John Kerr
John Kerr
Biography
John Grinham Kerr (November 15, 1931 – February 2, 2013), was an American actor and lawyer. He made his Broadway debut in 1953 in Mary Coyle Chase's Bernardine, a high-school comedy for which he won a Theatre World Award. In 1953-54, he received critical acclaim as a troubled prep school student in Robert Anderson's play Tea and Sympathy. In 1954, he won a Tony Award for his performance, and he starred in the film version in 1956. Kerr's first television acting role was in 1954 on NBC's Justice as a basketball player who believes that gamblers have ruined his success on the court. His mother appeared with him on the series, which focuses on the cases of attorneys with the Legal Aid Society of New York. He made The Cobweb for MGM, who liked his work so much they co-starred him with Leslie Caron in Gaby (1956), the third remake of Waterloo Bridge, which, in its original pre-Code 1931 version, featured John's grandfather, actor Frederick Kerr. Kerr starred with Deborah Kerr (no relation) in Tea and Sympathy in 1956. In a widely publicized decision in 1956, Kerr declined to play the role of Charles Lindbergh in The Spirit of St. Louis because he did not respect Lindbergh's early support of the Nazi regime in Germany prior to America's entry into World War II. "I don't admire the ideals of the hero", Mr. Kerr told The New York Post. The part went to James Stewart. Kerr had a major role in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (1958), playing Lt. Joe Cable, the newly arrived marine about to be sent on a dangerous spy mission. In The Crowded Sky (1960), Kerr played a pilot who helps the Captain (Dana Andrews) steer a crippled airliner back to earth. Another film appearance was in Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). In 1963, Kerr had a continuing role on Arrest and Trial, playing Assistant DA Barry Pine. During the 1960s, Kerr guest starred on several TV series including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Rawhide, Gunsmoke and Adam-12. He had a regular role on the ABC-TV primetime TV series, Peyton Place, playing District Attorney John Fowler during the 1965-66 season. Also in 1964-65 he appeared as guest star on several episodes of Twelve O'Clock High. In the 1970s, Kerr had a recurring role as prosecutor Gerald O'Brien on The Streets of San Francisco and he made guest appearances in several other TV programs including The Mod Squad, Columbo, McMillan and Wife, Barnaby Jones and The Feather and Father Gang. Kerr's last acting appearance was a minor role in The Park Is Mine (1986), a made-for-TV movie starring Tommy Lee Jones.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
66
Gender
Male
Birthday
1931-11-15 (93 years old)
Place of Birth
New York, New York, USA
Acting

1981

The Amateur as CIA Security Guard

1979

Search and Destroy as MacPherson

1978

The Silent Partner as Detective #3

1976

The New Avengers as Not available

1974

Only God Knows as Health Inspector

1973

Police Story as Not available

1973

Toma as Not available

1973

Incident on a Dark Street as Gallagher - Trenier's Lawyer

1973

Class of '44 as Hotel Bartender

1973

Class of '44 as Ford Hotel Bartender (uncredited)

1972

The Rookies as Price

1972

The Streets of San Francisco as Not available

1972

Search as Not available

1972

The Longest Night as Agent Jones

1971

Columbo as Roger Dutton

1971

Alias Smith and Jones as Not available

1971

Yuma as Capt. White

1968

Adam-12 as Father Joe

1968

The Name of the Game as Billy Keaton

1968

The Name of the Game as Stuart Clark

1968

The Mod Squad as Not available

1967

The High Chaparral as Creed Hallock

1965

The F.B.I. as SAC Gary Morgan

1965

The F.B.I. as Chicago Special Agent

1965

The F.B.I. as SAC William Converse

1965

The F.B.I. as S.A.C. Douglas Parker

1965

The F.B.I. as Clayton McGregor

1965

Run for Your Life as Alex Ryder

1965

The Long, Hot Summer as Not available

1964

Profiles in Courage as Whitlock

1963

Arrest and Trial as Assistant Deputy District Attorney Barry Pine

1962

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Glendon Baker

1962

The Virginian as Oliver Smith

1961

The Defenders as Jonathan Winthrop

1961

Bus Stop as Not available

1961

The Pit and the Pendulum as Francis Barnard

1960

The Crowded Sky as Mike Rule

1960

Girl of the Night as Larry Taylor

1959

Rawhide as Not available

1959

Riverboat as Jefferson Carruthers

1958

South Pacific as Lt. Joseph Cable, USMC

1957

The Vintage as Ernesto Barandero

1957

The Ninth Day as Not available

1956

Tea and Sympathy as Tom Robinson Lee

1956

Gaby as Gregory Y. Wendell

1955

Gunsmoke as Lute

1955

The Cobweb as Steven W. Holte

1955

The Quatermass Xperiment as Photo Lab Technician (uncredited)

1954

Climax! as Matt Sloane

1954

Climax! as Danny Barron/Steve Barron

1954

Climax! as Poggi

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney as Martin Didler

1953

The United States Steel Hour as Not available

1953

General Electric Theater as Freddie

1953

Horace Mann's Miracle as student

1953

Rex Newman as Howie Madden

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Not available

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Peter Standish

1950

Lux Video Theatre as Tony

1949

Suspense as Derek Howard

1949

Suspense as Not available

1948

The Philco Television Playhouse as George Avery

1948

Studio One as Not available

1948

Studio One as The Boy