Likable, ruggedly handsome figure, a durable star who first made his name in adventures and melodramas of the 1930s. McCrea gave one of his finest performances in Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent" (1940) and brought an amiable, relaxed charm to his comic roles, especially when directed by Preston Sturges in "Sullivan's Travels" (1941) and "The Palm Beach Story" (1942) and by George Stevens in "The More the Merrier" (1943). His offhand yet sincere style also kept him much in demand as a lead in "women's pictures" (as they were then called), and McCrea played romantically opposite female divas including Constance Bennett ("Rockabye" 1932), Irene Dunne ("The Silver Cord" 1933), Barbara Stanwyck ("Gambling Lady" 1934), Merle Oberon ("These Three" 1936) and Ginger Rogers ("Primrose Path" 1940)Although McCrea had starred in a number of Westerns and action pictures in the 30s (e.g., Cecil B. DeMille's "Union Pacific" 1939), beginning with William Wellman's "Buffalo Bill" (1944), McCrea starred primarily in Westerns for the rest of his career. His many horse operas, the best of which included "Colorado Territory" (1949), "Trooper Hook" (1957) and "Ride the High Country" (1962), mirrored his own frontier roots as well as his personal life. A passionate outdoorsman, he listed his occupation as "rancher" and his hobby as "acting". McCrea was married to actress Frances Dee from 1933 until his death; their son Jody McCrea (b. 1934) appeared with him on his TV series "Wichita Town" (1959-60) and in the film "Cry Blood, Apache" (1970).
Profession(s):
Actor, stuntman, ranch hand, rancher, home-delivery newsboy, construction teamster, investor
Sometimes Credited As:
Joel Albert McCrea
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Lifetime Achievement Award 1987
1990 Last public appearance at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Wilson in Beverly Hills CA (October 3)
1985 Appeared as himself in the feature documentary, "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey"
1976 Last acting appearance, "Mustang Country"
1969 Inducted into the Hall of Fame of Great Western Actors in Oklahoma City
1962 Made last feature film for many years, "Ride the High Country"
1953 Travelled to England to make one of his few late-career non-Westerns, "Shoot First/Rough Shoot"
1944 Made primarily Westerns after starring in "Buffalo Bill"
1941 Made first of three key films with writer-director Preston Sturges, "Sullivan's Travels"
1937 First actor to play Dr. Kildare on screen in "Internes Can't Take Money"
1934 Made first of five films co-starring Miriam Hopkins, "The Richest Girl in the World"
1934 Made first of six films co-starring Barbara Stanwyck, "Gambling Lady"
1933 Purchased first 1,000 acres of his eventual 3,000-acre spread in Thousand Oaks, CA
1930 Signed contract with RKO
1929 Film acting debut in "The Jazz Age"
1929 First leading film role in "The Silver Horde"
1928 Signed contract with MGM
1922 - 1929 Worked as extra, stuntman, and bit player in silent pictures
While a juvenile, delivered the LOS ANGELES TIMES to Cecil B DeMille and other film people; also watched D W Griffith filming "Intolerance"
Broke into film industry holding horses for William S Hart and Tom Mix
Acted on stage at Pomona College and Pasadena Playhouse
Made brief appearances in the films, "Penrod and Sam" and "A Self-Made Failure"
Starred and co-produced TV western series, "Wichita Town"