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John Archer (May 8, 1915 – December 5, 1999) was an American movie and television actor. Born Ralph Bowman in Osceola, Nebraska, Archer moved to California at the age of five. He attended Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California, where he studied cinematography with an eye on a job behind the camera. When finding work in the field proved difficult, he drifted into acting, working as a radio announcer and actor (including one year in the starring role of Lamont Cranston in "The Shadow") appearing on Broadway in The Day Before Spring, and in film in a number of movie... MORE

John Archer (May 8, 1915 – December 5, 1999) was an American movie and television actor. Born Ralph Bowman in Osceola, Nebraska, Archer moved to California at the age of five. He attended Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California, where he studied cinematography with an eye on a job behind the camera. When finding work in the field proved difficult, he drifted into acting, working as a radio announcer and actor (including one year in the starring role of Lamont Cranston in "The Shadow") appearing on Broadway in The Day Before Spring, and in film in a number of movie serials for Universal and Republic under his birth name. In a radio contest sponsored by Jesse L. Lasky, he won the top prize, an RKO contract in the name of "John Archer." His screen credits include Hello, Frisco, Hello, Guadalcanal Diary, White Heat, Destination Moon, Rock Around the Clock, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, and Blue Hawaii. In 1971, he was featured in Universal Pictures's movie How to Frame a Figg starring Don Knotts. Archer appeared in dozens of television series, including Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Millionaire, The Loretta Young Show, Private Secretary, The Bob Cummings Show, This Man LESS