Gary Crosby (actor)

Gary Evan Crosby (June 27, 1933 – August 24, 1995) was an American singer and actor. His parents were Bing Crosby, of whom he wrote a highly critical memoir, and the singer and actress Dixie Lee.

For other people named Gary Crosby, see Gary Crosby (disambiguation).
Gary Crosby
Gary with father, Bing in 1951
Born
Gary Evan Crosby

(1933-06-27)June 27, 1933
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 24, 1995(1995-08-24) (aged 62)
Burbank, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1945–1995
Spouse(s)
  • Barbara Cosentino
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1960; div. 1981)​
  • Andrea Claudio
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1981, divorced)​
  • Carol Crosby
    ​
    (div. 1995)​
Children1
Parent(s)
RelativesPhillip Crosby (brother)
Dennis Crosby (brother)
Lindsay Crosby (brother)
Harry Crosby III (half-brother)
Mary Crosby (half-sister)
Nathaniel Crosby (half-brother)
Larry Crosby (uncle)
Bob Crosby (uncle)
Chris Crosby (cousin)
Denise Crosby (niece)

Biography

Gary Crosby was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University.[1][2] He entered the entertainment business and performed in a harmony singing group, The Crosby Boys, with his three brothers, Philip, Lindsay, and Dennis, during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. As a teenager, he duetted with his father on two songs, "Sam's Song" and "Play a Simple Melody", which became the first double-sided gold record in history.[3] He also recorded duets with Louis Armstrong and at least one 45-single with Sammy Davis Jr.. He also performed on several variety programs, including ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.[4]

Radio star

In the mid-1950s, he had his own radio program, the Gary Crosby Show on CBS.[5] The musical variety program debuted June 6, 1954, as a summer replacement for Bing Crosby's show.[6]

Actor

As an actor, Crosby appeared in many television programs. On March 20, 1955, he appeared on the Jack Benny Program Season 5, Episode 13. Later, he was briefly under contract to 20th Century-Fox in the late 1950s. He appeared in a number of supporting roles for the studio, normally comedies in which Crosby played a soldier: Mardi Gras (1958) with Pat Boone; Holiday for Lovers (1959), as Carol Lynley's love interest; A Private's Affair (1959), with Sal Mineo; The Right Approach (1961) with Frankie Vaughan.

He is perhaps best-remembered for his recurring roles as Eddie the scheming bellhop on The Bill Dana Show and Officer Edward "Ed" Wells on NBC's Adam-12 from 1968–75, as well as appearances on several other shows produced by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited (including an episode of Dragnet 1969 and five episodes of Emergency!).[4] In addition to the aforementioned, he also appeared in three episodes of The Rockford Files.

In 1965, he made a guest appearance on Perry Mason as singer Jazbo Williams in "The Case of the Frustrated Folk Singer".[4] He appeared in Girl Happy (1965), starring Elvis Presley, with whom he had been stationed in the Army in Germany, and in "Come Wander with Me," an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1964. Gary also made an appearance in his father's 1964 sitcom, The Bing Crosby Show (1964 TV series) in the second episode as a lookalike. In the 1970s, he appeared occasionally on game shows such as Match Game and Tattletales as a guest panelist. He married and divorced three times; he had one stepchild as a result.[4]

Memoir

In 1983, six years after his father's death, Crosby published an autobiography, Going My Own Way, which revealed the effects of his alcoholism and his difficult childhood as a result of his mother's alcoholism and his father's emotional and physical abuse. Some, especially his brother Phillip, said the abuse was not as severe as Crosby described. However, his brothers Lindsay and Dennis reportedly confirmed Crosby's account.[7]

Death

Gary Crosby died of lung cancer in Burbank, California in 1995, and is interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery.[8]

Family relations

Filmography

Bibliography
  • Crosby, Gary; Firestone, Ross (1983). Going My Own Way. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385170550.

References
  1. Crosby, Gary; Firestone, Ross. Going My Own Way. Doubleday, 1983, pp. 211-212.
  2. Gary Crosby, Bing's Son And Actor, 62
  3. "Gary Crosby, Bing's Son And Actor, 62". The New York Times. Reuters. August 26, 1995.
  4. Gary Crosby at IMDb
  5. "Looie, Gary Crosby Hot". Pittsburgh Courier. September 24, 1955. p. 15. Retrieved April 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Son To Step In Dad's Shoes With Own 'Gary Crosby Show'". Kokomo Tribune. May 20, 1954. p. 13. Retrieved April 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Oliver, Myrna (August 25, 1995). "Gary Crosby; Singer, Actor, Son of Star". Los Angeles Times.
  8. "Funeral Services Today for Actor Gary Crosby". Los Angeles Times. August 29, 1995. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
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