John Crawford (actor)

John Crawford (actor)
John Crawford (born Cleve Allen Richardson; September 13, 1920 – September 21, 2010) was an American actor. He appeared in a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, called "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim", and in several Gunsmoke episodes. He had a key role in the 1975 film Night Moves, a crime thriller starring Gene Hackman, played the mayor of San Francisco in 1976's The Enforcer and the third Dirty Harry film featuring Clint Eastwood, as well as the Chief Engineer in Irwin Allen's classic 1972 box-office smash and disaster-film epic The Poseidon Adventure.
Life and career
Crawford was born in Colfax, Washington, and studied at the School of Drama at the University of Washington. In films from the 1940s, Crawford appeared in bit parts for many years before playing leads in several films in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In 1960 in the UK, he appeared in Danger Man in the episode entitled "The Girl in the Pink Pajamas" as Dr. Keller.
When he returned to the United States, he played supporting roles in several films but was more prolific on TV in character roles, in scores of series such as State Trooper (in the episode "The Last Stage Robbery"), Gunsmoke (14 episodes between 1959 and 1974), The Twilight Zone, Combat!, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Wheels, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Incredible Hulk, The Time Tunnel, Mannix, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes, The Rockford Files and most notably as Sheriff Ep Bridges on CBS' The Waltons.
Crawford co-wrote the screenplay of the film The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), directed by Sam Peckinpah. In addition to appearing with James Arness in 14 episodes of Gunsmoke, he was in two episodes of Arness' subsequent western series How the West Was Won (1976–79) and in two episodes of Arness' subsequent police detective series McClain's Law (1981–1982).
His other notable silver screen turns include the investigating State Trooper in I Saw What You Did (1965), the Chief Engineer in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Callahan in The Towering Inferno (1974), and as Brian Deering in The Boogens (1981).
Crawford died from a stroke eight days past his 90th birthday. According to Variety, he died in Newbury Park, California and was survived by his longtime companion and former wife, Ann Wakefield.
Selected filmography
Thoroughbreds (1944) - (uncredited)
The Phantom of 42nd Street (1945) - John Carraby
Without Reservations (1946) - Soldier (uncredited)
The Time of Their Lives (1946) - Dandy at Party (uncredited)
G-Men Never Forget (1948, Serial) - Duke - Dictaphone Boobytrap Thug [Ch. 5] (uncredited)
Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (1948) - Danton - Henchman
Sons of Adventure (1948) - George Norton - Cameraman
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948) - Amos Ramsey
Ghost of Zorro (1949, Serial) - Mulvaney - Ch. 3, 4
The James Brothers of Missouri (1949) - Mr. Carson (uncredited)
Radar Patrol vs. Spy King (1949, Serial) - Sands [Chs. 7-8]
Chain Lightning (1950) - Radio Operator (uncredited)
The Invisible Monster (1950) - Harris
The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - Reporter (uncredited)
Mystery Street (1950) - Reporter (uncredited)
Lonely Heart Bandits (1950) - Stevedore
Union Station (1950) - Hackett (uncredited)
A Life of Her Own (1950) - Photographer (uncredited)
Right Cross (1950) - Photographer (uncredited)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) - Cadet
Cuban Fireball (1951) - Photographer (uncredited)
Raton Pass (1951) - Sam
I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) - FBI Agent McGowan (uncredited)
Hollywood Story (1951) - 1st Detective (uncredited)
Show Boat (1951) - Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951) - Soldier (uncredited)
Honeychile (1951) - Marvin McKay
Man in the Saddle (1951) - Isham Rider (uncredited)
Northwest Territory (1951) - LeBeau
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - Jack - Circus Attendant (uncredited)
Scaramouche (1952) - Vignon (uncredited)
Actor's and Sin (1952) - Movie Hero (segment "Woman of Sin")
Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952) - Roth
Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom (1952) - Chuck
Old Oklahoma Plains (1952) - Chuck Ramsey
The Ring (1952) - Cop in Diner (uncredited)
Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952, Serial) - Ace Devlin [Chs.1-9]
Invasion U.S.A. (1952) - Man in Bar (uncredited)
Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) - State Trooper (uncredited)
Star of Texas (1953) - Texas Ranger Stockton
Marshal of Cedar Rock (1953) - Chris Peters - Henchman
Salome (1953) - Guard (uncredited)
Serpent of the Nile (1953) - Captain Domitius
Rebel City (1953) - Joe Spencer
Mission Over Korea (1953) - Tech Sergeant (uncredited)
Conquest of Cochise (1953) - Capt. Bill Lawson (uncredited)
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953, Serial) - Capt. Kidd [Chs. 1-13]
The Big Heat (1953) - Al - Bannion's Brother-in-Law (uncredited)
Slaves of Babylon (1953) - Avil - Belshazzar's Chief Soldier
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) - Guard (uncredited)
Three Sailors and a Girl (1953) - Shore Patrolman (uncredited)
Man Crazy (1953) - Farmer
Trader Tom of the China Seas (1954) - Bill Gaines
The Battle of Rogue River (1954) - Capt. Richard Hillman
Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954) - Gang Member (uncredited)
Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954) - Bonnett
The Key (1958) - American Captain
Blind Spot (1958) - Doctor
Orders to Kill (1958) - Maj. Kimball
Intent to Kill (1958) - Boyd
Floods of Fear (1958) - Jack Murphy
John Paul Jones (1959) - George Washington
Solomon and Sheba (1959) - Joab
Hell Is a City (1960) - Don Starling
I Aim at the Stars (1960) - Dr. Bosco - White Sands, New Mexico
Piccadilly Third Stop (1960) - Joe Preedy
The Man Who Was Nobody (1960) - South Africa Smith
Exodus (1960) - Captain Hank Schlosberg
The Impersonator (1961) - Sgt. Jimmy Bradford
The Long Shadow (1961) - Kelly
The 300 Spartans (1962) - Agathon the Spartan Spy
The Longest Day (1962) - Col. Caffey (uncredited)
Come Fly with Me (1963) - Co-Pilot
Captain Sindbad (1963) - Aram
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - Polydeuces (uncredited)
The Victors (1963) - U.S. Army Captain at rest area
The Americanization of Emily (1964) - Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - Alexander
I Saw What You Did (1965) - State Trooper
Duel at Diablo (1966) - Clay Dean
Return of the Gunfighter (1967) - Butch Cassidy
The Ravine (1969) - Captain Keller
J. W. Coop (1971) - Rancher
The Waltons (1972-1981) TV Series - Sheriff Ep Bridges
Napoleon and Samantha (1972) - Desk Sergeant
Trouble Man (1972) - Sergeant Koeppler
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) - Chief Engineer
The Severed Arm (1973) - Doctor Ray Sanders
The Towering Inferno (1974) - Callahan
Night Moves (1975) - Tom Iverson
The Enforcer (1976) - The Mayor
Outlaw Blues (1977) - Buzz Cavenaugh
Tilt (1979) - Mickey
Hollywood Knight (1979) - Josh
Dreamer (1979) - Riverboat Captain
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) - Captain Sherick
Elvis and the Beauty Queen (1981) - Vernon Presley
The Boogens (1981) - Brian Deering
The Other Victim (1981)
McClain's Law (1981) - Salvi
Yak's Best Ride (1984) - Director
Grave Secrets (1989) - Homer
References
External links
John Crawford at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection
1920 births
2010 deaths
American male film actors
Male actors from Washington (state)
People from Colfax, Washington