William Johnson (March 22, 1916 – March 6, 1957) was an American actor and singer of the stage and screen.Obituary '' Variety'', March 13, 1957, page 63.

Biography

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland, United States, Johnson began his career as a child actor on the stage. He made his Broadway debut at the age of 8 as Gaffe in the 1924 play '' Shipwrecked''. He returned to Broadway in 1926 to portray the Hangman in Rudolf Friml's '' The Vagabond King''. He worked as a vaudeville performer up through the early 1930s. In 1939 he made his film debut in '' Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Crawford at Home'' where he sang the songs "

The Very Thought of You "The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. Thi ...

" and " I Love You Truly". He only appeared in two more films during his career, the roles of Captain Bill Barclay in '' Keep Your Powder Dry'' and Buzz Fletcher in '' It's a Pleasure'', both in 1945. He studied engineering at the University of Maryland. In 1940, Johnson returned to Broadway after a fourteen-year absence to star in the musical review '' All in Fun''. He was a regular performer on Broadway during the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such roles as Charlie in ''

Banjo Eyes ''Banjo Eyes'' is a musical based on the play ''Three Men on a Horse'' by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. It has a book by Joseph Quinlan and Izzy Ellinson, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by John La Touche and Harold Adamson. Produced by ...

'', Sherman in '' Yours, A. Lincoln'', Staff Sgt. Rocky Fulton in '' Something for the Boys'', Alex Maitland in '' The Day Before Spring'', and Hajj in '' Kismet'', among others. During this time, in 1945, he became a member of The Lambs. He starred opposite Ethel Merman in 1944, in '' Something for the Boys''. He also starred (as Fred Petruchio) alongside

Patricia Morison Eileen Patricia Augusta Fraser Morison (March 19, 1915 – May 20, 2018) was an American stage, television and film actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood and mezzo-soprano singer. She made her feature film debut in 1939 after several years on ...

in the first UK production of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's '' Kiss Me, Kate'', at the London Coliseum in 1951, and on the cast recording of that show. He also appeared in '' Annie Get Your Gun''. His last role on Broadway was in 1955–1956 as Doc in '' Pipe Dream'' for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination. He appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme '' Desert Island Discs'' on 27 June 1951. The programme asks guests to select eight records to have with them on a hypothetical desert island. Johnson's section included one of his own recordings, of "Where is the life that late I used to lead?", from ''Kiss Me, Kate'', in which he was appearing at the time.Transcript of Desert Island Discs appearance, in BBC archives Johnson died in Flemington, New Jersey, United States from a heart attack on March 6, 1957, just sixteen days before his 41st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Jet MacDonald, and 3-month-old daughter, Julie.

References

External links

* *
Photo of Johnson
and Patricia Morison in Kiss Me Kate, in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, William 1916 births 1957 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers Male actors from Baltimore Musicians from Baltimore Singers from Maryland 20th-century American male singers Members of The Lambs Club