Buster Crabbe

Nevertheless, he is best remembered today as one of the original action heroes of the cinema. He died at age 91 of prostate cancer at his home in Fairfield, Connecticut. Crabbe's career waned somewhat in the 1950s, though he did make regular television appearances including one on an episode of the 1979 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century where he plays a retired warrior named "Brigadier Gordon" in honor of Flash Gordon. He married author Susan Cooper in July 1996. Crabbe starred in the television series, Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion (1955 to 1957) as Captain Michael Gallant; the adventure series aired on NBC. His 1991 autobiography was called A Terrible Liar (ISBN 0688128440). Other characters he portrayed included Western hero Billy the Kid and Buck Rogers. He became an American citizen late in life.

His next major role was as Flash Gordon in the popular Flash Gordon serial (a role he reprised in two sequels). Cronyn was married to actress Jessica Tandy from 1942 until her death in September 1994, and appeared with her in many of their more memorable dramatic outings, including The Gin Game, Foxfire, Cocoon and Cocoon: The Return. In the 1933 movie, King of the Jungle the 1941's Jungle Man, and the 1952 serial, King of the Congo he played similar roles...but that's not Tarzan. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in The Seventh Cross in 1944. Other than a 1964 remake of the same movie, it would be the only movie in which he starred as Tarzan. His initial Hollywood film was in 1943 in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt; he later appeared in that director's Lifeboat, and was a writer for the screenplays of Rope and Under Capricorn. Crabbe's role in a 1933 Tarzan serial, also issued as a full length movie Tarzan the Fearless, launched a successful career in which he starred in over one hundred movies. In 1934, he made his Broadway debut as a janitor in "Hipper's Holiday" and became known for his versatility, playing a number of different roles on stage.

Ironically, at that Olympics, he broke the record held by Johnny Weissmuller, whose role as Tarzan he would later assume. Hume Cronyn studied drama at McGill University, and continued his acting studies under Max Reinhardt and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Raised in Hawaii, he excelled as a swimmer and participated in two Olympic Games: 1928, where he won the bronze medal for the 1,500 meter freestyle, and 1932, where he won the gold medal for the 400 meter freestyle. His great-grandfather was Bishop Benjamin Cronyn, founder of Huron College at the University of Western Ontario. According to the Internet Movie Database he was born February 17, 1907, and his birth name was Clarence Linden Crabbe. He was born in London, Ontario, Canada, one of three children of Hume Blake Cronyn (a businessman and a Member of Parliament for London, and for whom Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory and asteroid (12050) Humecronyn are named) and his wife Frances Amelia Labatt, of the brewing company family. Larry 'Buster' Crabbe (February 7, probably in 1908, Oakland, California - April 23, 1983, Scottsdale, Arizona) was an American athlete turned actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s. Hume Blake Cronyn (July 18, 1911 - June 15, 2003) was a stage and film actor.

Off Season - 2001 - (television). Yesterday's Children - 2000 - (television). Santa and Pete - 1999 - (television). Sea People - 1999 - (television).

Seasons of Love - 1998 - (television). Alone - 1997 - (television). 12 Angry Men - 1997 - (television). Marvin's Room - 1996.

Camilla - 1994. The Pelican Brief - 1993. To Dance with the White Dog - 1993 - (television). Broadway Bound - 1992 - (television).

Christmas on Division Street - 1991 - (television). Age-Old Friends - 1989 - (television). Day One - 1989 - (television). Cocoon: The Return - 1988.

Foxfire - 1987 - (television). *batteries not included - 1987. Cocoon - 1985. Brewster's Millions - 1984.

Impulse - 1984. The World According to Garp - 1982. The Gin Game - 1981 - (television). Honky Tonk Freeway - 1981.

Rollover - 1981. Conrack - 1974. The Parallax View - 1974. There Was a Crooked Man... - 1970.

Gaily, Gaily - 1969. The Arrangement - 1969. Hamlet - 1964. Cleopatra - 1963.

Sunrise at Campobello - 1960. Juno and the Paycock - 1960 - (television). A Doll's House - 1959 - (television). The Moon and Sixpence - 1959 (television).

Crowded Paradise - 1956. People Will Talk - 1951. Top o' the Morning - 1949. The Bride Goes Wild - 1948.

Brute Force - 1947. The Beginning or the End - 1947. The Green Years - 1946. The Postman Always Rings Twice - 1946.

Ziegfeld Follies - 1946. A Letter for Evie - 1945. The Sailor Takes a Wife - 1945. Main Street After Dark - 1945.

The Seventh Cross - 1944. Lifeboat - 1944. The Cross of Lorraine - 1943. Phantom of the Opera - 1943.

Shadow of a Doubt - 1943. The Petition - 1986. Foxfire - 1982 (performed, wrote play and lyrics). The Gin Game - 1977 (performed, produced).

Noël Coward in Two Keys - 1974. Promenade, All! - 1972. A Delicate Balance - 1966. Slow Dance on the Killing Ground - 1964.

The Physicists - 1964. Hamlet - 1964 (Tony Award for role of Polonius). Big Fish, Little Fish - 1961. Triple Play - 1959.

The Man in the Dog Suit - 1958. The Egghead - 1957. A Day By The Sea - 1955. The Honeys - 1955.

The Fourposter - 1951. The Little Blue Light - 1951. Hilda Crane - 1950. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - 1950.

The Survivors - 1948. Portrait of a Madonna - 1946 (Director). Big - 1941. Mr.