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Quick Facts
- NAME: Bob Crane
- OCCUPATION: Television Actor
- BIRTH DATE: July 13, 1928
- DEATH DATE: June 29, 1978
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Waterbury, Connecticut
- PLACE OF DEATH: Scottsdale, Arizona
Best Known For
Bob Crane was the star of the TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes in the 1960s, a role that won him two Emmy nominations.
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Bob Crane - Full Biography (43:29)
Bob Crane - Full Biography
On June 29th, 1978, Bob Crane, star of "Hogan's Heroes," was found brutally murdered in an apartment. A picture of Crane emerged in the investigation that was at odds with the image of the easygoing wisecracking all-American hero.
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Play NowBob Crane. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:46, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342.
Bob Crane. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Bob Crane." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 06:46 http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342.
"Bob Crane," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Bob Crane," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Bob Crane [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342.
Bob Crane, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Bob Crane. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342. Accessed May 21, 2013.
By the end of its first season, Hogan's Heroes ranked among the top ten most popular television shows. In 1966 and 1967, Crane earned Emmy nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
However, Crane's success was overshadowed by his personal indiscretions. His extramarital affairs with Hogan's Heroes costars Cynthia Lynn and Patti Olsen, culminated in the end of his 20-year marriage. In June of 1970, Crane divorced his first wife Anne, and in October of that year,
he married Olsen in an elaborate ceremony on the set of Hogan's Heroes.
Around the same time, Crane befriended video salesman John Carpenter. The two men shared an affinity for electronics, and for video taping their sexual encounters. The two scouted out partners, becoming regulars at various strip clubs around Los Angeles. Crane's secret life began to take a toll on his career. In 1974, he landed his first lead role in a major motion picture, Disney's Superdad. As the film was ready to be released, knowledge of Crane's voyeurism surfaced, forcing Disney to distance itself from the actor. The following year, Crane attempted to boost his flagging career by executing his own short-lived TV show, The Bob Crane Show, which barely survived long enough to air a dozen episodes.
On June 29, 1978, Crane was found brutally murdered in an apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona. He had been so badly beaten that he was hardly recognizable. As the police tried to piece together the murder, the secret life of Crane began to unravel. Although no clear motive was established, John Carpenter served as the prime suspect. Nevertheless, without a weapon or an eyewitness, the local county attorney's office felt there wasn't enough evidence to convict.
Crane's murder remained untried until a newly appointed state attorney, Rick Romley, re-opened the case in 1990. As evidence was re-examined, a previously overlooked photo showed a piece of human tissue in the interior of Carpenter's car. Two years later, Carpenter was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. A trial commenced in September 1994, in which the prosecution based its case on the idea that Carpenter murdered Crane in a fit of rage. However, the jury acquitted Carpenter, citing lack of evidence. The Crane case remains unsolved.
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