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John Kerr

John Kerr

Known For Acting
Birthday Nov 15, 1931
Died Feb 02, 2013 (81)
Birthplace New York, New York, USA
Popularity 0.4 (history)
Updated Aug 08, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
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

Filmography

Search and Destroy

Search and Destroy

1979

as MacPherson

The Silent Partner

The Silent Partner

1978

as Detective #3

Class of '44

Class of '44

1973

as Hotel Bartender

Incident on a Dark Street

Incident on a Dark Street

1973

as Gallagher - Trenier's Lawyer

Class of '44

Class of '44

1973

as Ford Hotel Bartender (uncredited)

The Longest Night

The Longest Night

1972

as Agent Jones

Yuma

Yuma

1971

as Capt. White

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum

1961

as Francis Barnard

The Crowded Sky

The Crowded Sky

1960

as Mike Rule

Girl of the Night

Girl of the Night

1960

as Larry Taylor

South Pacific

South Pacific

1958

as Lt. Joseph Cable, USMC

The Vintage

The Vintage

1957

as Ernesto Barandero

Gaby

Gaby

1956

as Gregory Y. Wendell

Tea and Sympathy

Tea and Sympathy

1956

as Tom Robinson Lee

The Cobweb

The Cobweb

1955

as Steven W. Holte

The Quatermass Xperiment

The Quatermass Xperiment

1955

as Photo Lab Technician (uncredited)

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Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Arrest and Trial

as Assistant Deputy District Attorney Barry Pine

Episodes: 30

First Aired: Sep 15, 1963

The F.B.I.

as SAC Gary Morgan

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Gunsmoke

as Lute

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1955

General Electric Theater

as Freddie

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 01, 1953

The Ray Bradbury Theater

as Don

Episodes: 1

First Aired: May 21, 1985

Run for Your Life

as Alex Ryder

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1965

The High Chaparral

as Creed Hallock

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1967

The Virginian

as Oliver Smith

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1962

Lux Video Theatre

as Tony

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1950

Climax!

as Matt Sloane

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 1954

Profiles in Courage

as Whitlock

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 08, 1964

The Philco Television Playhouse

as George Avery

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 03, 1948

Riverboat

as Jefferson Carruthers

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1959

Suspense

as Derek Howard

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 06, 1949

The Defenders

as Jonathan Winthrop

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1961

The F.B.I.

as Chicago Special Agent

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

The F.B.I.

as SAC William Converse

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

The F.B.I.

as S.A.C. Douglas Parker

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

The F.B.I.

as Clayton McGregor

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Adam-12

as Father Joe

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 21, 1968

Columbo

as Roger Dutton

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 15, 1971

The Name of the Game

as Billy Keaton

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1968

The Name of the Game

as Stuart Clark

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1968

Studio One

as The Boy

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 07, 1948

The Wonderful World of Disney

as Martin Didler

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 27, 1954

Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Peter Standish

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Dec 24, 1951

Climax!

as Danny Barron/Steve Barron

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 1954

Climax!

as Poggi

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 1954

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

as Glendon Baker

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1962

The Long, Hot Summer

Episodes: 26

First Aired: Sep 16, 1965

The Streets of San Francisco

Episodes: 8

First Aired: Sep 23, 1972

Police Story

Episodes: 5

First Aired: Mar 20, 1973

The Mod Squad

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 24, 1968

The Rookies

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 11, 1972

Alias Smith and Jones

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 05, 1971

Studio One

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 07, 1948

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Dec 24, 1951

Bus Stop

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 01, 1961

Rawhide

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 09, 1959

Search

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1972

The New Avengers

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 22, 1976

The United States Steel Hour

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 27, 1953

Toma

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 21, 1973

Suspense

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 06, 1949

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2025 2 3 6 1
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2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
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2025 9 0 0 0
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