Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: Broderick Crawford ( December 9 , 1911 â `` April 26 , 1986 ) was an Academy Award-winning American stage , film , radio and TV actor , often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series `` Highway Patrol . ''
Simplified: Broderick Crawford ( December 9 , 1911 - April 26 , 1986 , was an American actor .