Johnny Crawford Biography

Fast Facts

• Winner of a Golden Boot and Kids of the West at the 2005 Golden Boot Awards
• Was one of Walt Disney's original Mouseketeers in 1955
• Quote: "I always say that life is not easy for anybody․ People hear about the young actors who have a rough life, but there are plenty of other kids who aren't actors who have a rough time, too, and I don't know if the ratio is any different․"
• Quote: "(On Chuck Connors) "He was my hero․ I enjoyed being with him․ He wasn't as stern as he was on camera․ He was like a kid around me․""
• Perhaps best known for his role as Mark McCain, the son of Lucas McCain, in the western series "The Rifleman․"
• His recording career during the late 1950s and early 1960s generated five Billboard Top 40 hits, including "Cindy's Birthday," which peaked at number eight
• Former member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the American Junior Rodeo Association
• Has led the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, a vintage dance orchestra, since 1992
• Helped comic and actress Victoria Jackson get her start after providing her with a one-way plane ticket to Hollywood, which led her to performing on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" numerous times and being cast on "Saturday Night Live․"
• Was a guest at the 2012 Memphis Film Festival's A Gathering of Guns 4: A TV Western Reunion
• Served in the United States Army for two years working on training films as a production coordinator, assistant director, script supervisor and occasional actor