Johnnie Johnston

Johnny Johnston (December 1, 1915 – January 6, 1996) was an American actor and singer who was popular in the 1940s.

Early years
He was born John Clifford Johnston in St. Louis, Missouri.

Radio
In the late 1930s, Johnston had his own program on NBC-Blue.

Recordings
Johnston had several hits on the Capitol label.

Personal life and death
Johnston was married five times, and had five children. One of his marriages was to actress Kathryn Grayson at an August 22, 1947 ceremony in Carmel, California. Grayson was his second wife. On October 7, 1948, the couple's only child, daughter, Patricia Kathryn "Patty Kate" Johnston, was born. Grayson and Johnston separated on November 15, 1950. On October 3, 1951, Grayson was given a divorce from Johnston on the grounds of mental cruelty.

Johnston's This Time for Keeps co-star, Esther Williams, claimed in her 1999 autobiography that while making the film, Johnston would read Grayson's intimate letters aloud to the girls in his fan club, including the "all-too-graphic details concerning what she liked about his love-making." Later, he operated a nightclub in New York City.

On July 31, 1952, Johnston married Shirley I. Carmel in Greenwich, Connecticut. He died in 1996, aged 80.

Filmography

 * Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
 * Priorities on Parade (1942)
 * This Time for Keeps (1947)
 * Unchained (1955)
 * Rock Around the Clock (1956)