1. John Emmet Raitt was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre.
17 Facts About John Raitt
1. 2.
John Raitt got his start in theatre as a high school student at Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, California.
3.
In 1935, John Raitt won the "football throw" at the California State High School Track and Field Championship; his mark of 220 feet remains the state record in that short-lived event.
4.
John Raitt was named "Athlete of the Meet" after that accomplishment.
5.
John Raitt graduated from the University of Redlands in 1939.
6.
However, after a consultation with Romano Romani, the composer, conductor, and coach who had shaped the career of soprano Rosa Ponselle, John Raitt accepted that the timbre of his voice was that of a tenor rather than a lyric baritone, but without the high notes of a concert tenor.
7.
John Raitt set the standard for virile, handsome, strong-voiced leading men during the golden age of the Broadway musical.
8.
John Raitt's only leading film role was in the 1957 movie version of The Pajama Game opposite Doris Day.
9.
John Raitt toured in productions of Man of La Mancha and The Music Man, portraying the leading roles in both.
10.
John Raitt appeared in the 1960 episode, "The Man on the Road", on the syndicated anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews.
11.
John Raitt was cast as Jim Dandy, an itinerant peddler who befriends a boy, Pete Rawson, whose father, played by House Peters, Jr.
12.
In 1945, John Raitt was one of the recipients of the first Theatre World Award for his debut performance in Carousel.
13.
In January 1992, John Raitt was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre, located at 6126 Hollywood Blvd.
14.
From his first marriage, John Raitt was the father of singer Bonnie John Raitt, and former father-in-law of Michael O'Keefe.
15.
John Raitt was the father of David Raitt and Steve Raitt.
16.
John Raitt died on February 20,2005, at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, from complications due to pneumonia, aged 88.
17.
John Raitt was laid to rest at Anaheim Cemetery in Orange County, California, beside his wife of 23 years, Rosemary.