Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he became best known.
19 Facts About Joel McCrea
2.
Joel McCrea starred in a total of three Best Picture Oscar nominees: Dead End, Foreign Correspondent, and The More the Merrier.
3.
In 1928 he met Wyatt Earp in Hollywood - later in 1955, Joel McCrea would portray Earp in the film, Wichita.
4.
Joel McCrea had a love and understanding of horses from an early age, and later he was considered one of the best riders in Western films.
5.
Joel McCrea was cast in a major role in The Jazz Age, and got his first leading role that same year in The Silver Horde.
6.
Joel McCrea moved to RKO in 1930, where he established himself as a handsome and versatile leading man capable of starring in both dramas and comedies.
7.
Joel McCrea was originally intended for the character Jack Driscoll in King Kong, but he turned down the role because he didn't want to become typecast in "jungle films".
8.
Joel McCrea reached the peak of his early career in the early 1940s, in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Foreign Correspondent, a romantic comedy, The More the Merrier, directed by George Stevens, and two comedies by Preston Sturges: Sullivan's Travels and The Palm Beach Story.
9.
Joel McCrea was notoriously modest about his acting abilities, and would say that he didn't feel good enough to play certain parts.
10.
Joel McCrea preferred playing roles that he could see himself in.
11.
Joel McCrea believed McCrea should have been ranked alongside Spencer Tracy or Humphrey Bogart.
12.
On November 19,1950, Joel McCrea appeared on Television Theatre in an adaptation of Foreign Correspondent.
13.
Joel McCrea made his final film appearance in 1976, in Mustang Country.
14.
Joel McCrea was a winner of the Golden Boot Award in 1987, the Golden Laurel Award in 1951, a Photoplay Award in 1939 for his performance in Union Pacific, the Silver Medallion Award in 1982, and the Trustees Award in 1976 for the film, Mustang Country.
15.
Joel McCrea married actress Frances Dee in Rye, New York on October 20,1933, after they met while filming The Silver Cord.
16.
At one point, Joel McCrea's ranch produced 200,000 pounds of beef every year.
17.
Joel McCrea was noted for being a hard worker on his ranch; he was very active in the management, including riding, roping and branding.
18.
Joel McCrea supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election, Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election, and Ronald Reagan in the 1966 California gubernatorial election.
19.
Joel McCrea made his final public appearance on October 3,1990, at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Wilson in Beverly Hills.