William Johnson (also Bill Johnson) (22 March 1916 – 16 March 1957) was an American actor of the stage and screen.
Biography
Born in Baltimore, 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" 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.
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, 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. His last role on Broadway was in 1955-1956 as Doc in Pipe Dream for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination.
Johnson died in Flemington, New Jersey in 1957 just six days before his 51st birthday.
External links
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