John Ernest Crawford, known professionally as Johnny Crawford, was born on March 26, 1946, in Los Angeles, California. He began his career as a child actor and singer, first performing before a national audience as one of The Walt Disney Company's original Mouseketeers in 1955. At age 13, Crawford gained prominence for his role as Mark McCain in the television series The Rifleman, earning an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Crawford's music career began in the late 1950s and early 1960s with Del-Fi Records, where he released several hits including "Cindy's Birthday (1962) "Rumors" (1962), "Your Nose Is Gonna Grow" (1962), which peaked at number 8, and 14 on the Billboard charts in followed by "Proud" (1963). He continued to act in various television shows and films throughout his career. In 1970, Crawford appeared in the Academy Award-winning short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy. Beginning in 1992, he led the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra, a vintage dance orchestra that performed at special events. His final role was playing William S. Hart in the 2019 Western Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws. Crawford died on April 29, 2021, at age 75, after contracting COVID-19 and pneumonia, and later succumbing to Alzheimer's disease.
