Jody McCrea

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jody McCrea, born Joel Dee McCrea on September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles, was an American actor and the son of film stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee. He acted from 1955 to 1985, with roles in Wichita Town (1959) alongside his father and in Beach Party (1963) as the goofy Deadhead, a character he reprised in several sequels. He studied acting with Sanford Meisner in New York for two years and did a wide range of TV work, including The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Conflict, Studio One, and Death Valley Days. His film credits also include Naked Gun (1956) and The Monster That Challenged the World (1957). McCrea hosted the Army recruiting show Country Style, USA (1957–59) and later produced Cry Blood, Apache (1970).

In 1976 he married Dusty Ironwing; she died in 1996, and he raised her children. He retired to ranching in Roswell, New Mexico, though he briefly returned for Lady Street Fighter (1981). Jody McCrea died of a heart attack on April 4, 2009, in Roswell, New Mexico, at age 74.