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John Ernest Crawford (born March 26, 1946) in Los Angeles, California) is a talented American actor, singer, and musician.
An original Mousketeer in 1955, Crawford has acted on stage, in films, and on television.
He received an Emmy Award nomination at the age of 13 for his role as "Mark McCain," the son of Lucas McCain, played by Chuck Connors, on the Four Star Television series The Rifleman, which originally aired from 1958-1963 on ABC. During this time, he had wide popularity with American teenagers and a recording career that generated five Top 40 hits, including the single "Cindy's Birthday," which peaked at #8 on Billboard's Top 40 Hit Chart in 1962.
Crawford played "Horsey," Tommy Kirk's cowboyish sidekick in the 1965 film Village of the Giants which also featured Joy Harmon, Beau Bridges, and Ron Howard.
The Naked Ape, a 1973 film directed by Donald Driver — based on the book — starred Crawford and Victoria Principal.
Crawford had a key role in the early career of Victoria Jackson of Saturday Night Live fame; after appearing together in a summer stock production of "Meet Me in St. Louis," he presented her with a one-way airline ticket to California and encouraged her to pursue a Hollywood career. This led to her early TV appearances on The Tonight Show before she was cast as a regular on Saturday Night Live.
Crawford is currently the leader of the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra, which specializes in traditional jazz, early big band, and classical styles of music.
He reconnected with his high school sweetheart Charlotte in 1990, and they wed in 1995.
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He comes from a family of musicians and was performing from the time he could walk. In 1955 his singing impersonation of Johnnie Ray led to a contract with Disney, where he became one of the original Mouseketeers. As an actor, Johnny Crawford has appeared in over 250 television productions, 15 movies, and 12 plays. He received an Emmy Nomination at the age of 13 for his role in the western television series, "The Rifleman."
Signed by Del-Fi Records in 1961, Johnny had five hits in the 1960s: Cindy's Birthday, Rumors, Your Nose Is Gonna Grow, Proud, and Patti Ann. During that period Del-Fi released five Johnny Crawford albums. Most of his Del-Fi recordings are now available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
Johnny has long been a fan of dance records from the first half of the 20th century. After making occasional appearances during the 1980s singing songs of that period to his own guitar accompaniment, Johnny spent two years in New York (1987-1989) as the vocalist in Vince Giordano's Nighthawks Orchestra. With The Nighthawks, Johnny was seen in numerous appearances on the East Coast, including a Garrison Keillor TV Special from Radio City Music Hall, and the George Bush Inaugural Ball of 1989.
Now Johnny enjoys singing with his own vintage dance orchestra, while also providing authentic period music for film, special events and education. Since 1990 The Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra has gathered an enthusiastic following in Southern California from concerts and dances to private and corporate events. Performances at The Hollywood Athletic Club (1997-98) are even referred to in Elmor Leonardís 1999 novel, Be Cool (the sequel to Get Shorty).
His first CD with the Vintage Dance Orchestra is being prepared for a fall release.
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