Joel McCrea
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Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and
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 ...
, for which he became best known. He appeared in over one hundred films, starring in over eighty, among them
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
thriller ''
Foreign Correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' (1940),
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...
'
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
classics ''
Sullivan's Travels ''Sullivan's Travels'' is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to ...
'' (1941), and ''
The Palm Beach Story ''The Palm Beach Story'' is a 1942 screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor and Rudy Vallée. Victor Young contributed the musical score, including a fast-paced variati ...
'' (1942), the
romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
'' Bird of Paradise'' (1932), the
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
classic ''
The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...
'' (1932),
Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...
's bawdy comedy ''
Bed of Roses A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many b ...
'' (1933),
George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nomi ...
' six-time Academy Award nominated romantic comedy ''
The More the Merrier ''The More the Merrier'' is a 1943 American comedy film by Columbia Pictures starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, and directed by George Stevens. The film script — from "Two's a Crowd", an original screenplay by Garson Kan ...
'' (1943),
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...
's ''
These Three ''These Three'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, and Bonita Granville. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play '' The Children's Hour''. A 1961 re ...
'', '' Come and Get It'' (both 1936) and ''
Dead End Dead End or dead end may refer to: * Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''. Film and television * ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by Davi ...
'' (1937),
Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...
' '' Barbary Coast'' (1935), and a number of western films, including '' Wichita'' (1955) as
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...
and
Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institute ...
's ''
Ride the High Country ''Ride the High Country'' (released internationally as ''Guns in the Afternoon'') is a 1962 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Mariette Hartley. The supporting cast includ ...
'' (1962), opposite
Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...
. He starred in a total of three Best Picture Oscar nominees: ''Dead End'' (1937), ''Foreign Correspondent'' (1940), and ''The More the Merrier'' (1943). With the exception of the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
thriller ''
Rough Shoot ''Rough Shoot'', released in the USA as ''Shoot First'', is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Robert Parrish and written by Eric Ambler, based on the 1951 novel by Geoffrey Household. The film stars Joel McCrea, in his only postwar no ...
'' (1953) and film noir ''
Hollywood Story ''Hollywood Story'' is a 1951 American mystery film directed by William Castle and starring Richard Conte and Julie Adams. The supporting cast features Richard Egan (actor), Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark and Jim Backus. The film was an at ...
'' (1951), McCrea appeared in Western films exclusively from 1946 until his retirement in 1976.


Early life

McCrea was born in
South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in the West San Gabriel Valley. It ...
, the son of Thomas McCrea, an executive with the L.A. Gas & Electric Company, and Louise "Lou" Whipple. As a boy, he had a paper route delivering the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' to
Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...
and other people in the film industry. He also had the opportunity to watch D. W. Griffith filming ''
Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...
'', and was an extra in a serial starring
Ruth Roland Ruth Roland (August 26, 1892 – September 22, 1937) was an American stage and film actress and film producer. Early life and career Roland was born in San Francisco, California to Elizabeth Lillian Hauser and Jack Roland. Her father managed a t ...
.Erickson, Ha
Biography (Allmovie)
/ref> McCrea graduated from
Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...
and then
Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...
(class of 1928.) There he had acted on stage and took courses in drama and public speaking, while also appearing regularly at the
Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...
. In 1928 he also met
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...
in Hollywood - later in 1955, McCrea would portray Earp in the film, '' Wichita.'' As a high school student McCrea worked as a stunt double and held horses for Hollywood cowboy stars
William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and inte ...
and
Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
. McCrea had a love and understanding of horses from an early time, and later he was considered one of the best riders in Western films. The strapping 6'2½" McCrea variously worked as an extra, stunt man, and bit player from 1927 to 1928, when he signed a contract with
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
. He was cast in a major role in '' The Jazz Age'' (1929), and got his first leading role that same year in '' The Silver Horde''. He moved to
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
in 1930, where he established himself as a handsome and versatile leading man capable of starring in both dramas and comedies.


Career

In the 1930s, McCrea starred in the controversial pre-code film, '' Bird of Paradise'' (1932), directed by
King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
, co-starring with Dolores del Río. In RKO's ''
The Sport Parade ''The Sport Parade'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Dudley Murphy and starring Joel McCrea, Marian Marsh, William Gargan, Robert Benchley, and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. Benchley also co-wrot ...
'' (1932), McCrea and
William Gargan William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
are friends on the Dartmouth football team, who are shown snapping towels at each other in the locker room, while other players are taking a shower. In 1932 he starred with
Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray a ...
in ''
The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...
'' – which used some of the same jungle sets built for ''
King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'' (1933) as well as cast members Wray and Robert Armstrong, and was filmed at night while ''King Kong'' was filmed during the day. He was originally intended for the character Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong'', but he turned down the role because he didn't want to become typecast in "jungle films". The role subsequently went to Bruce Cabot. In 1934 he made his first appearances with two leading ladies he would be paired with often,
Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...
in '' The Richest Girl in the World'', the first of their five films together, and
Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...
in ''
Gambling Lady ''Gambling Lady'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien. Plot Mike Lee raises his daughter Lady Lee to be as honest a gambler as he is. When he gets ...
'', the first of their six pairings. Later in the decade he was the first actor to play "Dr. Kildare", in the film ''
Internes Can't Take Money ''Internes Can't Take Money'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Alfred Santell and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Lloyd Nolan and Stanley Ridges. McCrea portrays Dr. Kildare in the character's first screen appearance. Metro-Goldw ...
'' (1937), and starred in two large-scale Westerns, ''
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
'' (1937) with his wife
Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film '' An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known for starring in the 1943 ...
, and Cecil B. DeMille's ''
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
'' (1939). McCrea reached the peak of his early career in the early 1940s, in
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's thriller ''
Foreign Correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' (1940), a romantic comedy, ''
The More the Merrier ''The More the Merrier'' is a 1943 American comedy film by Columbia Pictures starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, and directed by George Stevens. The film script — from "Two's a Crowd", an original screenplay by Garson Kan ...
'' (1943), directed by
George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nomi ...
, and two comedies by
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...
: ''
Sullivan's Travels ''Sullivan's Travels'' is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to ...
'' (1941) and ''
The Palm Beach Story ''The Palm Beach Story'' is a 1942 screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor and Rudy Vallée. Victor Young contributed the musical score, including a fast-paced variati ...
'' (1942). While shooting ''Sullivan's Travels'', it was an on-set joke that tall McCrea's leading lady, Veronica Lake, had to stand on a box for some shots, as she was reportedly 16 inches shorter than McCrea, and it was otherwise impossible to get both of their heads in the same shot. McCrea turned down playing in a number of films; he was offered the lead role in '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1946) but he refused, saying "This character is too much of a gigolo. I don't like his moral standards." Among other movies he declined were ''
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
'' (1934), '' The Impatient Years'' (1944), ''
Intruder in the Dust ''Intruder in the Dust '' is a 1948 crime novel written by American author William Faulkner. Taking place in Mississippi, it revolves around an African American farmer accused of murdering a Caucasian man. Overview The novel focuses on Lucas B ...
'' (1949), and '' The Story of Will Rogers (''1952). During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, McCrea refused to portray military heroes, with the explanation, "Since I was too old to be called, I was too old for that kind of a show". He was also notoriously modest about his acting abilities, and would say that he didn't feel good enough to play certain parts. He also preferred playing roles that he could see himself in. Despite his own opinion of his acting, Katharine Hepburn reportedly felt that he was one of the best actors with whom she had worked. She believed McCrea should have been ranked alongside
Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...
or
Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
. McCrea also starred in two
William A. Wellman William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in crime, adventure, and action genre films, often focusing on avi ...
Westerns, ''
The Great Man's Lady ''The Great Man's Lady'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. It is based on the short story "The Human Side" by Viña Delmar. It was filmed at two locations in Thousand ...
'' (1942), again with Stanwyck, and ''
Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...
'' (1944), with character actor
Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...
and a young
Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...
. After the success of the film '' The Virginian'' in 1946, McCrea made Westerns exclusively for the rest of his career, with two exceptions: an uncredited role in the 1951 film noir ''
Hollywood Story ''Hollywood Story'' is a 1951 American mystery film directed by William Castle and starring Richard Conte and Julie Adams. The supporting cast features Richard Egan (actor), Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark and Jim Backus. The film was an at ...
'' and the British-made ''
Rough Shoot ''Rough Shoot'', released in the USA as ''Shoot First'', is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Robert Parrish and written by Eric Ambler, based on the 1951 novel by Geoffrey Household. The film stars Joel McCrea, in his only postwar no ...
'' (1953). By that time the multi-millionaire McCrea had long been working his own ranch in
Ventura County Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxnar ...
outside of L.A.. Specializing in Westerns was not merely a return to what he had done earlier in his career, but a genre he immensely enjoyed. As he described it (in a 1978 interview):
I liked doing comedies, but as I got older I was better suited to do Westerns. Because I think it becomes unattractive for an older fellow trying to look young, falling in love with attractive girls in those kinds of situations.... Anyway, I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. The minute I got a horse and a hat and a pair of boots on, I felt easier. I didn't feel like I was an actor anymore. I felt like I was the guy out there doing it.
On November 19, 1950, McCrea appeared on '' Television Theatre'' in an adaptation of ''Foreign Correspondent''. In the early 1950s, McCrea starred as Jace Pearson on the radio series western, ''
Tales of the Texas Rangers ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'' is a 20th century Western old-time radio and television police procedural drama which originally aired on NBC Radio from 1950 to 1952 and later on CBS Television from 1955 to 1958. Film star Joel McCrea voiced the ...
''. In 1955 he was Wyatt Earp in '' Wichita'' directed by
Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat ...
. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded the film with "Best Picture – Outdoor Drama" that year. In
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, McCrea and his son Jody starred in the brief
NBC-TV 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 ''
Wichita Town ''Wichita Town'' is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960. Joel McCrea played Marshal Mike Dunbar, in charge of ...
''. Earlier he had turned down the lead in '' Rawhide'', feeling it would make too heavy a workload. A few years later, McCrea united with fellow veteran of westerns
Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...
in ''
Ride the High Country ''Ride the High Country'' (released internationally as ''Guns in the Afternoon'') is a 1962 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Mariette Hartley. The supporting cast includ ...
'' (1962), directed by
Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institute ...
, after which he did not make another feature film until ''The Young Rounders'' (1966). Four more years were to pass before his next film, but 1970 saw the release of two: ''
Cry Blood, Apache ''Cry Blood, Apache'' is a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor. The fi ...
'', again with his son Jody, and ''Sioux Nation''. He made his final film appearance in 1976, in ''
Mustang Country ''Mustang Country'' is a 1976 Western film directed by John C. Champion. It stars American actor Joel McCrea, and was his last major film. It co-stars Robert Fuller, Patrick Wayne, and Nika Mina. Plot summary The film, set in 1925 along th ...
''.


Awards

In 1968, McCrea received a career achievement award from the L.A. Film Critics Association, and the following year he was inducted into the
Hall of Great Western Performers The Hall of Great Western Performers is a Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and sometimes referred to as the "Western Performers Hall of Fame". It is a presentation that explo ...
at the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...
in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, McCrea has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
at 6901 Hollywood Blvd. and another star at 6241 Hollywood Blvd. for his contribution to radio. He was also a winner of the Golden Boot Award in 1987, the Golden Laurel Award in 1951, a Photoplay Award in 1939 for his performance in ''
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
'', the Silver Medallion Award in 1982, and the Trustees Award in 1976 for the film, ''
Mustang Country ''Mustang Country'' is a 1976 Western film directed by John C. Champion. It stars American actor Joel McCrea, and was his last major film. It co-stars Robert Fuller, Patrick Wayne, and Nika Mina. Plot summary The film, set in 1925 along th ...
''.


Personal life

McCrea married actress
Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film '' An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known for starring in the 1943 ...
in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
on October 20, 1933, after they met while filming '' The Silver Cord''. Coincidentally, Dee was born only a few blocks away from McCrea's home, but she moved to Chicago during her childhood. They had three sons, Jody, Peter and David. They were married until McCrea's death 57 years later. McCrea – who was an outdoorsman who had once listed his occupation as "rancher" and his hobby as "acting" – had begun buying property as early as 1933, when he purchased his first in a then unincorporated area of eastern
Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxn ...
, which later became
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. It is named af ...
. This was the beginning of what evolved into a
spread Spread may refer to: Places * Spread, West Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Spread'' (film), a 2009 film. * ''$pread'', a quarterly magazine by and for sex workers * "Spread", a song by OutKast from their 2003 album ''Speakerboxxx/T ...
where McCrea and his wife lived, raised their sons, and rode their horses. At one point, McCrea's ranch produced 200,000 pounds of beef every year. He was noted for being a hard worker on his ranch; he was very active in the management, including riding, roping and branding. By the end of the 1940s, McCrea was a multi-millionaire, as much from his real-estate dealings as from his movie stardom. It is said that McCrea once joked that he "only acted so he could afford to ranch." In the early 1960s, he sold of land to an oil company on the condition that they would not drill within sight of his home. McCrea's perspicacity may have stemmed from his friendship in the 1930s with fellow personality and sometime actor
Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
. McCrea recounted that "the Oklahoma Sage" gave him a profound piece of advice: "Save half of what you make, and live on just the other half." McCrea supported
Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...
in the 1944 United States presidential election,
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
in the
1964 United States presidential election The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President of the Un ...
, and
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
in the 1966 California gubernatorial election. McCrea made his final public appearance on October 3, 1990, at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate
Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California bet ...
in Beverly Hills. He died less than three weeks later on October 20, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California from pneumonia at the age of 84.Joel McCrea, Actor, Dies at 84; A Casual, Amiable Leading Man
''The New York Times'' via Internet Archive. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
After his death his family ultimately donated thirty five acres of McCrea's former ranch to the newly formed Conejo Valley YMCA for the city of
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. It is named af ...
. They also donated 75 acres to the Conejo Open Space Conservancy Agency (COSCA), which designated it the Joel McCrea Wildlife Preserve; and five acres to the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo, California, Camarillo.


Partial filmography

* ''Torrent (1926 film), Torrent'' (1926, stunts) * ''The Fair Co-Ed'' (1927) as Student (uncredited) * ''The Enemy (1927 film), The Enemy'' (1927) as Extra (uncredited) * ''The Five O'Clock Girl'' (1928) as Oswald * ''Dead Man's Curve (1928 film), Dead Man's Curve'' (1928) (uncredited) * ''Freedom of the Press'' (1928) (uncredited) * '' The Jazz Age'' (1929) as Todd Sayles * ''The Divine Lady'' (1929) as Extra (uncredited) * ''The Single Standard'' (1929) as Blythe – One of the Philandering Men (uncredited) * ''So This Is College'' (1929) as Bruce Nolan (uncredited) * ''Dynamite (1929 film), Dynamite'' (1929) as Marco – Her Boy Friend * ''Framed (1930 film), Framed'' (1930) as Waiter at the Casino Club (uncredited) * '' The Silver Horde'' (1930) as Boyd Emerson * ''Lightnin' (1930 film), Lightnin''' (1930) as John Marvin * ''Once a Sinner (1931 film), Once a Sinner'' (1931) as Tommy Mason * ''Kept Husbands'' (1931) as Richard 'Dick' Brunton * ''Born to Love (film), Born to Love'' (1931) as Barry Craig * ''The Common Law (1931 film), The Common Law'' (1931) as John Neville * ''Girls About Town (film), Girls About Town'' (1931) as Jim Baker * ''Business and Pleasure'' (1932) as Lawrence Ogle * ''The Lost Squadron'' (1932) as Red * '' Bird of Paradise'' (1932) as Johnny Baker * ''
The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...
'' (1932) as Bob Rainsford * ''
The Sport Parade ''The Sport Parade'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Dudley Murphy and starring Joel McCrea, Marian Marsh, William Gargan, Robert Benchley, and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. Benchley also co-wrot ...
'' (1932) as Sandy Brown * ''Rockabye (1932 film), Rockabye'' (1932) as Jacobs Van Riker Pell * ''Scarlet River'' (1933) as Joel McCrea (uncredited) * ''The Silver Cord (1933 film), The Silver Cord'' (1933) as David Phelps * ''
Bed of Roses A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many b ...
'' (1933) as Dan * ''One Man's Journey'' (1933) as Jimmy Watt * ''Chance at Heaven'' (1933) as Blacky Gorman * ''
Gambling Lady ''Gambling Lady'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien. Plot Mike Lee raises his daughter Lady Lee to be as honest a gambler as he is. When he gets ...
'' (1934) as Garry Madison * ''Half a Sinner (1934 film), Half a Sinner'' (1934) as John Adams * '' The Richest Girl in the World'' (1934) as Tony * ''Private Worlds'' (1935) as Dr. Alex MacGregor * ''Our Little Girl'' (1935) as Dr. Donald Middleton * ''Woman Wanted (1935 film), Woman Wanted'' (1935) as Tony Baxter * '' Barbary Coast'' (1935) as Jim Carmichael * ''Splendor (1935 film), Splendor'' (1935) as Brighton Lorrimore * ''
These Three ''These Three'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, and Bonita Granville. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play '' The Children's Hour''. A 1961 re ...
'' (1936) as Dr. Joseph Cardin * ''Two in a Crowd'' (1936) as Larry Stevens * ''Adventure in Manhattan'' (1936) as George Melville * '' Come and Get It'' (1936) as Richard Glasgow * ''Banjo on My Knee (film), Banjo on My Knee'' (1936) as Ernie Holley * ''
Internes Can't Take Money ''Internes Can't Take Money'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Alfred Santell and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Lloyd Nolan and Stanley Ridges. McCrea portrays Dr. Kildare in the character's first screen appearance. Metro-Goldw ...
'' (1937) as James Kildare * ''Woman Chases Man'' (1937) as Kenneth Nolan * ''
Dead End Dead End or dead end may refer to: * Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''. Film and television * ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by Davi ...
'' (1937) as Dave * ''
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
'' (1937) as Ramsay MacKay * ''Three Blind Mice (1938 film), Three Blind Mice'' (1938) as Van Dam Smith * ''Youth Takes a Fling'' (1938) as Joe Meadows * ''
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
'' (1939) as Jeff Butler * ''They Shall Have Music'' (1939) as Peter * ''Espionage Agent'' (1939) as Barry Corvall * ''He Married His Wife'' (1940) as T.H. Randall * ''Primrose Path (1940 film), Primrose Path'' (1940) as Ed Wallace * ''
Foreign Correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' (1940) as John Jones * ''Reaching for the Sun'' (1941) as Russ Eliot * ''
Sullivan's Travels ''Sullivan's Travels'' is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to ...
'' (1941) as an itinerant film director. * ''
The Great Man's Lady ''The Great Man's Lady'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. It is based on the short story "The Human Side" by Viña Delmar. It was filmed at two locations in Thousand ...
'' (1942) as Ethan Hoyt * ''
The Palm Beach Story ''The Palm Beach Story'' is a 1942 screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor and Rudy Vallée. Victor Young contributed the musical score, including a fast-paced variati ...
'' (1942) as Tom Jeffers * ''
The More the Merrier ''The More the Merrier'' is a 1943 American comedy film by Columbia Pictures starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, and directed by George Stevens. The film script — from "Two's a Crowd", an original screenplay by Garson Kan ...
'' (1943) as Joe Carter * ''
Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...
'' (1944) as William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody * ''The Great Moment (1944 film), The Great Moment'' (1944) as William Thomas Green Morton * ''The Unseen (1945 film), The Unseen'' (1945) as David Fielding * '' The Virginian'' (1946) as The Virginian * ''Ramrod (film), Ramrod'' (1947) as Dave Nash * ''Four Faces West'' (1948) as Ross McEwen * ''South of St. Louis'' (1949) as Kip Davis * ''Colorado Territory (film), Colorado Territory'' (1949) as Wes McQueen * ''The Outriders '' (1950) as Will Owen * ''Stars in My Crown (film), Stars in My Crown'' (1950) as Josiah Doziah Gray * ''Saddle Tramp (film), Saddle Tramp'' (1950) as Chuck Conner * ''Frenchie (film), Frenchie'' (1950) as Sheriff Tom Banning * ''
Hollywood Story ''Hollywood Story'' is a 1951 American mystery film directed by William Castle and starring Richard Conte and Julie Adams. The supporting cast features Richard Egan (actor), Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark and Jim Backus. The film was an at ...
'' (1951) as Joel McCrea * ''Cattle Drive'' (1951) as Dan Mathews * ''The San Francisco Story'' (1952) as Rick Nelson * ''The Lone Hand (1953 film), The Lone Hand'' (1953) as Zachary Hallock * ''
Rough Shoot ''Rough Shoot'', released in the USA as ''Shoot First'', is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Robert Parrish and written by Eric Ambler, based on the 1951 novel by Geoffrey Household. The film stars Joel McCrea, in his only postwar no ...
'' (1953) as Taine * ''Border River'' (1954) as Clete Mattson * ''Black Horse Canyon'' (1954) as Del Rockwell * ''Stranger on Horseback'' (1955) as Judge Richard 'Rick' Thorne * '' Wichita'' (1955) as Wyatt Earp * ''The First Texan'' (1956) as Sam Houston * ''The Oklahoman (film), The Oklahoman'' (1957) as Dr. John M. Brighton * ''Trooper Hook'' (1957) as Sgt. Clovis Hook * ''Gunsight Ridge'' (1957) as Mike Ryan * ''The Tall Stranger (film), The Tall Stranger'' (1957) as Ned Bannon * ''Cattle Empire'' (1958) as John Cord * ''Fort Massacre'' (1958) as Sgt. Vinson * ''The Gunfight at Dodge City'' (1959) as Bat Masterson * ''The Crowning Experience'' (1960) as Prologue narrator * ''
Ride the High Country ''Ride the High Country'' (released internationally as ''Guns in the Afternoon'') is a 1962 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Mariette Hartley. The supporting cast includ ...
'' (1962) as Steve Judd * ''The Young Rounders'' (1966) * ''
Cry Blood, Apache ''Cry Blood, Apache'' is a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor. The fi ...
'' (1970) as Pitcalin as an Older Man * ''Sioux Nation'' (1970) * ''
Mustang Country ''Mustang Country'' is a 1976 Western film directed by John C. Champion. It stars American actor Joel McCrea, and was his last major film. It co-stars Robert Fuller, Patrick Wayne, and Nika Mina. Plot summary The film, set in 1925 along th ...
'' (1976) as Dan (final film role)


Radio appearances

* ''Forsaking All Others'' - with Bette Davis in 1938. *''This Is Hollywood'' – "Along Came Jones (film), Along Came Jones" (1946) * ''Tales of the Texas Rangers -'' 1950 to 1952


References


Further reading

* Nott, Robert ''Last of the Cowboy Heroes: The Westerns of Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Audie Murphy'', 2000, McFarland & Company, Inc.,


External links

* * *
Photographs and literature

Joel McCrea Wildlife Preserve

Joel McCrea Ranch Foundation

McCrea Ranch
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrea, Joel 1905 births 1990 deaths American people of Scottish descent 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male radio actors 20th-century American businesspeople California Republicans Deaths from pneumonia in California People from South Pasadena, California Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Pomona College alumni Male Western (genre) film actors Paramount Pictures contract players RKO Pictures contract players