Biography for
Richard Crenna More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

30 November 1926, Los Angeles, California, USA

Date of Death

17 January 2003, Los Angeles, California, USA (pancreatic cancer)

Birth Name

Richard Donald Crenna

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Richard Crenna was born into a modest-income family. His mother managed a small hotel in downtown Los Angeles where Richard and his family resided. When he finished high school he enrolled at the University of Southern California and majored in Theater Arts. He first appeared on network radio while still a teenager as Ougy Pringle in "A Date with Judy" (1946). When that show was canceled he was cast in the role of Walter Denton on "Our Miss Brooks" and stayed in the part when the show moved from radio to television ("Our Miss Brooks" (1952)). The part called for a gangly, awkward, cracked-voice adolescent. Crenna was a tall, graceful man with a rich voice, yet his acting skills were such that he was easily able to fulfill the character's requirements, leading many viewers to believe that he actually was of high school age, when in fact he was 26 years old at the time. When the show was canceled he was cast as "Luke" on "The Real McCoys" (1957). Richard married shortly after his graduation from USC, but the marriage was short-lived. He met and married his last wife in the late 1950s. He has more than 70 major motion pictures to his credit.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Don Britton <DONBRITTON@aol.com>

Mini Biography

Richard Crenna was born and bred in Los Angeles, where he began his career when he was eleven years old, playing the dimmer half of two youngsters called Herman and Sam in the Los Angeles radio show "Boy Scout Jamboree." He stayed with the series on and off for seventeen years, doing hundreds of other radio shows in between and somehow managed to graduate from high school with letters in track and basketball. He then went on to earn a degree from the University of Southern California. Crenna went on to star in two early television hits, "Our Miss Brooks" (1952) and "The Real McCoys" (1957), but it was his role as the dedicated state legislator in the short-lived "Slattery's People" (1964), which finally established him both as a dramatic actor and leading man. From that moment on, he has rarely been absent from either television or motion pictures. In 1985, Crenna was awarded an Emmy for Best Performance by an Actor for The Rape of Richard Beck (1985) (TV) Crenna has a star in The Walk of Fame. His is in a prime position, opposite Mann's Chinese Theatre, two stars down from his Rambo (1987) costar Sylvester Stallone.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Hannah (Penni) Smith Sweeny	(19 October 1957 - 17 January 2003) (his death) 2 children
Joan Grisham	(16 September 1950 - ?) (divorced)

Trivia

Was successfully treated for thyroid cancer, which almost claimed his voice.

Richard has three children - Seana, a social worker (b. 1955); Richard Anthony Crenna, an actor (b. 1962); and Maria, a CBS Vice-president (b. 1966). He also has two grandchildren - Emma (b. 1994) and Isabella (b. 1997).

Liked playing golf.

Crenna's character, Col. Denton Walters, in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), is a tip of the hat to his old character Walter Denton in the radio and television series "Our Miss Brooks" (1952).

His mother is named Penni.

Attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles.

He spoofed his role from the Rambo films in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993).

Member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the University of Southern California.

Attended Virgil Junior High School on Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Today it's known as Virgil Middle School.

Crenna had a recurring role on "Judging Amy" (1999) as Jared Duff, the fiancé of Maxine Gray, Tyne Daly's character. His unexpected death prompted the writers of the series to have his character die unexpectedly as well, just before Jared and Maxine were to be married. The 2003 episode, entitled "Requiem," was dedicated to Crenna's memory.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 111-112. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Personal Quotes

[on Charles Bronson] I don't think reviews get to Charlie much, though, unless they're especially personal. In the twenty-five years or so I've known him, he's not changed much. He's his own man. Stays pretty much to himself. If he cares what other people think of him, he doesn't show it.

[on working with Matt Dillon on "The Flamingo Kid"] I wasn't sure if I was going to encounter a teen idol or a professional, but I'm happy to report that Matt is a professional. He's very dedicated, very conscientious. He is very concerned about being a good actor and I think he's going to be around for a long time.