Buster Crabbe
American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, actor (1908-1983) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe II (February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983) was an American Olympic swimmer, and a movie and television actor. He won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the 1932 Summer Olympics and for playing science fiction hero Flash Gordon in three movie serials. He is the only actor to have played the three most popular pulp fiction heroes of the 1930s — Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Tarzan.[1]
Buster Crabbe | |
|---|---|
 Crabbe, ca. 1940s | |
| Born | Clarence Linden Crabbe II (1908-02-07)February 7, 1908 |
| Died | April 23, 1983(1983-04-23) (aged 75) |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Green Acres Memorial Park, Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Hilo Union School Honolulu Military Academy |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation(s) | Olympic swimmer Movie and television actor |
| Years active | 1928-1932 (Olympic swimmer) 1930–1982 (Actor) |
| Notable work | Flash Gordon (3 movie serials) |
| Television | The Buster Crabbe Show (1951-1952) Buster's Buddies! (1953-1954) Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion (1955-1957) |
| Spouse | Adah Virginia Held (m. 1933–1983) (his death) |
| Children | Cullen Susan Caren Lynn ("Sande") |
| Parent(s) | Lucy Agnes McNamara (1885-1959) Edward Clinton Simmons Crabbe I (1882-?) |
| Relatives | Nick Holt, grandson |
Crabbe started swimming as a boy. He went to the University of Southern California, and was a member of its first swim team. He trained as an Olympics swimmer, and won a bronze medal in the 1928 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the 1932 Summer Olympics. He won 16 world and 35 national records during his swimming career.[2]
After the 1932 Olympics, he went to Hollywood. He played the heroes in 103 feature length jungle, crime, drama, and western B-movies as well as the heroes in nine movie serials. In the late 1940s, Crabbe left movies to put together his own water show. He got into debt and looked for ways to make money. He turned to television.
He was the host a children's series in New York City and starred in an NBC adventure series called Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion. His debts were paid, but his acting skills grew less in demand. He developed several business interests including Buster Crabbe Swim Pools. He retired to Scottsdale, Arizona, and died there of a heart attack in 1983.