Joel Crothers

Infobox Actor
name = Joel Crothers


imagesize =
caption = Spencer Karter’s sketch of Joel Crothers as Joe Haskell on "Dark Shadows"
birthname = Joel Anthony Crothers
birthdate = birth date|1941|1|28|mf=y
birthplace = Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
deathdate = death date and age|1985|11|6|1941|1|28|mf=y
deathplace = Los Angeles, California, United States
occupation = Actor

Joel Anthony Crothers (January 28, 1941 – November 6, 1985) was an American actor. He was a successful and popular soap-opera actor who, in 1981, was noted by popular columnist Liz Smith to so strongly resemble Tom Selleck that they could be twin brothers.

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in New York, Crothers graduated from Birch Wathen School in 1958. His passion for performing emerged at the early age of nine. Crothers auditioned and won a role on the religious television show "Lamp Unto My Feet". At the time, his father was a production supervisor on the show. Unbeknownst to him, his son auditioned for the show under a different name, apparently done as a practical joke. Nevertheless, by the age of twelve, he was taking Broadway bows alongside Burgess Meredith for his stage debut in "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker".

During the 1950s and 1960s, Crothers made guest appearances on numerous primetime shows, including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "The Defenders", "Have Gun – Will Travel", "Death Valley Days", "Rescue 8", "The Investigators", "Zane Grey Theater", "Studio One", "Playhouse 90", "Kraft Television Theatre", and "Goodyear Playhouse". His later daytime television credits included "First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington".

He graduated Harvard University a Phi Beta Kappa in 1962. In 1966, Crothers returned to Broadway in a starring role opposite Joan Van Ark in "Barefoot in the Park", which he worked on simultaneously with his stint on "Dark Shadows". From 1966-1969, he played Joe Haskell (boyfriend of Carolyn Stoddard (Nancy Barrett), later boyfriend of Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott}; and during the 1795 storyline, he played Lt. Nathan Forbes.

From 1969-1971, he played twice-married Ken Stevens #2 on the CBS serial "The Secret Storm". From 1972-1976, he played concert pianist turned newspaper editor Julian Cannell on "Somerset." From 1977-1984, he made it big with another soap opera role: Dr. Miles Cavanaugh on ABC's"The Edge of Night", for which he was twice nominated as Best Actor for the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1982 and 1983. He played that role until the series went off the air on December 28, 1984. In 1985, his final role was on "Santa Barbara" as Jack Lee #1/Jerry Cooper.

Crothers' soap opera fame helped draw attention to the ground-breaking off-Broadway play "Torch Song Trilogy". The play made major stars of its writer (and lead performer) Harvey Fierstein and castmates Estelle Getty and Matthew Broderick -- but when it premiered, Crothers was better known than any of them and received star billing on posters, playbills, and even the tickets. Fierstein played Arnold, a world-weary, homosexual drag queen; Crothers played Arnold's bisexual lover, Ed. He left the cast when "Torch Song" transferred to Broadway.

Personal life

Though Crothers was gay, a fact he chose to share with his friends and co-workers, he remained in the closet publicly. He was engaged to marry actress Veleka Gray at the time of his death.

Death

Crothers died from AIDS-related complications on November 6, 1985. [cite book|last=Hamrick|first=Craig |title=Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows|publisher=iUniverse|date=2003|pages=46|isbn=0-595-29029-9] His remains were cremated and scattered in Lake George, New York.

References

External links

*imdb|0189402
*ibdb|id=95168
*tv.com person|id=21030
*Find A Grave|id=6778897

Persondata
NAME= Crothers, Joel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Crothers, Joel Anthony
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= January 28, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH= Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
DATE OF DEATH= November 6, 1985
PLACE OF DEATH= Los Angeles, California, United States