Johnnie Johnston
American actor and singer (1915–1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johnny Johnston (December 1, 1915 – January 6, 1996)[1] was an American actor and singer who was popular in the 1940s.
Singer
- Dorothy Marubio
Johnnie Johnston | |
|---|---|
Johnston in 1945 | |
| Born | John Clifford Johnston December 1, 1915 |
| Died | January 6, 1996 (aged 80) Cape Coral, Florida, US |
| Occupations | Actor Singer |
| Spouses |
Shirley Carmel
(m. 1952, divorced)Beverley Markley (m. 1975) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Kristin Towers-Rowles (granddaughter) |
Early years
He was born John Clifford Johnston in St. Louis, Missouri.[citation needed]
Career
In the late 1930s, Johnston had his own program on NBC-Blue.[2]
Johnston had several hits on the Capitol label.
The Johnny Johnston Show, a variety television program, debuted on February 2, 1951, on CBS and ended on February 9, 1951.[3] Johnston sang and was host on the 45-minute program, which was broadcast on weekday afternoons.[4]
Personal life and death
Johnston was married five times, and had five children. One of his marriages was to actress Kathryn Grayson[5] at an August 22, 1947 ceremony in Carmel, California.[6] Grayson was his second wife.[7] 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.[8]
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."[9] Later, he operated a nightclub in New York City.[5]
On July 31, 1952, Johnston married Shirley I. Carmel in Greenwich, Connecticut.[7] He died in 1996, aged 80.
Hit recordings
Filmography
- Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
- Priorities on Parade (1942)[12]
- This Time for Keeps (1947)[13]
- Unchained (1955)
- Rock Around the Clock (1956)
