John Larch (born Harold Aronin; October 4, 1914 – October 16, 2005; also credited Harry Larch) was an American

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

, film, and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early life and military service

John Larch was born Harold Aronin to Jewish parents in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1914. Nicknamed "Harry" in childhood, Larch was the younger of two children of Mitchell Aronin and Rose (née Larch) Aronin, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Russian-occupied areas of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

prior to 1908. According to Massachusetts birth registries and federal census records, Mitchell supported his family as a " cutter" in shoe factories. By 1920, the Aronins had moved to New York City, where Mitchell continued to work as a shoe cutter. Larch served four years in the United States Army during World War II, an experience that left him troubled for years after his discharge. In a 1965 interview with ''

The Berkshire Eagle ''The Berkshire Eagle'' is an American daily newspaper published in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and covering all of Berkshire County, as well as four New York communities near Pittsfield. It is considered a newspaper of record for Berkshire County, ...

'', a newspaper in his home state, he shared his views on how military service had affected him personally, especially his difficulties in readjusting to civilian life:

What was my hangup then? Just about everything. I was looking for the four years I had lost in service. I was also looking for a rhyme or reason to the mass murders that took place. I was looking for the ideals I had once had. I was disgusted with the world — a world in which civilians acted as though there hadn't been a worldwide holocaust.

Film

After his lead role in the

serial ''Captain Starr of Space'' during the broadcast season of 1953–1954, he began to perform increasingly in films. He was usually cast on the "big screen" in

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

('' How The West Was Won'', 1962) and in other action films outside that genre, including ''

Miracle of the White Stallions ''Miracle of the White Stallions'' is a 1963 American adventure war film released by Walt Disney starring Robert Taylor (playing Alois Podhajsky), Lilli Palmer, and Eddie Albert. It is the story of the evacuation of the Lipizzaner horses ...

'' as General George S. Patton Jr. (1963), the television film ''Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur'' as General

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...

(1976), and replacing James Gregory as Mac in the

Matt Helm Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916-2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of t ...

movie '' The Wrecking Crew'' (1969) starring Dean Martin, Sharon Tate, and Elke Sommer. Larch also appears in two 1971 Clint Eastwood films, ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

'' and ''

Play Misty for Me ''Play Misty for Me'' is a 1971 American psychological thriller film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The screenplay, written by regular Eastwood collaborators Jo Heims and ...

''.

Television

Larch had the role of Captain Ben Foster on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

series ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

'' (1965-1966). He guest-starred in ''

Jefferson Drum ''Jefferson Drum'', also known as ''The Pen and the Quill'', is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards that aired on the NBC network from April 25 to December 11, 1958. Overview Jefferson Drum, portrayed by Jeff Richards, i ...

''; ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

''; ''

Riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

''; '' Naked City'' (three episodes); '' Stoney Burke''; ''Route 66'' (three episodes); '' The Fugitive'' (two episodes); ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...

''; ''

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is a ...

'' (four episodes); '' Gunsmoke'' (seven episodes); '' The Virginian'' (four episodes, one of which was in 1970 as the Sheriff on ''The Men From Shiloh'', which was the rebranded name that year for ''The Virginian''); '' Bonanza''; ''

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

''; ''

Hawaii Five-0 Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an Ame ...

''; ''

Mission Impossible ''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...

'' (two episodes); ''

The Troubleshooters ''The Troubleshooters'' (titled ''Mogul'' for the first series) is a British television series made by the BBC between 1965 and 1972, created by John Elliot. It recounted events in an international oil company – the "Mogul" of the title. Th ...

''; '' Bus Stop''; ''

The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...

''; ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' (season one, episode 30, which aired on 27 May 1959); ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

''; the final episode of the James Stewart legal drama '' Hawkins''; ''

The Feather and Father Gang ''The Feather and Father Gang'' is a 1976–1977 American crime-drama television series starring Stefanie Powers and Harold Gould, which centers on an attorney who enlists her con-man father and his team of bunco artists to help her solve crime ...

''; '' The Millionaire''; three episodes of ''Twilight Zone'': " Perchance to Dream", "

Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in ho ...

", and " It's a Good Life", in which he played

Bill Mumy Charles William Mumy Jr. (; born February 1, 1954) is an American actor, writer, and musician and a figure in the science-fiction community/comic book fandom. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor, which included television appeara ...

's father with Mumy as a young boy; '' Rawhide'', in the episode " Incident At Sugar Creek" (1962) as Sam Garrett; ''

Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mic ...

'', in the season three episode "

Deadly Blessing ''Deadly Blessing'' is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven. The film tells the story of a strange figure committing murder in a contemporary community that is not far from another community that believes in ancient evil and curses. ...

"; ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'' (seven episodes); and ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' (seven episodes). He also starred as hunter Sam in Daniel Boone in the episode, Chief Mingo.

Personal life and death

Larch married actress

Vivi Janiss Vivi may refer to: People * Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...

, the former wife of actor

Bob Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in d ...

. Larch and Vivi married in Los Angeles in March 1955. Vivi died in 1988. The couple had no children. John continued to reside in Los Angeles, in Woodland Hills, until his death in 2005 at age 91. He is interred in a wall crypt at

Mount Sinai Memorial Park Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metrop ...

in nearby

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

."John Larch"
his crypt and memorial plaque pictured at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California. Find a Grave. Retrieved October 11, 2020.

Joint acting appearances with Janiss

During their long acting careers, Larch and his wife Vivi performed together periodically on television. Larch, for example, appears with her in the 1968 episode "Yesterday Died and Tomorrow Won't Be Born" on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

weekly crime drama ''Hawaii Five-O'' starring

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...

. On earlier television series, they appear in the roles of Johnny and Elsie in the 1959 episode "End of an Era" on

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series '' Tales of Wells Fargo''; as Isaiah and Rebecca Macabee in the 1960 episode "The Proud Earth" on the NBC anthology series ''

Goodyear Theatre ''Goodyear Theatre'' (also known as ''Award Theatre'' and ''Golden Years of Television'') is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from 1957 to 1960 for a total of 55 episodes. The live show was directed by many notable ...

''; as another married couple, Ben and Sarah Harness, in the 1960 episode "The Cathy Eckhart Story" on NBC's ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

''; and as John and Mary Clark in "No Fat Cops", the 1961 premiere episode of '' The New Breed'' starring

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

Partial filmography

*'' Bitter Creek'' (1954) - Hired Gunman *''

This Is My Love ''This Is My Love'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Joo Jin-mo and Kim Sa-rang. It aired on JTBC from May 29 to July 18, 2015 on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:40 ( KST) time slot for 16 episodes. Synopsis Top actor Ji Eun-ho ...

'' (1954) - Police Detective (uncredited) *'' Tight Spot'' (1955) - First Detective (uncredited) *''

Seven Angry Men ''Seven Angry Men'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Raymond Massey, Debra Paget and Jeffrey Hunter. It is about the abolitionist John Brown, particularly his involvement in Bleeding Kansas and hi ...

'' (1955) - Truce Flag-Bearing Sergeant (uncredited) *''

5 Against the House ''5 Against the House'' is a 1955 American heist film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Guy Madison, Kim Novak and Brian Keith. The supporting cast includes William Conrad. The screenplay is based on Jack Finney's 1954 novel of the same nam ...

'' (1955) - Police Detective (uncredited) *''

The Phenix City Story ''The Phenix City Story'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson for Allied Artists, written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur and starring John McIntire, Richard Kiley, and Kathryn Grant. It had an unusual "triple ...

'' (1955) - Clem Wilson *'' Gunsmoke'' (1955) - Clay *''

The Naked Street ''The Naked Street'' is a 1955 American crime film noir directed by Maxwell Shane. The drama features Farley Granger, Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft. Plot Phil Regal (Anthony Quinn), a tough racketeer, pulls strings to get his pregnant unmarri ...

'' (1955) - Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited) *''

The McConnell Story ''The McConnell Story'' is a 1955 dramatization of the life and career of United States Air Force (USAF) pilot Joseph C. McConnell (1922–1954) directed by Gordon Douglas. McConnell served as a navigator in World War II before becoming the ...

'' (1955) - Cy (uncredited) *''

Illegal Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body. Illegal may also refer to: Law * Violation of law * Crime, the practice of breaking the ...

'' (1955) - District Attorney's Man (uncredited) *'' The Killer Is Loose'' (1956) - Otto Flanders *'' Behind the High Wall'' (1956) - William Kiley *'' Seven Men from Now'' (1956) - Payte Bodeen *''

Written on the Wind ''Written on the Wind'' is a 1956 American Southern Gothic melodrama film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, and Dorothy Malone. It follows the dysfunctional family members of a Texas oil dynasty, ...

'' (1956) - Roy Carter *''

Man from Del Rio ''Man from Del Rio'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Harry Horner and written by Richard Carr. The film stars Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Peter Whitney, Douglas Fowley, John Larch, Whit Bissell and Douglas Spencer. The film was r ...

'' (1956) - Bill Dawson *''

Gun for a Coward ''Gun for a Coward'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Abner Biberman and starring Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter and Janice Rule. The film also stars Josephine Hutchinson as MacMurray's mother, despite being less than five ...

'' (1957) - Stringer *'' The Careless Years'' (1957) - Sam Vernon *'' Quantez'' (1957) - Heller *'' Man in the Shadow'' (1957) - Ed Yates *''

From Hell to Texas ''From Hell to Texas'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Murray and Diane Varsi. Plot Ruthless cattle baron Hunter Boyd orders his riders to capture a former ranch-hand, Tod Lohman, suspected of murder ...

'' (1958) - Hal Carmody *''

'' (1958) - as Sheriff Ryker in Episode "Hornitas Town" *''

'' (1958) - as Red Eye Kirk in "The Crisis at Easter Creek" *''

'' (1958) - as the Sheriff in "Thunder Valley" *''

The Saga of Hemp Brown ''The Saga of Hemp Brown'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Richard Carlson and starring Rory Calhoun and Beverly Garland. Plot A U.S. cavalry officer, Hemp Brown (Rory Calhoun), runs into some serious trouble when the p ...

'' (1958) - Jed Givens *''

The Walter Winchell File ''The Walter Winchell File'' is a television crime drama series that initially aired from 1957 to 1958, dramatizing cases from the New York City Police Department that were covered in the ''New York Daily Mirror''. The series featured columnist an ...

'' (1958, "Portrait of A Cop") - LT. Janiss *''

Hell to Eternity ''Hell to Eternity'' is a 1960 American World War II film starring Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic Damone and Patricia Owens, directed by Phil Karlson. This film biopic is about the true experiences of Marine hero Pfc. Guy Gabaldon (played b ...

'' (1960) - Capt. Schwabe *'' Gunsmoke'' (1961) - Shanks *'' How the West Was Won'' (1962) - Grimes (uncredited) *''

'' (1963) - Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. *'' The Wrecking Crew'' (1969) - MacDonald *'' The Great Bank Robbery'' (1969) - Sheriff of Friendly *''

Hail, Hero! ''Hail, Hero!'' is a 1969 drama film directed by David Miller, starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Winters and Peter Strauss. David Manber wrote the screenplay based on the novel by John Weston. The picture was produced by Harold D. Cohen and was ...

'' (1969) - Mr. Conklin *''

Move Move may refer to: People * Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move Go ...

'' (1970) - Mounted Patrolman *''

Cannon for Cordoba ''Cannon for Cordoba'' is a 1970 American Western film. Filmed in Spain, the larger part of the movie takes place in Mexico in 1912. Directed by Paul Wendkos, it stars George Peppard, Pete Duel, Giovanna Ralli, and Raf Vallone, and features a m ...

'' (1970) - Warner *''

'' (1971) - Sgt. McCallum *''

'' (1971) - Chief *''

Women in Chains ''Women in Chains'' is a 1972 American television film directed by Bernard L. Kowalski for ABC's ''Movie of the Week''. The leading players are Ida Lupino, Belinda Montgomery, Lois Nettleton and Jessica Walter. Plot Parole officer Sandra Parker ...

'' (1972) - Barney *''

Santee Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place * ...

'' (1973) - Banner *'' Winter Kill'' (1974, TV Movie) - Dr. Bill Hammond *''

Bad Ronald ''Bad Ronald'' is a 1974 American made-for-television horror thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, John Larch, Dabney Coleman and Kim Hunter. It is based on the novel of the same title by Jack Vance. P ...

'' (1974, TV Movie) - Sgt. Lynch *'' Framed'' (1975) - Bundy *''

The Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, b ...

'' (1979) - Father Nuncio *'' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982) - Prosecuting Attorney

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larch, John 1914 births 2005 deaths Male actors from Massachusetts American male film actors American male television actors People from Salem, Massachusetts Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Western (genre) television actors 20th-century American male actors Jewish American male actors American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews