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. He also played the mayor of San Francisco in 1976's The Enforcer, 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 Galileo Seven (1967) - Star Trek Episode
 * 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