American actor Bob Crane is best remembered for playing the crafty POW Col. Hogan on the 1960s television comedy Hogan's Heroes, but he also played leads in a few films during the '50s and '60s. Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He began his career as a drummer and played with dance bands and a symphony orchestra. He also worked as a radio announcer at various stations around the U.S. before hosting a morning talk show in Hollywood. Next Crane began appearing regularly on the Donna Reed Show. In 1978, he was mysteriously murdered, and the case remains unsolved. He was married to Sigrid Valdis, an actress.
Bob Crane
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- Starting drumming at age 11.
- Played for the Connecticut and Norwalk Symphony Orchestras as part of their youth orchestra program.
- Enlisted in the Connecticut Army National Guard in 1948.
- Best known for his role as Colonel Robert E. Hogan in Hogan's Heroes.
- While performing in the play Beginner's Luck in Scottsdale, AZ in 1978, was found dead in his apartment by a co-star; his murder remains unsolved.