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Gary CrosbyAmerican singer and actor
Date of Birth: 27.06.1933
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Gary Crosby
American singer and actor, Gary Evan Crosby, was born on June 27, 1933, in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for writing candid memoirs about his father, the legendary Bing Crosby, one of the most famous and successful artists in the world, rather than for his own musical and acting works.
Early Life and Family
Gary Crosby closely resembled his father – short, stocky, with protruding ears, and the same sad, lonely expression on his face and light-colored hair. His mother was singer and actress Dixie Lee, Bing Crosby's first wife, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 1952. He was the eldest of four brothers – Dennis Crosby and Phillip Crosby, who were twins, and Lindsay Crosby, born in 1938.
Gary attended the prestigious Stanford University but dropped out soon after to pursue a career in show business, following his father's footsteps. Along with his three brothers, they formed a vocal group called 'The Crosby Boys' and performed together from the late 1940s. Although they achieved some popularity over the next 20 years, performing in nightclubs and television shows, none of them were able to come close to their father's fame, although Gary was perhaps the most successful artist among them.
Music and Acting Career
As a teenager, Gary recorded two songs with his father, 'Sam's Song' and 'Play a Simple Melody', which became the first 'gold' double-sided single in the history of music recording. He made his film debut in 1945, playing himself in the musical comedy 'Out of This World'. After a ten-year hiatus, Gary appeared in an episode of the TV series 'Shower of Stars' in 1955. It wasn't until the 1960s that Gary Crosby began to be recognized as an actor. He appeared in many television series as a guest star, including 'Ben Casey', 'Twilight Zone', 'The Bing Crosby Show', 'Perry Mason', and 'The Farmer's Daughter'. From 1963 to 1964, Gary joined the main cast of the sitcom 'The Bill Dana Show' and appeared in 16 episodes out of 42. From 1968 to 1975, he was offered his most famous role as Officer Ed Wells in the police series 'Adam-12'. He also appeared in musical comedies such as 'Two Tickets to Paris', 'Operation Bikini', and 'Girl Happy', where he played the lead role alongside Elvis Presley.
Later in his career, Gary Crosby appeared in popular TV shows such as 'Matlock', 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Hunter', 'The Rockford Files', and others. However, his acting career was also quite unstable, as the alcohol problems he acquired in his youth affected both his work and personal life. He himself acknowledged that he had modest talents and only reached such heights due to his father's name.
Personal Life and Legacy
Gary Crosby was married three times, and all three marriages ended in divorce. He had a son, Steve Crosby, with his second wife, Barbara Cosentino. He intended to marry for the fourth time when he was diagnosed with cancer. Gary Crosby passed away from lung cancer on August 24, 1995, at the age of 62, in Burbank, California, and was buried at the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, which serves as the final resting place for many entertainment industry celebrities.
