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IMDbPro

John Denver(1943-1997)

  • Music Artist
  • Music Department
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
John Denver in John Denver: The Higher We Fly (1983)
Home Video Trailer from Program Power
Play trailer1:40
Walking Thunder (1995)
2 Videos
37 Photos
His birth occurred on Friday, December 31st, 1943, as the son of an Air Force officer, Denver was constantly moved from state to state and country to country. It was in Tucson, Arizona, that his grandmother gave him his first acoustic guitar, a gift that would prove an icebreaker when meeting other students at the many new schools in which he was placed. After settling with his family in Fort Worth, Texas, Denver ran away to California for a short time. He returned to Texas and graduated from high school, but soon returned to California on a more permanent basis. He began performing at Leadbetter's night club in West Los Angeles but had a major career breakthrough when he was selected to replace the departing Chad Mitchell of The Chad Mitchell Trio. He remained with that organization until 1968 when he struck out on his own. From 1969 through 1975, Denver was the top-selling recording artist, appearing on both country and pop charts alike. His peak year was 1975, during which he was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in addition to being selected as the American Guild of Variety Artists' Singing Star of the Year. During this period, he tried his hand at acting, appearing as Deputy Dewey Cobb in a 1973 episode of McCloud (1970) and hosting Day of the Bighorn (1974), an ecologically-minded television special. His most memorable role came in 1977 when he starred opposite George Burns in the hit comedy, Oh, God! (1977). Following this, his record sales began to decline, and he made fewer movies and television specials. He became something of a political activist, with his main focus being on environmental issues. He was killed on Sunday, October 12th, 1997, (505 years after Christopher Columbus' discovery of North America) when the plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay. John Denver's lifetime: 19,616 days (2,802 weeks & 2 days).
BornDecember 31, 1943
DiedOctober 12, 1997(53)
BornDecember 31, 1943
DiedOctober 12, 1997(53)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 12 wins & 24 nominations total

Photos37

John Denver in McCloud (1970)
John Denver and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
John Denver and Farrah Fawcett in McCloud (1970)
John Denver and Farrah Fawcett in McCloud (1970)
John Denver in John Denver: The Wildlife Concert (1995)
John Denver and Cheryl Ladd
John Denver and George Burns in The George Burns One-Man Show (1977)
John Denver, Teri Garr, Moosie Drier, and Rachel Longaker in Oh, God! (1977)
John Denver and George Burns in Oh, God! (1977)
John Denver, Teri Garr, Moosie Drier, and Rachel Longaker in Oh, God! (1977)
John Denver in Oh, God! (1977)
John Denver and Teri Garr in Oh, God! (1977)

Known for

Liv Tyler, Bruce Willis, and Ben Affleck in Armageddon (1998)
Armageddon
6.7
  • Soundtrack("Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (uncredited))
  • 1998
Oh, God! (1977)
Oh, God!
6.6
  • Jerry Landers
  • 1977
Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Mark Strong, Channing Tatum, and Taron Egerton in Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
6.7
  • Soundtrack("Annie's Song", "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song")
  • 2017
The John Denver Show
7.5
TV Series
  • Self - Host
  • Self

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Music Department

  • Higher Ground (1988)
    Higher Ground
    • music consultant
    • TV Movie
    • 1988
  • Alaska, the American Child
    • songs by
    • 1978
  • Olivia Newton-John: Follow Me (1975)
    Olivia Newton-John: Follow Me
    • music and lyrics by
    • Music Video
    • 1975
  • Sunshine
    • composer: theme music
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • The Rangers
    • lyricist: theme music
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • Ernest Thompson in Sierra (1974)
    Sierra
    • lyricist: theme music
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • Sunshine (1973)
    Sunshine
    • original songs: words and music
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Eagle and the Hawk
    • music arranger
    • music performer
    • TV Special
    • 1971

Actor

  • Savant
    • Fargo
    • 1998
  • Walking Thunder (1995)
    Walking Thunder
    • John McKay
    • 1995
  • Higher Ground (1988)
    Higher Ground
    • Jim Clayton
    • TV Movie
    • 1988
  • Foxfire (1987)
    Foxfire
    • Dillard Nations
    • TV Movie
    • 1987
  • John Denver, Gennie James, and Jane Kaczmarek in The Christmas Gift (1986)
    The Christmas Gift
    • George Billings
    • TV Movie
    • 1986
  • The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    • Max Sinclair
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Feuer und Eis (1986)
    Feuer und Eis
    • Narrator (voice)
    • 1986
  • Oh, God! (1977)
    Oh, God!
    • Jerry Landers
    • 1977
  • Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
    McCloud
    • Deputy Dewey Cobb
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • Arthur Hill in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971)
    Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
    • Clark
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • John Denver: Take Me Home, Country Roads
    • John Denver
    • Music Video
    • 1971

Videos2

Oh, God!
Trailer 2:59
Oh, God!
Walking Thunder
Trailer 1:40
Walking Thunder

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Last.fm
  • Alternative name
    • Boise and Johnson Denver
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • December 31, 1943
    • Roswell, New Mexico, USA
  • Died
    • October 12, 1997
    • Monterey Bay, California, USA(plane crash)
  • Spouses
      Cassandra DelaneyAugust 12, 1988 - 1993 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Relatives
      Henry J. Deutschendorf II(Niece or Nephew)
  • Other works
    (album) Best of John Denver Live
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Biographical Movies
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 1 Interview
    • 4 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was cremated, and his ashes spread over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
  • Quotes
    [on composing for The Bears and I (1974)] Heck, I'm no Henry Mancini or Michel Legrand. I just play the guitar and write songs. I know I'm incapable of orchestrating an entire film. They just asked me to write something expressing the story about a guy who's back from Vietnam and sorta lost, who goes to an Indian village in the Northwest.
  • Trademark
      Wore wire framed glasses

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