Quick Facts
| Intro | Actor and singer | ||
| Was | Singer Actor | ||
| From | United States of America | ||
| Field | Film, TV, Stage & Radio Music | ||
| Gender | male | ||
| Birth | 1 December 1915, St. Louis | ||
| Death | 6 January 1996 (aged 80 years) | ||
| Family |
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Biography
Johnny Johnston (December 1, 1915 – January 6, 1996), was an American actor and singer who was popular in the 1940s.
Early years
Born John, Clifford Johnston in St. Louis, Missouri, he was of Scottish, Venetian and French descent.
Radio
In the late 1930s, Johnston had his own program on NBC-Blue.
Recordings
Johnston had several hits on the Capitol label.
Personal life
Johnston married Kathryn Grayson August 22, 1947 in Carmel, California. Grayson was his second wife. On October 7, 1948, the couple's only child, daughter Patricia "Patty Cake" Kathryn Johnston was born. Grayson and Johnston separated on November 15, 1950. On October 3, 1951, Grayson was given a divorce from Johnston on the grounds of mental cruelty. Johnston's This Time for Keeps co-star, Esther Williams, claimed in her 1999 autobiography that while making the film, Johnston would read Grayson's intimate letters aloud to the girls in his fan club, including the "all-too-graphic details concerning what she liked about his love-making." Later he operated a nightclub in New York City.
On July 31, 1952, Johnston married Shirley I. Carmel in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Hit recordings
| Year | Single | US Chart position | label | catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" | 7 | Capitol | 186 |
| "Laura" | 5 | Capitol | 196 | |
| "There Must Be a Way" | 9 | Capitol | 196 | |
| 1946 | "One More Dream (and She's Mine)" | 13 | Capitol | 228 |
Filmography
- Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
- Priorities on Parade (1942)
- This Time for Keeps (1947)
- Unchained (1955)
- Rock Around the Clock (1956)
- "Columbia". Ohio, East Liverpool. The Evening Review. October 2, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved February 6, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "West Brings Top Tunefilm". Indiana, Terre Haute. The Terre Haute Tribune. April 24, 1949. p. 31. Retrieved February 6, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
