Actor. He is best remembered for his role as Colonel Robert E. Hogan in the CBS television sitcom World War II series "Hogan's Heroes" that aired from September 1965 until July 1971. Born Robert Edward Crane, he grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and began playing the drums, joining the Stamford High School marching and jazz bands and the orchestra. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Connecticut Army National Guard for two years. In 1950, he began his broadcasting career at WLEA in Hornell, New York, and, from there, he moved to WBIS in Bristol, Connecticut, and then to WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1956, he was hired by the CBS radio network to host the morning show at its west coast flagship KNX in Los Angeles, California, filling the broadcast with sly wit, drumming, and such guests as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope. His show quickly topped the morning ratings with adult listeners in the Los Angeles area. By then, he had ambitions to become an actor. He began guest-hosting for Johnny Carson on the ABC daytime television game show "Who Do You Trust?" and made appearances on "The Twilight Zone" (uncredited), "Channing," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "General Electric Theater." After comedian/screenwriter Carl Reiner appeared on his radio show, he persuaded him to book a guest appearance on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," where he was noticed by Donna Reed, who suggested him for the role of neighbor 'Dr. Dave Kelsey' in her ABC television sitcom "The Donna Reed Show" from 1963 through 1965. In 1965, he was offered the starring role in a television comedy pilot about a World War II German POW camp called "Hogan's Heroes," and it became a hit and finished in the Top Ten in its first year on the air. The series lasted six seasons, and Crane was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. He also appeared in television's "The Lucy Show" and "The Red Skelton Show" during this time. In 1968, he and several "Hogan's Heroes" costars appeared in a feature film called "The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz." In 1969, he starred with Abby Dalton in "Cactus Flower." When "Hogan's Heroes" was cancelled in 1971, he appeared in two Walt Disney films, "Superdad" (1973), in the title role, and "Gus" (1976), in a featured role. In 1973, he purchased the rights to "Beginner's Luck," a play that he starred in and directed. The production toured for five years, predominantly at dinner theaters around the country, and he became a fixture in that venue. During breaks, he guest starred in a number of television shows, including "Tenafly," "Police Woman," "Gibbsville," "Ellery Queen," "Quincy, M.E.," and "The Love Boat." In 1975, he returned to television with his own series, "The Bob Crane Show," that was canceled by NBC after three months. In June 1978, he was appearing in "Beginner's Luck" at the Windmill Dinner Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona. When he failed to show up for a lunch meeting, he was discovered beaten to death in his apartment. His friend, John Henry Carpenter, with whom he was involved in filming sexual encounters with women, was suspected of the murder based on forensic evidence found in his rented car, but due to insufficient evidence, Carpenter was not immediately charged. In 1990, the case was re-opened and after new evidence came to light, Carpenter was arrested in June, 1992, and charged with Crane's murder. At the conclusion of the trial in 1994, Carpenter was found not guilty and continued to maintain his innocence until his death in 1998. His murder remains one of Hollywood's greatest unsolved mysteries. He was married twice; first to his high school sweetheart Anne Terzian (1949 to 1970) and then to actress Sigrid Valdis who played the role of Hilda on "Hogan's Heroes" (1970 to 1978). In 2002, his life was the subject of the film "Auto Focus," starring Greg Kinnear as Crane.
James Micheal Gaudin 
