Editing Richard Crenna

{{short description|American actor (1926–2003)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Richard Crenna
| image        = Richard Crenna Luke McCoy 1961.JPG
| caption      = Crenna in a 1961 publicity photo
| birth_name   = Richard Donald Crenna
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1926|11|30}}
| birth_place  = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|2003|1|17|1926|11|30}}
| death_place  = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| education    = [[Belmont High School (Los Angeles)|Belmont Senior High School]]
| alma_mater   = [[University of Southern California]] {{small|(BA)}}<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/46237907/| title=The Real McCoys| work=[[The Gettysburg Times]]| date=February 24, 1962| access-date=October 8, 2019| url-access=subscription}}</ref>
| occupation   = {{hlist|Actor|director|producer}} 
| years_active = 1937–2003
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Joan Grisham|1950|1955|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Penni Sweeney|1959}}
}}
| children     = 3
| module       = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance   = {{flagu|United States|1912}}
| branch       = [[File:Seal of the United States Department of War.png|25px]] United States Army
| serviceyears =  1945–1946<ref name='BIRLS'>Richard Donald Crenna in the U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010, Ancestry.com</ref>
| rank         =  
| unit         = 
| commands     = 
| battles      = [[World War II]]
| awards       =  }}
}}

'''Richard Donald Crenna''' (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American actor and television director.<ref name="NYT1">{{cite news |title=Richard Crenna |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/86209/Richard-Crenna |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731000550/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/86209/Richard-Crenna |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2015 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |date=2015 |access-date=April 20, 2015}}</ref>

Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''[[Made in Paris]]'' (1966), ''[[Marooned (1969 film)|Marooned]]'' (1969), ''[[Breakheart Pass (film)|Breakheart Pass]]'' (1975), ''[[The Evil (1978 film)|The Evil]]'' (1978), ''[[The Flamingo Kid]]'' (1984), ''[[Summer Rental]]'' (1985) and ''[[Sabrina (1995 film)|Sabrina]]'' (1995). His first success came on radio in 1948 as high school student Walter Denton co-starring with [[Eve Arden]] and [[Gale Gordon]] in the series ''[[Our Miss Brooks]]''. Crenna continued with the comedy in its 1952 move into television. He also starred as Luke McCoy in the television series ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' (1957–1963). In 1985, he won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie]] for his portrayal of the title role in ''[[The Rape of Richard Beck]]'' (1985). He gained further notoriety for his role as Colonel Samuel Richard "Sam" Trautman in the first three ''[[Rambo (franchise)|Rambo]]'' films (1982–1988).

==Early life==
Crenna was born November 30, 1926, in Los Angeles, the only child of Edith Josephine (née Pollette), who was a hotel manager in Los Angeles, and Domenick Anthony Crenna, a pharmacist. His parents were both of Italian descent.<ref>{{cite book |last=Martone |first=Eric |date=2016 |title=Italian Americans: The History and Culture of a People |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHJ1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA277 |location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |page=277 |isbn=978-1-61069-994-5}}</ref> Crenna attended [[Virgil Middle School|Virgil Junior High School]], followed by [[Belmont High School (Los Angeles)|Belmont Senior High School]] in Los Angeles, from which he graduated in 1944. He served in the U.S. Army during [[World War II]], entering the Army in February 1945 and serving until August 1946.<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes">{{cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=January 19, 2003 |title=Richard Crenna, Veteran Actor, Is Dead at 76 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/19/nyregion/richard-crenna-veteran-actor-is-dead-at-76.html |access-date=April 17, 2011}}</ref><ref name='BIRLS'/>

After his Army service, Crenna attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, and he was a member of [[Kappa Sigma]] fraternity.<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://kappasigma.org/prominent-alumni/ |title=Prominent Alumni |website=Kappa Sigma Fraternity |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>

==Acting career==
[[File:Kathy Nolan Richard Crenna The Real McCoys 1960.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Crenna and [[Kathleen Nolan]] in ''[[The Real McCoys]]'', 1960]]

===Radio years===
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]]'', a role he played until 1954. He also originated the role of geeky Walter Denton on the radio comedy ''[[Our Miss Brooks]]'' alongside Eve Arden and Gale Gordon in 1948, and followed that role when the series moved to television in 1952.<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes" /> He remained in that role until 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", among several other episodes of the show) and as a teenager on ''[[The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show]]'' (episode "Watching the Neighbor's Daughter").

===Early television years===
Crenna played Walter Denton on radio's ''[[Our Miss Brooks]]'', remaining with the cast when it moved into television in 1952.<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes" /> He remained with the show until it was canceled in 1957. He guest-starred on the ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' episode "The Young Fans", with [[Janet Waldo]] and on the 1955–56 anthology series ''[[Frontier (1955 TV series)|Frontier]]'',<ref name="Lentz 2004">{{cite book |last=Lentz III |first=Harris M. |date=2004 |title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sXrGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |page=92 |isbn=0-7864-1756-0}}</ref> in the lead role of the episode titled "The Ten Days of John Leslie". In 1955, he was the guest star on ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]'' in the episode "The Ralph McKnight Story".
[[File:Richard Crenna Bernadette Peters Alls Fair 1977.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Crenna and [[Bernadette Peters]] in ''[[All's Fair (1976 TV series)|All's Fair]]'', 1976]]
Crenna appeared in 1956 on the television series ''[[Father Knows Best]]'' in the episode "The Promising Young Man" as a young man named Woody. In 1957, he played a bank robber on ''[[Cheyenne (TV series)|Cheyenne]]'' (season 2, episode 19).<ref name="Lentz 2004" />

After ''Our Miss Brooks'' was canceled in 1957, Crenna joined the cast of the comedy series ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' as Luke McCoy; his co-star was [[Walter Brennan]], who played Grandpa Amos McCoy. Crenna ultimately became one of the series's four directors during its six-year run (1957–1963).<ref name="McLellan latimes">{{cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=January 19, 2003 |title=Richard Crenna, 75; Actor Made Transition From Comedy to Drama |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-19-me-crenna19-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>

===1960s–1970s===
Credited as Dick Crenna, he directed eight episodes of ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' during its 1963-1964 season, including "Opie the Birdman," "The Sermon for Today," and the Gomer Pyle-instigated "Citizen's Arrest." Crenna also directed "Henhouse," a 1977 episode of  ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]''.<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes" />

Crenna portrayed California state senator James Slattery in the series ''[[Slattery's People]]'' (1964–1965). For his acting in this series, he was twice nominated for an Emmy Award with slightly different names: for Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment and for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series, both in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/slatterys-people |title=Slattery's People |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|Television Academy]] |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> Crenna was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Male for this same role in 1965. In 1966, Crenna played beside [[Steve McQueen]] as an ill-fated captain of an American gunboat in 1920s China in ''[[The Sand Pebbles (film)|The Sand Pebbles]]''.<ref name="McLellan latimes" />
[[File:Richard Crenna 1998.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Crenna in 1998]]
During the 1970s, Crenna continued acting in Western dramas such as ''[[The Deserter (1971 film)|The Deserter]]'', ''[[Catlow]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Greenspun |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Greenspun |date=October 21, 1971 |title=Catlow' Pits Crenna Against Brynner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/21/archives/catlow-pits-crenna-against-brynner.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> ''[[The Man Called Noon]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |author-link=A. H. Weiler |date=September 25, 1973 |title=The Screen: Double Bill:' The Man Called Noon' and 'Triple Irons' The Casts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/25/archives/the-screen-double-bill-the-man-called-noon-and-triple-irons-the.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> and ''[[Breakheart Pass (film)|Breakheart Pass]]''. He made a notable performance in Jean-Pierre Melville's final film ''[[Un Flic]]'' in 1972. In 1976, Crenna returned to weekly network television in the sitcom ''[[All's Fair (1976 TV series)|All's Fair]]'', a political satire co-starring [[Bernadette Peters]]. Despite high expectations and good critical reviews, it lasted just a single season. The 1978 miniseries ''[[Centennial (miniseries)|Centennial]]'', based on [[James A. Michener]]'s historical [[Centennial (novel)|novel of the same name]] saw Crenna in the role of deranged religious fanatic Colonel Frank Skimmerhorn, who ordered the 1864 massacre of Colorado [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]].<ref name="Lentz 2004" />

===1980s–early 2000s===
Crenna won an [[Emmy Award]]<ref name="Kilgannon nytimes" /> and a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television]] nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1985 film ''[[The Rape of Richard Beck]]''.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=The Rape of Richard Beck |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/7213/Deadly-Justice/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111702/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/7213/Deadly-Justice/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |author=Hal Erickson |author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=2015 |access-date=April 20, 2015}}</ref>

Crenna played [[John Rambo]]'s ex-commanding officer [[Sam Trautman|Colonel Sam Trautman]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=October 22, 1982 |title=FIRST BLOOD |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/22/movies/first-blood.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> in the first three [[Rambo (film series)|''Rambo'' films]], a role for which he was hired after [[Kirk Douglas]] left the production a day into filming. Trautman became the veteran actor's most famous role; his performance received wide critical praise.<ref name="drawing">{{cite video|title=Drawing First Blood|location=''First Blood'' DVD|date=2002|publisher=Artisan}}</ref> He also spoofed the character in ''[[Hot Shots! Part Deux]]'' in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last=McKerrow |first=Steve |date=May 21, 1993 |title='Hot Shots! Part Deux': Laughter's better the second time around |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-05-21-1993141258-story.html |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Malcolm |date=May 21, 1993 |title=Sheen Turns Rambo in 'Hot Shots!' |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1993-05-21-0000101801-story.html |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>

Crenna starred as NYPD lieutenant of detectives Frank Janek in a series of seven popular made-for-television films, beginning in 1988 and ending in 1994. The character of Janek had originally appeared in a series of novels by [[William Bayer]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Kenneth R. |date=November 6, 1988 |title=Crenna's Janek Is Back, But Not In A Series – Yet |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/11/06/crennas-janek-is-back-but-not-in-a-series-yet/ |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sandler |first=Adam |date=March 28, 1994 |title=The Forget Me Not Murders |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/the-forget-me-not-murders-1200409215/ |work=Variety |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>

In 2001, Crenna played US President [[Ronald Reagan]] in the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] film ''[[The Day Reagan Was Shot]]'', a fictionalised account of [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|the attempted assassination attempt of Reagan]] in 1981.

==Legacy==
Crenna was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref>{{cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=January 19, 2003 |title=Richard Crenna – Hollywood Star Walk |url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-crenna/ |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>

==Illness and death==
Crenna died of [[heart failure]] at age 76 on January 17, 2003, in Los Angeles. At the time of his death he was also suffering from pancreatic cancer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Crenna dies at 76 |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/crenna-dies-at-76-1117879067/ |work=Variety |date=January 19, 2003 |access-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414011116/http://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/crenna-dies-at-76-1117879067/ |url-status=live |archive-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Let's Dance (1950 film)|Let's Dance]]''
| Bit Part
| rowspan="3" | Uncredited
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Starlift]]''
| Movie Theater Usher
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1952
| ''[[Red Skies of Montana]]''
| Noxon
|-
| ''[[The Pride of St. Louis]]''
| Paul Dean
|
|-
| ''[[It Grows on Trees]]''
| Ralph Bowen
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1956
| ''[[Over-Exposed]]''
| Russell Bassett
|
|-
| ''[[Our Miss Brooks (film)|Our Miss Brooks]]''
| Walter Denton
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!]]''
| John Goldfarb
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1966
| ''[[Made in Paris]]''
| Herb Stone
|
|-
| ''[[The Sand Pebbles (film)|The Sand Pebbles]]''
| Captain Collins
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Wait Until Dark (film)|Wait Until Dark]]''
| Mike Talman
|
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Star! (film)|Star!]]''
| [[Richard Aldrich (producer)|Richard Aldrich]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1969
| ''[[Midas Run]]''
| Mike Warden
|
|-
| ''[[Marooned (1969 film)|Marooned]]''
| Jim Pruett
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1971
| ''[[Doctors' Wives (1971 film)|Doctors' Wives]]''
| Dr. Peter Brennan
|
|-
| ''[[The Deserter (1970 film)|The Deserter]]''
| Major Wade Brown
|
|-
| ''[[Red Sky at Morning (1971 film)|Red Sky at Morning]]''
| Frank Arnold
|
|-
| ''[[Catlow]]''
| Marshal Ben Cowan
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Un flic]]''
| Simon
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''[[The Man Called Noon]]''
| Noon
|
|-
| ''[[Jonathan Livingston Seagull (film)|Jonathan Livingston Seagull]]''
| Father (voice)
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Breakheart Pass (1975 film)|Breakheart Pass]]''
| Governor Richard Fairchild
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| ''[[Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell]]''
| Mike Barry
|
|-
| ''[[The Evil (1978 film)|The Evil]]''
| C.J. Arnold
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| ''[[Stone Cold Dead]]''
| Sergeant Boyd
|
|-
| ''[[Wild Horse Hank]]''
| Pace Bradford
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1980
| ''[[Death Ship (1980 film)|Death Ship]]''
| Trevor Marshall
|
|-
| ''Joshua's World''
| Dr. Joshua Torrance
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Body Heat]]''
| Edmund Walker
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[First Blood]]''
| [[Sam Trautman|Colonel Samuel R. "Sam" Trautman]]
|
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Table for Five]]''
| Mitchell
|
|-
| 1984
| ''[[The Flamingo Kid]]''
| Phil Brody
| Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]''
| Colonel Samuel R. "Sam" Trautman
|
|-
| ''[[Summer Rental]]''
| Al Pellet
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Rambo III]]''
| Colonel Samuel R. "Sam" Trautman
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Leviathan (1989 film)|Leviathan]]''
| Dr. Glen "Doc" Thompson
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Hot Shots! Part Deux]]''
| Colonel Denton Walters
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1995
| ''[[A Pyromaniac's Love Story]]''
| Tom Lumpke
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Jade (1995 film)|Jade]]''
| Governor Lew Edwards
|
|-
| ''[[Sabrina (1995 film)|Sabrina]]''
| Patrick Tyson
|
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Wrongfully Accused]]''
| Lieutenant Fergus Falls
|-
|
| ''Legendary Lighthouses''
| Narrator
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Rambo (2008 film)|Rambo]]''
| rowspan="2" | Colonel Samuel R. "Sam" Trautman
| rowspan="2" | Archival footage; uncredited
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Rambo: Last Blood]]''
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1952
| ''[[I Love Lucy]]''
| Arthur Morton
| episode: "The Young Fans"
|-
| 1952–1955
| ''[[Our Miss Brooks]]''
| Walter Denton
| 94 episodes
|-
| 1955
| ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]''
| Ralph McKnight
| episode: "The Ralph McKnight Story"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1956
| ''Frontier''
| John Leslie
| episode: "The 10 Days of John Leslie"
|-
| ''[[Medic (TV series)|Medic]]''
| Donny
| episode: "Don't Count the Stars"
|-
| ''[[Father Knows Best]]''
| Elwood Seastrom
| episode: "The Promising Young Man"
|-
| 1956–1958
| ''[[Matinee Theatre]]''
| Sergeant James
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1957
| ''The Silent Service''
| Lieutenant Commander L. L. "Jeff" Davis
| episode: "The U.S.S. Pampanito Story"
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Cheyenne (TV series)|Cheyenne]]''
| "Curley" Galway
| episode: "Hard Bargain"
|-
| 1957–1963
| ''[[The Real McCoys]]''
| Luke McCoy
| 225 episodes<br />nominated—[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]] <small>(1959)</small>
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Deputy (TV series)|The Deputy]]''
| Andy Willis
| episode: "A Time to Sow"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre]]''
| Edward Smalley
| episode: "The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley"
|-
| 1964–1965
| ''[[Slattery's People]]''
| James Slattery
| 36 episodes<br />nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama]] <small>(1965)</small><br />nominated—[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment]] <small>(1965)</small><br />nominated—[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]] <small>(1966)</small>
|-
| 1971
| ''Thief''
| Neal Wilkinson
| television film
|-
| 1971–1972
| ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]''
| Guest Performer
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1972
| ''Footsteps''
| Paddy O'Connor
| rowspan="7" | television film
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Double Indemnity (1973 film)|Double Indemnity]]''
| Walter Neff
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1974
| ''Nightmare''
| Howard Faloon
|-
| ''[[Shootout in a One-Dog Town]]''
| Zack Wells
|-
| ''Double Solitaire''
| 
|-
| ''Honky Tonk''
| "Candy" Johnson
|-
| 1975
| ''[[A Girl Named Sooner]]''
| R.J. "Mac" McHenry
|-
| 1976–1977
| ''[[All's Fair (1976 TV series)|All's Fair]]''
| Richard C. Barrington
| 24 episodes
|-
| 1977
| ''[[The War Between the Tates]]''
| Professor Brian Tate
| rowspan="4" | television film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1978
| ''[[Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell]]''
| Mike Barry
|-
| ''[[First, You Cry]]''
| David Towers
|-
| ''[[A Fire in the Sky]]''
| Jason Voight
|-
| 1978–1979
| ''[[Centennial (miniseries)|Centennial]]''
| Colonel Frank Skimmerhorn
| television miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| ''[[Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure]]''
| [[William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)|William Brewster]]
| rowspan="5" | television film
|-
| ''[[Better Late Than Never (1979 film)|Better Late Than Never]]''
| The Director
|-
| 1980
| ''Fugitive Family''
| Brian Roberts / Matthews
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1981
| ''The Ordeal of Bill Carney''
| Mason Rose
|-
| ''Daniel Boone''
| voice
|-
| ''Look at Us''
| Host 
| 
|-
| 1982
| ''The Day the Bubble Burst''
| Jesse Livermore
| television film
|-
| 1982–1983
| ''[[It Takes Two (American TV series)|It Takes Two]]''
| Dr. Sam Quinn
| 22 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1984
| ''Squaring the Circle''
| The Narrator
| rowspan="3" | television film
|-
| ''London and Davis in New York''
| John Greyson
|-
| ''[[Passions (1984 film)|Passions]]''
| Richard Kennerly
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| ''[[The Rape of Richard Beck]]''
| Richard Beck
| television film<br />[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]]<br />nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film]]
|-
| ''Doubletake''
| [[William Bayer#Bibliography|Frank Janek]]
| television miniseries
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1986
| ''[[A Case of Deadly Force]]''
| [[Lawrence O'Donnell Sr.]]
| television film
|-
| ''[[On Wings of Eagles (miniseries)|On Wings of Eagles]]''
| [[Ross Perot|H. Ross Perot]]
| television miniseries
|-
| ''The High Price of Passion''
| Bill Douglas
| rowspan="12" | television film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1987
| ''Police Story: The Freeway Killings''
| Deputy Chief Bob Devers
|-
| ''Kids Like These''
| Bob Goodman
|-
| ''Plaza Suite''
| Roy Hubley
|-
| 1988
| ''Internal Affairs''
| Frank Janek
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1989
| ''The Case of the Hillside Stranglers''
| Sergeant Bob Grogan
|-
| ''Stuck with Each Other''
| Bert Medwick
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1990
| ''Murder in Black and White''
| Frank Janek
|-
| ''[[Montana (1990 film)|Montana]]''
| Hoyce Guthrie
|-
| ''Last Flight Out''
| Dan Hood
|-
| ''Murder Times Seven''
| Frank Janek
|-
| 1991
| ''[[And the Sea Will Tell]]''
| [[Vincent Bugliosi]]
|-
| 1991–1992
| ''[[Pros and Cons (TV series)|Pros and Cons]]''
| Mitch O'Hannon
| 12 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''[[Intruders (miniseries)|Intruders]]''
| Dr. Neil Chase
| television miniseries
|-
| ''Terror on Track 9''
| Detective Frank Janek
| rowspan="6" | television film
|-
| 1993
| ''[[A Place to Be Loved]]''
| George Russ
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1994
| ''The Forget-Me-Not Murders''
| Frank Janek
|-
| ''Jonathan Stone: Threat of Innocence''
| Jonathan Stone
|-
| ''Janek: The Silent Betrayal''
| Lieutenant Frank Janek
|-
| 1995
| ''[[In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy]]''
| Lucas Constable Sr.
|-
| 1995–1998
| ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]''
| Lieutenant Harmon Rabb Sr.
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996
| ''Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah''
| John Porter
| television film
|-
| ''[[Nova (American TV program)|Nova]]''
| Narrator
| [[List of Nova episodes#Season 23: 1995–1996|Episode: B-29: Frozen in Time]]
|-
| ''Texas Graces''
| Virgil Grace
| rowspan="7" | television film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1997
| ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997 Hallmark film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]''
| Professor Aronnax
|-
| ''[[Deep Family Secrets]]''
| Clay Chadway
|-
| ''Heart Full of Rain''
| Arliss Dockett
|-
| ''Cold Case''
| Host
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1999
| ''To Serve and Protect''
| Howard Carr
|-
| ''The Man Who Makes Things Happen: David L. Wolper''
| Narrator
|-
| ''[[Chicago Hope]]''
| Dr. Martin Rockwell
| episode: "Teacher's Pet"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| ''Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For''
| Warren Pierce
| rowspan="2" | television film
|-
| ''By Dawn's Early Light''
| Ben Maxwell
|-
| 2000–2003
| ''[[Judging Amy]]''
| Jared Duff
| 13 episodes
|-
| 2001
| ''[[The Day Reagan Was Shot]]''
| [[Ronald Reagan]]
| rowspan="2" | television film
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Out of the Ashes (2003 film)|Out of the Ashes]]''
| Jake Smith
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Rambo: The Video Game]]''
| Colonel Samuel "Sam" Trautman
| character likeness / uncredited
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
| 1959
| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]]
| ''[[The Real McCoys]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1965
| [[Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama|Best Actor – Television Series Drama]]
| rowspan="3" | ''[[Slattery's People]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | Primetime Emmy Awards
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1966
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1984
| rowspan="2" | Golden Globe Awards
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| ''[[The Flamingo Kid]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film]]
| rowspan="2" | ''[[The Rape of Richard Beck]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]]
| {{won}}
|}

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Biography}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0001077}}
* {{emmytvlegends name|richard-crenna}}

{{EmmyAward MiniseriesLeadActor 1976-2000}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crenna, Richard}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
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[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:Television producers from California]]
[[Category:Belmont High School (Los Angeles) alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:People from Bunker Hill, Los Angeles]]