John Bromfield

John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield;[1] June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American film and television actor.

John Bromfield
Bromfield as Frank Morgan.
Born
Farron Bromfield

(1922-06-11)June 11, 1922
DiedSeptember 19, 2005(2005-09-19) (aged 83)
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
OccupationActor and commercial fisherman
Years active19481960
Spouse(s)
Grace Landis
(divorced)

(m. 1948; div. 1954)

(m. 1955; div. 1959)

(m. 1962; his death 2005)

Early years

Farron Bromfield was born in South Bend, Indiana. He played football and was a boxing champion[2] at Saint Mary's College of California, where he also lettered in football, baseball, track and swimming.[3] In the 1940s, he gained his first acting experience at the La Jolla Playhouse.[4]

Military service

Bromfield served in the United States Navy in World War II.

Film

Bromfield's screen debut came in Harpoon (1948).[4] The same year, he was cast as a detective in Sorry, Wrong Number, starring Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck for Paramount Pictures. In 1953, Bromfield appeared with Esther Williams, Van Johnson and Tony Martin in Easy to Love.

He also starred in horror films, including the 1955 3D production Revenge of the Creature, one of the Creature from the Black Lagoon sequels.[5]

Television

In the middle 1950s, Bromfield appeared in westerns, such as NBC's Frontier anthology series in the role of a sheriff in the episode "The Hanging at Thunder Butte Creek".

In 1956, Bromfield was cast as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan in the syndicated western-themed crime drama series Sheriff of Cochise,[6] and in its spinoff, U.S. Marshal.[6]:1134 The real sheriff of Cochise County at the time, Jack Howard, visited the set when the program began and made Bromfield an honorary deputy. Bromfield once told The Los Angeles Times: "About 40 million see 'Sheriff of Cochise' or 'U.S. Marshal' every week. I'd have to do about twenty-five pictures, major pictures, over a span of eight or nine years for enough people to see me in the theater who see me in one week on 'U.S. Marshal'... The show is seen all over the world. Television is a fabulous medium."[7] The series was actually created by his co-star Stan Jones, who appeared in twenty-four segments as Deputy Harry Olson.[7]

Later years

In 1960, Bromfield retired from acting to produce sports shows and work as a commercial fisherman off Newport Beach, California.

Personal life

Bromfield married Grace Landis while in college. They later divorced. He married actress Corinne Calvet in Boulder, Colorado, in 1948. They were divorced March 16, 1954.[8] He also was divorced from actress/dancer Larri Thomas. He and his fourth wife, actress/dancer and author Mary Ellen Bromfield, were married 43 years.[9]

Death

Bromfield died September 18, 2005, at age 83 from renal failure in Palm Desert, California.[4]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1948Sorry, Wrong NumberJoe - Detective
1948HarpoonMichael Shand
1949Rope of SandThompson
1950Paid in FullDr. Clark
1950The FuriesClay Jeffords
1952The Cimarron KidTulsa JackUncredited
1952Hold That LineBiff Wallace
1952Flat TopEns. Snakehips McKay
1953Easy to LoveHank
1954Ring of FearArmand St. Dennis
1954The Black DakotasMike Daugherty
1955Revenge of the CreatureJoe Hayes
1955The Big BluffRicardo De Villa
1955The Tender TrapActor in 'Easy to Love' - Movie on TVUncredited
1956Three Bad SistersJim Norton
1956ManfishCaptain Brannigan
1956Crime Against JoeJoe Manning
1956Quincannon, Frontier ScoutLt. Burke
1956Frontier GamblerDeputy Marshal Curt Darrow
1956Hot CarsNick Dunn
1956Curucu, Beast of the AmazonRock Dean
1961Morgan keibu to nazô no otoko(final film role)

See also

References

  1. Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. p. 77. ISBN 9780786457632. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  2. Abbott, Peter (January 1957). "What's New from Coast to Coast". TV Radio Mirror. 47 (2): 5. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. Keating, Micheline (February 7, 1959). "The Sheriff Gets a Promotion". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. p. 17. Retrieved January 14, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
  4. III, Harris M. Lentz (2006). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 46. ISBN 9780786452101. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. "Obituaries: John Bromfield". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 20 September 2005. p. 6B. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  6. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 960.
  7. The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., September 26, 2005, p. B 4
  8. "Corinne Calvet Divorces Actor John Bromfield". Newport Daily News. Rhode Island, Newport. Associated Press. March 17, 1954. p. 15. Retrieved January 14, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "John Bromfield". The Indiana Gazette. Pennsylvania, Indiana. Associated Press. November 21, 1985. p. 4. Retrieved January 14, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.