Rod Lauren, born Roger Lawrence Strunk on March 26, 1939, in Fresno, California, was an American actor and singer. He began his career as a singer, achieving his breakthrough with the release of "If I Had a Girl" in 1960. The song reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960, marking Rod Lauren's most significant musical achievement. That same year, he performed twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. In addition to his singing career, Rod Lauren was also active as an actor, primarily working in television during the 1960s. He appeared in episodes of notable shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Combat!, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. His most recognized film role was in The Crawling Hand (1963), which later gained cult status when featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Rod Lauren's personal life included a marriage to Filipino actress Nida Blanca from 1979 until her death in 2001. Tragically, Rod Lauren committed suicide by jumping from a second-floor balcony of the Tracy Inn in Tracy, California, on July 11, 2007.
