brief career as a recording artist in the 1950s and 1960s. He continued to act on television and in film as an adult. Beginning in 1992, Crawford led the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra, a vintage dance orchestra that performed at special events.


Early life

Crawford was born in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to 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. Robert Lawrence Crawford Jr. (born May 13, 1944) is an American actor who portrayed the character Andy Sherman on the NBC television series ''Laramie (TV series), Laramie'' in 1959 and 1960. He was cast as the younger brother of Slim Sherman, p ...
, a co-star of the series '' Laramie'', and their father Robert Sr. were all nominated for
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
s (the brothers for acting, and their father for film editing).


Career

Crawford began his career as a child actor. One of
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
's original
Mouseketeers ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety show, variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney ...
in 1955, he acted on stage, in films, and on television. Disney started out with 24 original Mouseketeers, although at the end of the first season, the studio reduced the number down to 12 where Crawford was cut. Crawford's first important break as an actor followed with the title role in a''
Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...
'' production of "Little Boy Lost", a live broadcast on March 15, 1956. He also appeared in the popular Western series ''
The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...
'' in 1956 in one of the few color episodes of that series. Freelancing for two and one-half years, he accumulated almost 60 television credits, including featured roles in three episodes of NBC's ''
The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...
'' and an appearance as Manuel in "I Am an American", an episode of the crime drama '' The Sheriff of Cochise''. He starred in the 1958 Season 1 finale of ''
The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...
''. He starred as Bobby Adams in the 1958 drama ''Courage of Black Beauty''. He appeared as Tommy Peel in the 1958 episode "The Dealer" in ''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...
''. Crawford was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
as Best Supporting Actor in 1959, at age 13. He received the nomination for his role as
Mark McCain Mark McCain is the son of fictitious rancher Lucas McCain in the ABC Western television series '' The Rifleman,'' starring Chuck Connors, which ran from 1958 to 1963. Singer/actor and former Mouseketeer Johnny Crawford was cast in the rol ...
(the son of Lucas McCain, played by
Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played in both Majo ...
) in ''The Rifleman''. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Crawford had wide popularity with American teenagers and a recording career on
Del-Fi Records Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California, founded in 1958 and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. ...
that generated four ''Billboard'' Top 40 hits, including the single "Cindy's Birthday", which peaked at number eight in 1962. His other hits included "Rumors" (number 12, 1962), "Your Nose Is Gonna Grow" (number 14, 1962), and "Proud" (number 29, 1963). Among his films, Crawford played an American Indian in the adventure film '' Indian Paint'' (1965). He played a character involved with a disturbed young girl played by Kim Darby in ''The Restless Ones'' (1965), and played a character shot by
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
's character in ''
El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...
'' (1966). He played young deputy Billy Norris in '' The Big Valley'' episode "The Other Face of Justice" in 1969. 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. He also appeared in an episode of the television series Hawaii Five-O. '' The Resurrection of Broncho Billy'' was a 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 Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...
. Unfortunately, ''
The Naked Ape ''The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal'' is a 1967 book by English Zoology, zoologist and ethology, ethologist Desmond Morris that looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals. ''The Human Zoo (book), The Hum ...
'', a partially animated 1973 feature film starring Crawford and
Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...
, was a failure which served neither of the stars' careers. In 1976 he appeared in a special 90-minute episode of ''
Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...
'' with Burl Ives. Crawford played a key role in the early career of entertainer
Victoria Jackson Victoria Jackson (born August 2, 1959) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1992. Early life Jackson was born in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Marlene Esther (née Blac ...
of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' fame. After the two appeared together in a
summer stock In American theater, summer stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. 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 career in Hollywood. This led Jackson to early appearances on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...
'', then she was cast as a regular on ''SNL''. His final role in a film was playing William S. Hart in the 2019
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
''Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws''. Beginning in 1992, Crawford led a California-based vintage dance orchestra, which performed at special events. The formal name of the band was JCO (Johnny Crawford Orchestra). The JCO logo appeared on Crawford's drums when the band played in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band was sponsored by the Playboy Jazz Festival, and the orchestra has been the choice for 15 consecutive annual Art Directors Guild Awards shows at
The Beverly Hilton The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The Beverly Hilton has hosted many awards shows, charity benefits, and entertainment ...
in Beverly Hills, California. A remastered version of the orchestra's highly rated first album, ''Sweepin' the Clouds Away'', was released on August 21, 2012, on the label
CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon based online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. It was established in 1998 and offered distribution fo ...
.


Personal life and death

Crawford reconnected with Charlotte Samco, his high school sweetheart, in 1990, and they married in 1995. In 2019,
MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...
reported that Crawford had been diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. His longtime friend, actor Paul Petersen, started a
GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...
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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and then pneumonia before later succumbing to Alzheimer's disease.


Singles

* AAlso peaked at #2 in ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary charts.


References


External links


Official website
*
The Rifleman: Johnny Crawford

Broncho Billy short film

Johnny Crawford's MySpace site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Johnny 1946 births 2021 deaths American male child actors American male film actors American male pop singers American male television actors American people of Belgian descent Mouseketeers Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors Del-Fi Records artists Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California Deaths from pneumonia in California