Johnny Crawford Biography, Children, Age, Married, Wife, Gay

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Johnny Crawford is one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club and one of the few surviving cast members of the popular ABC Western series, The Rifleman. Johnny, who made his acting debut on The Pinky Lee Show in the 1950s, has been out of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades, having retired from acting since 1999.

The former actor will always be remembered for the notable role he played in The Rifleman where he portrayed the character, Mark McCain, between 1958 and 1963. After the show ended in the early 1960s, Johnny began to play in concerts. However, in 1992 he proved to be a talented musician, playing the role of leader of a California-based ancient dance orchestra. The multi-talented entertainer is still alive, though he’s managed to keep a low profile for the past few years.

Biography & Age

John Ernest Crawford was born into a family of singers and actors on March 26, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Robert Lawrence Crawford Sr. and Betty Crawford.

According to records, the Crawford family would have four children – Corydon, Nance, Robert and Johnny. In 1959, Johnny and his older brother – Robert Jr, best known for his role in NBC ‘s Laramie – got nominated for Emmy Awards in the acting categories while their father – Robert, Sr was nominated for an Emmy in film montage.

The famous singer, bandleader and actor is of American nationality with a mixture of Irish, Russian, English and German ancestry. Johnny Crawford graduated from Hollywood High School in 1964. The 5-foot-8 tall entertainer has been active in entertainment since 1954 and made the conscious decision to retire from acting in 1999.

Career

Johnny was still a child in the 1950s when his acting career began with an appearance on The Pinky Lee Show. The emerging star made several appearances in television series like Making Room for Daddy which was shown between 1956 and 1958, The Lone Ranger which was one of the most popular shows of 1956 and Telephone Hour which ran from 1956 to 1957.

It should be noted that Johnny Crawford was one of Walt Disney’s first Mouseketeers in 1955, as mentioned earlier.

The actor’s big break came in 1958 when he landed his role in The Rifleman, a well-known television series that premiered in 1958 on ABC Network and ended five years later in 1963. He also starred in several other productions including Village of the Giants, The Worried and Indian Painting which were all shown in 1965, El Dorado in 1966, Hawaii Five-O in 1968 and The Big Valley which was released in 1969.

The multi-talented entertainer’s career waned during the 1970s and he only had a few minor roles in a few movies and TV series, but the tide changed after a decade when he started starring in popular productions like William Tell (1987-1988), Macbeth (1981) and The American Cowboy (1985).

Before retiring in 1999, the famous actor appeared in several films and television series in the 1990s, such as The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Rupert Peterson Wants to Be a Superhero (1997) and The Gambler Returns: Lucky Du Nu (1991), which saw him revisit his role as The Rifleman. In addition to his acting career, the real artist is a musician of great reputation. He has been conductor of an orchestra of vintage dancers based in California since 1992.

Before retiring, Johnny Crawford had managed to create a career of which we can be extremely proud.

Johnny Crawford: children, married, wife, is he gay?

There has never been any controversy or rumors regarding the famous artist’s sexuality. His past relationships with the opposite sex are a pretty believable indication that he’s straight. In the early 1970s, Johnny Crawford was in a relationship with Debra Tate, a sister of the late famous actress – Sharon Tate.

Much later in the singer’s life, fate brought him and his former high school girlfriend, Charlotte Samco, together in 1990. Their rapprochement, which rekindled old flames, culminated in a wedding on February 14, 1995. The couple is still married but they are separated and no longer live together. Johnny is now in a relationship with American actress Kim Darby.

The actor never had children with his ex-wife or girlfriend.

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