John Craven (June 22, 1916 – November 24, 1995) was an American actor in theater, film, and television.
Biography
Craven was born on June 22, 1916, in New York City. He was a third-generation actor, following in the profession of his father, Frank Craven, and his grandfather, John T. Craven. His mother, Mary Blythe, was an actress prior to marriage. He had an older sister, Blyth Daly (1901-1965), born when the family lived in England. His baby picture was printed in the March, 1922 edition of Success magazine in an article about his father's career. He attended Beverly Hills High School in 1935."The Watchtower," Beverly Hills High School, 1935.
Craven began on Broadway as assistant stage manager for Babes in Arms in 1937.The Playbill, New York Theatre Program Corporation, 1938, 22. Then he returned to Beverly Hills, starring in "The Thirteenth Chair" and Noël Coward's "Hay Fever" at Harold Lloyd's Beverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals. He was originally slated to play a townsperson in the original stage version of Our Town at the Morosco Theatre, in which his father played the stage manager. After director Jed Harris heard him read, however, he gave him the juvenile leading role of George. Craven was overlooked in the movie version, however, with the part going to the then-unknown William Holden. He married actress Evelyn R. Barrows in New York on September 16, 1938, when they were both 22.New York, New York, Index to Marriage Licenses, 1938-1940. He later married Dorothy Langan in the 1950s, and they had a son, Frank Craven, in 1955, thus continuing a pattern of alternating generations of men named Frank and John. Craven registered for the draft in WWII on October 16, 1940. He was stationed in Naples, Italy during World War II as a private, and put on shows for the USO. On his WWII draft card he listed his employer as the Henry Miller Theater, which today is the Stephen Sondheim Theater.World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives.
On November 24, 1995, Craven died at his home in Salt Point, New York.(27 November 1995). Actor John Craven Dies at 79, Buffalo News
Broadway (selected) +YearTitleRole1937Babes in ArmsAssistant stage manager (non-acting)1938Our TownGeorge Gibbs1939Aries is RisingRoland Harris1939Happiest DaysJeff1940Delicate StoryOliver Odry1940Two on an IslandJohn Thompson1941Spring AgainTom Cornish1941Village GreenJeremiah Bentham1949They Knew What They WantedThe R. F. D.
Filmography (selected) Year Title Role Notes1937 Over the Goal King1943 The Human Comedy Tobey George1943 Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case Roy Todwell1943 Someone to Remember Dan Freeman1943 For God and Country Danny Brewer Short1944 The Purple Heart Sergeant Martin Stoner 1944 Meet the People John Swanson 1944 In the Meantime, Darling Sleeping Soldier Uncredited1946 Flight to Nowhere Claude Forrest 1946 Swell Guy Mike O'Connor 1953 Count the Hours! George Braden 1954 Security Risk Dr. Lanson 1955 The Green Mountain Boys Remember Baker TV movie1956 Battle Stations Commander James Matthews 1956 Navy Wife Dr. Carter 1956 Hold Back the Night Major Bob MacKay 1956 Friendly Persuasion Band Leader Uncredited1958 Revolt in the Big House Guard Uncredited1960 Ocean's 11 Cashier Uncredited1960 Let's Make Love Comstock Uncredited1964 The Brass Bottle 2nd Psychiatrist Uncredited1970 The Wild Scene Morton
Television (selected) YearTitleRole Notes1952The Egg and IJim3 episodes1954Public DefenderSelwaySeason 1 Episode 11: "Pauper's Gold" 1956 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Harry Drew / Dolan Season 1 Episode 28: "One of Jesse's Gang"1959One Step BeyondHarry TellerSeason 1 Episode 2: "Night of April 14" 1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Older Clete Vine Season 5 Episode 20: "The Day of the Bullet" 1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Herbert Gold Season 6 Episode 4: "The Contest for Aaron Gold" 1960 Wanted Dead or Alive Zack Dawson Season 3 Episode 9 "Criss-Cross" 1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Tommy Season 6 Episode 17: "The Last Escape"1963The Twilight ZoneTownsmanSeason 5 Episode 7: "The Old Man in the Cave"
References
External links
Obituary in The New York Times "Our Town" presented on The Campbell Playhouse, with Orson Welles and guest star John Craven (May 12, 1939)