Acting Career
Richard Crenna got his acting start on radio. In 1937, he had gained his first role that of "the kid who did everything wrong" on Boy Scout Jamboree, a show on which, he continued to appear occasionally in numerous roles until 1948. In the following year, he started playing Walter "Bronco" Thompson on The Great Gildersleeve, and played it until the show's end in 1957. He appeared as a delivery boy in My Favorite Husband episode "Liz Cooks Dinner for 12", was Oogie Pringle on A Date With Judy episode "The Competitive Diet" and several other episodes from the show and as a teenager on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode "Watching the Neighbor's Daughter". From 1948 to 1952, he was Walter Denton on Our Miss Brooks and remained with the cast when they moved it to a television show.
He guest starred on the I Love Lucy episode, "The Young Fans" with Janet Waldo and on NBC's 1955-1956 Frontier anthology series in the lead role of the episode entitled "The Ten Days of John Leslie".
When the Our Miss Brooks TV series, which starred Eve Arden, underwent a change in format, his character Walter Denton was written off this series. Then, Crenna joined the cast of the comedy series, The Real McCoys as Luke McCoy. Kathleen Nolan was cast as his young wife, Kate McCoy in this series. Later, Crenna became one of the four directors of the series during its six-year run.
Crenna portrayed the state senator James Slattery of California in the TV series Slattery's People (1965–66), and for his acting in this series, he was twice nominated for Emmy Awards with slightly different names: for "Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment", in 1965, and for "Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series", in 1965. Crenna was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best TV Star - Male" in 1965, for this same role. During the 1970s Crenna continued his acting in such Western dramas such as Catlow, Breakheart Pass, and A Man Called Noon. He made a notable performance in Jean-Pierre Melville's final film 'Un Flic' in 1972.
Crenna was rewarded with an Emmy Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, for his performance as the main character in the movie The Rape of Richard Beck.
Crenna portrayed the character of New York City Police Lieutenant of Detectives Frank Janek in a series of seven popular made for television films starting in 1988 and ending in 1994.
Crenna is perhaps best known today for his role as John Rambo's ex-commanding Officer Colonel Sam Trautman in the first three Rambo films, a role for which he was hired after the actor Kirk Douglas left the production just one day into the filming of the first movie of the series. Crenna himself also spoofed this character in the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux, in 1993.
Crenna was awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard. Crenna's performances were also reportedly the inspiration for the character "Colonel Roy Campbell" in the Metal Gear series of games.
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