Portrait of Joel McCrea

Joel McCrea

Bio: Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) 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. He appeared in over one hundred films, starring in over eighty, among them Alfred Hitchcock's espionage thriller Foreign Correspondent (1940), Preston Sturges' comedy classics Sullivan's Travels (1941), and The Palm Beach Story (1942), the romance film Bird of Paradise (1932), the adventure classic The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Gregory La Cava's bawdy comedy Bed of Roses (1933), George Stevens' romantic comedy The More the Merrier (1943), William Wyler's These Three, Come and Get It (both 1936) and Dead End (1937), Howard Hawks' Barbary Coast (1935), and a number of western films, including Wichita (1955) as Wyatt Earp and Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962), opposite Randolph Scott
Born: Sun, Nov 05 1905
Birthplace: South Pasadena, California, USA

Death: Sat, Oct 20 1990
Joel McCrea is 84 years old
External Links
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Movies (Acting Roles)

Poster of Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
Joel McCrea would have been no older than
84 in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
as 'John Neville Jr. (archive footage)'.
Mon, Mar 03 2008
Poster of Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Joel McCrea would have been no older than
84 in Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
as 'Self (archive footage)'.
Sun, Jul 25 2004
Poster of Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Joel McCrea would have been no older than
84 in Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
as 'Self (archive footage)'.
Mon, May 12 1997
Poster of George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Joel McCrea was
79 in George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
as 'Self'.
Sun, Mar 03 1985
Poster of Night of 100 Stars
Night of 100 Stars
Joel McCrea was
76 in Night of 100 Stars
as 'Self'.
Mon, Mar 08 1982
Poster of Mustang Country
Mustang Country
Joel McCrea was
70 in Mustang Country
as 'Dan'.
Mon, Mar 29 1976
Poster of The Great American Cowboy
The Great American Cowboy
Joel McCrea was
68 in The Great American Cowboy
as 'Narrator'.
Sat, Dec 01 1973
Poster of Cry Blood Apache
Cry Blood Apache
Joel McCrea was
64 in Cry Blood Apache
as 'Pitcalin as an Older Man'.
Tue, Sep 01 1970
Poster of Sioux Nation
Sioux Nation
Joel McCrea was
64 in Sioux Nation
as ''.
Thu, Jan 01 1970
Poster of The Young Rounders
The Young Rounders
Joel McCrea was
60 in The Young Rounders
as ''.
Sat, Jan 01 1966
Poster of Ride the High Country
Ride the High Country
Joel McCrea was
56 in Ride the High Country
as 'Steve Judd'.
Wed, Jun 20 1962
Poster of Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Joel McCrea was
56 in Hollywood: The Selznick Years
as ''Bird of Paradise' (archive footage) (uncredited)'.
Sun, Dec 31 1961
Poster of The Crowning Experience
The Crowning Experience
Joel McCrea was
54 in The Crowning Experience
as 'Prologue Narrator'.
Sat, Oct 22 1960
Poster of The Gunfight at Dodge City
The Gunfight at Dodge City
Joel McCrea was
53 in The Gunfight at Dodge City
as 'Bat Masterson'.
Fri, May 01 1959
Poster of Fort Massacre
Fort Massacre
Joel McCrea was
52 in Fort Massacre
as 'Vinson'.
Wed, May 14 1958
Poster of Cattle Empire
Cattle Empire
Joel McCrea was
52 in Cattle Empire
as 'John Cord'.
Tue, Apr 01 1958
Poster of The Tall Stranger
The Tall Stranger
Joel McCrea was
52 in The Tall Stranger
as 'Ned Bannon'.
Sun, Nov 17 1957
Poster of Gunsight Ridge
Gunsight Ridge
Joel McCrea was
51 in Gunsight Ridge
as 'Mike Ryan'.
Sun, Sep 01 1957
Poster of Trooper Hook
Trooper Hook
Joel McCrea was
51 in Trooper Hook
as 'Sgt. Clovis Hook'.
Fri, Jul 12 1957
Poster of The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
Joel McCrea was
51 in The Oklahoman
as 'John'.
Sun, May 19 1957
Poster of The First Texan
The First Texan
Joel McCrea was
50 in The First Texan
as 'Sam Houston'.
Fri, Jun 29 1956
Poster of Wichita
Wichita
Joel McCrea was
49 in Wichita
as 'Wyatt Earp'.
Sun, Jul 03 1955
Poster of Stranger on Horseback
Stranger on Horseback
Joel McCrea was
49 in Stranger on Horseback
as 'Judge Richard 'Rick' Thorne'.
Tue, Mar 22 1955
Poster of Black Horse Canyon
Black Horse Canyon
Joel McCrea was
48 in Black Horse Canyon
as 'Del Rockwell'.
Tue, Jun 01 1954
Poster of Border River
Border River
Joel McCrea was
48 in Border River
as 'Clete Mattson'.
Wed, Jan 06 1954
Poster of The Lone Hand
The Lone Hand
Joel McCrea was
47 in The Lone Hand
as 'Zachary Hallock'.
Wed, May 20 1953
Poster of Rough Shoot
Rough Shoot
Joel McCrea was
47 in Rough Shoot
as 'Lt. Col. Robert Taine'.
Mon, Mar 30 1953
Poster of The San Francisco Story
The San Francisco Story
Joel McCrea was
46 in The San Francisco Story
as 'Rick Nelson'.
Sun, May 11 1952
Poster of Cattle Drive
Cattle Drive
Joel McCrea was
45 in Cattle Drive
as 'Dan Mathews'.
Wed, Aug 01 1951
Poster of Hollywood Story
Hollywood Story
Joel McCrea was
45 in Hollywood Story
as 'Joel McCrea'.
Fri, Jun 01 1951
Poster of Frenchie
Frenchie
Joel McCrea was
45 in Frenchie
as 'Sheriff Tom Banning'.
Mon, Dec 25 1950
Poster of Saddle Tramp
Saddle Tramp
Joel McCrea was
44 in Saddle Tramp
as 'Chuck Conner'.
Thu, Sep 21 1950
Poster of Stars in My Crown
Stars in My Crown
Joel McCrea was
44 in Stars in My Crown
as 'Josiah Doziah Gray'.
Thu, May 11 1950
Poster of The Outriders
The Outriders
Joel McCrea was
44 in The Outriders
as 'Will Owen'.
Wed, Mar 01 1950
Poster of Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
Joel McCrea was
43 in Colorado Territory
as 'Wes McQueen'.
Sat, Jun 11 1949
Poster of South of St. Louis
South of St. Louis
Joel McCrea was
43 in South of St. Louis
as 'Kip Davis'.
Sun, Mar 06 1949
Poster of Four Faces West
Four Faces West
Joel McCrea was
42 in Four Faces West
as 'Ross McEwen'.
Tue, Aug 03 1948
Poster of Ramrod
Ramrod
Joel McCrea was
41 in Ramrod
as 'Dave Nash'.
Fri, May 02 1947
Poster of The Virginian
The Virginian
Joel McCrea was
40 in The Virginian
as 'The Virginian'.
Sun, May 05 1946
Poster of The Unseen
The Unseen
Joel McCrea was
39 in The Unseen
as 'David Fielding'.
Sat, May 12 1945
Poster of The Great Moment
The Great Moment
Joel McCrea was
38 in The Great Moment
as 'William Thomas Green Morton'.
Tue, Jul 18 1944
Poster of Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
Joel McCrea was
38 in Buffalo Bill
as 'William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody'.
Sun, Apr 02 1944
Poster of The More the Merrier
The More the Merrier
Joel McCrea was
37 in The More the Merrier
as 'Joe Carter'.
Thu, May 13 1943
Poster of Stars on Horseback
Stars on Horseback
Joel McCrea was
37 in Stars on Horseback
as ''.
Fri, Apr 23 1943
Poster of The Palm Beach Story
The Palm Beach Story
Joel McCrea was
36 in The Palm Beach Story
as 'Tom Jeffers'.
Fri, Aug 28 1942
Poster of The Great Man's Lady
The Great Man's Lady
Joel McCrea was
36 in The Great Man's Lady
as 'Mr. Sempler'.
Wed, Apr 15 1942
Poster of Sullivan's Travels
Sullivan's Travels
Joel McCrea was
36 in Sullivan's Travels
as 'John Sullivan'.
Sun, Nov 30 1941
Poster of Reaching for the Sun
Reaching for the Sun
Joel McCrea was
35 in Reaching for the Sun
as 'Russ Eliot'.
Thu, May 01 1941
Poster of Breakdowns of 1940
Breakdowns of 1940
Joel McCrea was
35 in Breakdowns of 1940
as 'Self'.
Tue, Dec 31 1940
Poster of Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent
Joel McCrea was
34 in Foreign Correspondent
as 'John Jones'.
Fri, Aug 16 1940
Poster of Primrose Path
Primrose Path
Joel McCrea was
34 in Primrose Path
as 'Ed Wallace'.
Fri, Mar 22 1940
Poster of He Married His Wife
He Married His Wife
Joel McCrea was
34 in He Married His Wife
as 'T.H. Randall'.
Fri, Jan 19 1940
Poster of Espionage Agent
Espionage Agent
Joel McCrea was
33 in Espionage Agent
as 'Barry Corvall'.
Sat, Sep 30 1939
Poster of They Shall Have Music
They Shall Have Music
Joel McCrea was
33 in They Shall Have Music
as 'Peter McCarthy'.
Fri, Aug 18 1939
Poster of Union Pacific
Union Pacific
Joel McCrea was
33 in Union Pacific
as 'Jeff Butler'.
Fri, May 05 1939
Poster of Youth Takes a Fling
Youth Takes a Fling
Joel McCrea was
32 in Youth Takes a Fling
as 'Joe Meadows'.
Thu, Sep 22 1938
Poster of Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
Joel McCrea was
32 in Three Blind Mice
as 'Van Dam Smith'.
Sat, Jun 18 1938
Poster of Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Joel McCrea was
32 in Wells Fargo
as 'Ramsay MacKay'.
Fri, Dec 31 1937
Poster of Dead End
Dead End
Joel McCrea was
31 in Dead End
as 'Dave'.
Fri, Aug 27 1937
Poster of Woman Chases Man
Woman Chases Man
Joel McCrea was
31 in Woman Chases Man
as 'Kenneth Nolan'.
Fri, May 07 1937
Poster of Internes Can't Take Money
Internes Can't Take Money
Joel McCrea was
31 in Internes Can't Take Money
as 'Jimmie Kildare'.
Fri, Apr 16 1937
Poster of Banjo on My Knee
Banjo on My Knee
Joel McCrea was
31 in Banjo on My Knee
as 'Ernie Holley'.
Fri, Dec 11 1936
Poster of Come and Get It
Come and Get It
Joel McCrea was
31 in Come and Get It
as 'Richard Glasgow'.
Fri, Nov 06 1936
Poster of Adventure in Manhattan
Adventure in Manhattan
Joel McCrea was
30 in Adventure in Manhattan
as 'George Melville'.
Thu, Oct 08 1936
Poster of Two in a Crowd
Two in a Crowd
Joel McCrea was
30 in Two in a Crowd
as 'Larry Stevens'.
Sat, Oct 03 1936
Poster of These Three
These Three
Joel McCrea was
30 in These Three
as 'Dr. Joseph 'Joe' Cardin'.
Wed, Mar 18 1936
Poster of Splendor
Splendor
Joel McCrea was
30 in Splendor
as 'Brighton Lorrimore'.
Fri, Nov 22 1935
Poster of Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
Joel McCrea was
29 in Barbary Coast
as 'Jim Carmichael'.
Sun, Oct 13 1935
Poster of Woman Wanted
Woman Wanted
Joel McCrea was
29 in Woman Wanted
as 'Tony'.
Fri, Aug 02 1935
Poster of Private Worlds
Private Worlds
Joel McCrea was
29 in Private Worlds
as 'Dr. Alex MacGregor'.
Fri, Apr 19 1935
Poster of Our Little Girl
Our Little Girl
Joel McCrea was
29 in Our Little Girl
as 'Donald Middleton'.
Tue, Jan 01 1935
Poster of The Richest Girl in the World
The Richest Girl in the World
Joel McCrea was
28 in The Richest Girl in the World
as 'Anthony Travers'.
Fri, Sep 21 1934
Poster of Half a Sinner
Half a Sinner
Joel McCrea was
28 in Half a Sinner
as 'John Adams'.
Fri, Jun 01 1934
Poster of Gambling Lady
Gambling Lady
Joel McCrea was
28 in Gambling Lady
as 'Garry Madison'.
Thu, Mar 08 1934
Poster of Chance at Heaven
Chance at Heaven
Joel McCrea was
27 in Chance at Heaven
as 'Blacky Gorman'.
Fri, Oct 27 1933
Poster of One Man's Journey
One Man's Journey
Joel McCrea was
27 in One Man's Journey
as 'Jimmy Watt'.
Thu, Aug 31 1933
Poster of Bed of Roses
Bed of Roses
Joel McCrea was
27 in Bed of Roses
as 'Dan'.
Thu, Jun 29 1933
Poster of The Silver Cord
The Silver Cord
Joel McCrea was
27 in The Silver Cord
as 'David Phelps'.
Fri, May 05 1933
Poster of Scarlet River
Scarlet River
Joel McCrea was
27 in Scarlet River
as 'Himself (uncredited)'.
Fri, Mar 10 1933
Poster of Rockabye
Rockabye
Joel McCrea was
27 in Rockabye
as 'Jacobs 'Jake' Van Riker Pell'.
Fri, Nov 25 1932
Poster of The Sport Parade
The Sport Parade
Joel McCrea was
27 in The Sport Parade
as 'Sandy Brown'.
Fri, Nov 11 1932
Poster of The Most Dangerous Game
The Most Dangerous Game
Joel McCrea was
26 in The Most Dangerous Game
as 'Robert Rainsford'.
Fri, Sep 16 1932
Poster of Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise
Joel McCrea was
26 in Bird of Paradise
as 'Johnny Baker'.
Fri, Aug 12 1932
Poster of The Lost Squadron
The Lost Squadron
Joel McCrea was
26 in The Lost Squadron
as 'Red'.
Sat, Mar 12 1932
Poster of Business and Pleasure
Business and Pleasure
Joel McCrea was
26 in Business and Pleasure
as 'Lawrence Ogle'.
Wed, Feb 24 1932
Poster of Girls About Town
Girls About Town
Joel McCrea was
26 in Girls About Town
as 'Jim Baker'.
Sat, Nov 07 1931
Poster of The Common Law
The Common Law
Joel McCrea was
25 in The Common Law
as 'John 'Jack' Neville'.
Fri, Jul 17 1931
Poster of Born to Love
Born to Love
Joel McCrea was
25 in Born to Love
as 'Barry Craig'.
Fri, Apr 17 1931
Poster of Kept Husbands
Kept Husbands
Joel McCrea was
25 in Kept Husbands
as 'Richard Brunton'.
Sun, Feb 22 1931
Poster of Once a Sinner
Once a Sinner
Joel McCrea was
25 in Once a Sinner
as 'Tommy Mason'.
Sun, Jan 25 1931
Poster of Lightnin'
Lightnin'
Joel McCrea was
25 in Lightnin'
as 'John Marvin'.
Fri, Nov 28 1930
Poster of The Silver Horde
The Silver Horde
Joel McCrea was
24 in The Silver Horde
as 'Boyd Emerson'.
Fri, Oct 24 1930
Poster of Dynamite
Dynamite
Joel McCrea was
24 in Dynamite
as 'Marco'.
Fri, Dec 13 1929
Poster of So This Is College
So This Is College
Joel McCrea was
24 in So This Is College
as 'Bruce Nolan (uncredited)'.
Fri, Nov 08 1929
Poster of The Single Standard
The Single Standard
Joel McCrea was
23 in The Single Standard
as 'Party Guest (uncredited)'.
Sat, Jul 27 1929
Poster of The Divine Lady
The Divine Lady
Joel McCrea was
23 in The Divine Lady
as 'Extra (uncredited)'.
Wed, Dec 26 1928
Poster of Dead Man's Curve
Dead Man's Curve
Joel McCrea was
22 in Dead Man's Curve
as 'Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)'.
Sun, Jan 15 1928
Poster of The Enemy
The Enemy
Joel McCrea was
22 in The Enemy
as 'Extra (uncredited)'.
Thu, Dec 08 1927
Poster of The Fair Co-Ed
The Fair Co-Ed
Joel McCrea was
21 in The Fair Co-Ed
as ''.
Sat, Oct 22 1927

TV Shows (Acting Roles)

Ages in TV shows are based off the first air date and may not be accurate. View individual episode details for accurate ages
Poster of Wichita Town
Wichita Town
Joel McCrea was
53+ in Wichita Town
as 'Marshal Mike Dunbar'.
First Air Date
Wed, Sep 30 1959
Poster of The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
Joel McCrea was
42+ in The Ed Sullivan Show
as 'Self'.
First Air Date
Sun, Jun 20 1948