Actors - Bob Crane

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	Actors - Bob Crane

Robert Edward Crane (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American disc jockey and actor who starred as Colonel Robert Hogan in the television sitcom Hogan's Heroes from 1965 to 1971. He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on that show. His 1978 murder remains officially unsolved. The resulting investigation brought to public light the double life that Crane had been leading for years as an amateur pornographer and sex addict.

Biography

Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He dropped out of high school and became a drummer, performing with dance bands and a symphony orchestra. In 1949 he married his high school sweetheart; they eventually had three children. In 1956, he moved his family to California and started his radio career.

Crane's interest turned to acting, and at the age of 33 he began his acting career. He soon was a regular on The Donna Reed Show during the 1963 – 1965 seasons. On The Dick Van Dyke Show he played a character named "Harry" who tried out for the role of Marc Anthony in a community play. The character for which he is best known is "Colonel Robert Hogan", the lead role in Hogan's Heroes. Crane landed parts in a few feature films (Superdad) but had no breakout roles.

Crane was bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a murder case that was never officially solved. An associate, John Henry Carpenter, was tried for the murder but was not convicted. Prior to the murder, Carpenter and Crane had made pornographic videos of Crane having sex with numerous women.

Crane's life and murder was the subject of the 2002 film Auto Focus
. His son, Scotty Crane, and his second wife, Patricia Olsen, objected to the way Crane was portrayed and took to the media to present their side of the story. Shortly before the film's release, Scotty started a website featuring Bob Crane's amateur pornography.

According to an A&E Network program on the subject, Crane had tired of his libertine lifestyle and wished to resume leading a more normal life. Since this would have meant cutting off his relationship with Carpenter, this decision of Crane's was presumed to be the motive for the murder. As Carpenter was acquitted, both the murderer and the motive remain officially open questions.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Bob Crane ]

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Actors - Bob Crane

Biography

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