Bob Crane

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Birth Name: Robert Edward Crane

Born: 13 July 1928 Died: 29 June 1978

Country of origin: United States

Height: 5' 10"

Relationship Status: Married

Partner: Sigrid Valdis

Lists

202 votes

Premature Deaths (Actors and Actresses) (133 items)
list by xolmis

Published 10 years, 4 months ago

30 comments

121 votes

i was murdered/assassinated (28 items)
list by Severin Severin

Published 13 years, 8 months ago

23 comments

105 votes

100 Graves of Famous Actors/Actresses (100 items)
list by geojones100

Published 15 years, 1 month ago

12 comments

98 votes

Gone, but not forgotten (1954 items)
list by Agent Kermit D. Fonz

Published 7 months, 1 week ago

10 comments

12 votes

Famous Cancerians (381 items)
list by Agent Kermit D. Fonz

Published 13 years, 11 months ago

1 comment

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Description: Bob Crane was born Robert Edward Crane, in Waterbury, Connecticut, July 13th 1928. In 1942, at the age of 14, Bob began drumming for the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. He was dismissed a year later because he was not considered "serious enough". Shortly thereafter Bob began a radio career which eventually took him west to Los Angeles and landed him in the morning drive slot at CBS powerhouse KNX, where he became known as "The King of the Los Angeles Airwaves". His show was not only wildly successful, it was revolutionary. Bob filled the broadcast booth with wry wit and charisma, not to mention drums, chimpan Bob Crane was born Robert Edward Crane, in Waterbury, Connecticut, July 13th 1928. In 1942, at the age of 14, Bob began drumming for the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. He was dismissed a year later because he was not considered "serious enough". Shortly thereafter Bob began a radio career which eventually took him west to Los Angeles and landed him in the morning drive slot at CBS powerhouse KNX, where he became known as "The King of the Los Angeles Airwaves". His show was not only wildly successful, it was revolutionary. Bob filled the broadcast booth with wry wit and charisma, not to mention drums, chimpanzees, and movie stars.

His show was the number-one-rated morning show in Los Angeles and Hollywood's biggest stars were regular guests on his show: Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Jayne Mansfield, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra, to name only a handful. It was during his reign as "King of the L.A. Airwaves" that Crane captured the attention of CBS television executives. He began making guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), among others. Soon he landed himself a regular role on The Donna Reed Show (1958), as "Doctor David Kelsey". However Crane's character was dropped after two seasons because executives decided the flirtatious Kelsey was "too suggestive". Then, in 1965, Crane was offered the starring role in a highly controversial television pilot about Allied prisoners in a German P.O.W. camp. The pilot made a splash and Hogan's Heroes (1965) went on to become one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. In 1966 and 1967 Bob was nominated for two Emmy awards - this would be the peak of his career.

In 1971, after a six-year run, CBS inexplicably canceled "Hogan's Heroes" when management decided to take the entire network in a different direction. In the years following the cancellation of "Hogan's Heroes", Bob stayed busy with various film and television appearances, including two Disney films, Superdad (1973) and Gus (1976). Bob also remained a regular guest on the talk show circuit, as well as a guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).

In 1975 NBC gave Bob another shot at prime-time with The Bob Crane Show (1975). However the show was not a critical success and it was canceled after only thirteen episodes. For the next several years Bob showed his wares on the dinner theater circuit, acting and directing in "Beginner's Luck", among other productions. It was during a 1978 run of "Beginner's Luck" that Bob Crane was brutally murdered in a Scottsdale hotel room. His murder remains a mystery.

Education: Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.

Spouse(s):
Anne Terzian (1949-1970) - divorced (3 children)
Sigrid Valdis (nee Patricia "Patty" Olsen), actress (October 16 1970-June 29 1978, his death) - 2 children

Children: Robert David "Bobby" Crane, Deborah Ann "Debbie" Crane, Karen Leslie Crane, Robert Scott "Scotty" Crane (born: 1971) & Ana Marie Crane (adopted)

Actor and disc jockey, best known for his performance as Colonel Robert E. Hogan in the television sitcom 'Hogan's Heroes' from 1965 to 1971 and for his 1978 murder, which remains officially unsolved.

Died: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA - murdered by an unknown assailant (bludgeoned to death). ... (more)