John Alvin

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

106

Gender

Male

Birthday

1917-10-24

Day of death

2009-02-27 (91 years old)

Place of Birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

John Alvin

Biography

John Alvin, born John Alvin Hoffstadt was an American film, stage and television actor. Alvin was signed with Warner Brothers Studios for an exclusive four-year contract during the World War II era, although he was "borrowed" by 20th Century Fox to appear in 1944's Oscar-nominated The Fighting Sullivans. He appeared in more than 25 Warner Brothers films during this time, including Northern Pursuit (which starred Errol Flynn), The Beast with Five Fingers, The Very Thought of You, and Objective, Burma!. His pictures after the contract period included Irma la Douce, Inside Daisy Clover, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie. However, it was his role in the 1943 film Destination Tokyo, in which he co-starred with John Garfield and Cary Grant, that left the largest impression on Alvin. Years later, in a 2006 interview, Alvin credited Grant with having a major impact on his career path: "I learned more about show business from him than from anyone. He was very attentive and helpful." Alvin later enjoyed a separate television career, which spanned from the 1950s to the 1980s. His television credits included various roles on Leave It to Beaver, All in the Family, Lou Grant, Dragnet, General Hospital, Murder, She Wrote, Starsky and Hutch, The Incredible Hulk and I Spy. Alvin's also appeared in numerous television commercials advertising for such products as Mattel, H&R Block, McDonald's, Porsche and Audi. Alvin's theater repertoire included Send Me No Flowers, The Student Prince, The Chicago Conspiracy Trial and The Cradle Will Rock. He also appeared in a production of Rain, which was directed by Charlie Chaplin. He largely retired from acting in the 1990s; his final film appearance was in 1994's Milk Money. During his retirement, Alvin often showed his movies for audiences at the Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, an organization for senior citizens based in Thousand Oaks, California.

Known For

  • M*A*S*H

    M*A*S*H

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Starsky & Hutch

    Starsky & Hutch

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • My Three Sons

    My Three Sons

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • Cheyenne

    Cheyenne

  • The Lucy Show

    The Lucy Show

  • Amazing Stories

    Amazing Stories

  • Get Smart

    Get Smart

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • Dragnet

    Dragnet

  • Leave It to Beaver

    Leave It to Beaver

  • The Incredible Hulk

    The Incredible Hulk

  • Hart to Hart

    Hart to Hart

  • Petticoat Junction

    Petticoat Junction

  • One Step Beyond

    One Step Beyond

  • The Lone Ranger

    The Lone Ranger

  • The Munsters

    The Munsters

  • All in the Family

    All in the Family

  • Family Affair

    Family Affair

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

  • Richard Diamond, Private Detective

    Richard Diamond, Private Detective

  • Navy Log

    Navy Log

  • Bronco

    Bronco

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker

    Kolchak: The Night Stalker

  • Racket Squad

    Racket Squad

  • Cain's Hundred

    Cain's Hundred

  • 87th Precinct

    87th Precinct

  • Hopalong Cassidy

    Hopalong Cassidy

  • The Lone Wolf

    The Lone Wolf

  • Train to Alcatraz

    Train to Alcatraz

  • The Shanghai Story

    The Shanghai Story

  • Occasional Wife

    Occasional Wife

  • Milk Money

    Milk Money

  • The McConnell Story

    The McConnell Story

  • Dangerous Assignment

    Dangerous Assignment

  • The Second Hundred Years

    The Second Hundred Years

  • The Second Hundred Years

    The Second Hundred Years

  • The Whistler

    The Whistler

  • Wire Service

    Wire Service

  • Hey, Jeannie!

    Hey, Jeannie!

  • Bright Leaf

    Bright Leaf

  • Sheena: Queen of the Jungle

    Sheena: Queen of the Jungle

  • Destination Tokyo

    Destination Tokyo

  • The Fountainhead

    The Fountainhead

  • Kentucky Rifle

    Kentucky Rifle

  • The Shanghai Chest

    The Shanghai Chest

  • Return to Green Acres

    Return to Green Acres

  • Stallion Road

    Stallion Road

  • Deep Valley

    Deep Valley

  • Irma la Douce

    Irma la Douce

  • Somewhere in Time

    Somewhere in Time

  • Northern Pursuit

    Northern Pursuit

  • San Antonio

    San Antonio

  • The Cara Williams Show

    The Cara Williams Show

  • Carrie

    Carrie

  • Illegal

    Illegal

  • Pretty Baby

    Pretty Baby

  • The Quest: The Longest Drive

    The Quest: The Longest Drive

  • Romance on the High Seas

    Romance on the High Seas

  • Marnie

    Marnie

  • A Bullet for Joey

    A Bullet for Joey

  • Bringing Up Buddy

    Bringing Up Buddy

  • The Living Christ

    The Living Christ

  • Two Guys from Texas

    Two Guys from Texas

  • Come Fill the Cup

    Come Fill the Cup

  • Nora Prentiss

    Nora Prentiss

  • The Legend of Lylah Clare

    The Legend of Lylah Clare

  • Cheyenne

    Cheyenne

  • Love and Learn

    Love and Learn

  • The Bold Frontiersman

    The Bold Frontiersman

  • The Legend of Lizzie Borden

    The Legend of Lizzie Borden

  • This Side of the Law

    This Side of the Law

  • The Fighting Sullivans

    The Fighting Sullivans

  • Passions

    Passions

  • Open Secret

    Open Secret

  • Dennis the Menace

    Dennis the Menace

  • Three Strangers

    Three Strangers

  • The Organization

    The Organization

  • April in Paris

    April in Paris

  • Sweet, Sweet Rachel

    Sweet, Sweet Rachel

  • The Iron Mistress

    The Iron Mistress

  • The Breaking Point

    The Breaking Point

  • The Unknown Man

    The Unknown Man

  • Deep in My Heart

    Deep in My Heart

  • Missing Women

    Missing Women

  • Crackle of Death

    Crackle of Death

  • Objective, Burma!

    Objective, Burma!

  • Rocky

    Rocky

  • The Very Thought of You

    The Very Thought of You

  • Shadow of a Woman

    Shadow of a Woman

  • The Beast with Five Fingers

    The Beast with Five Fingers

  • Under Colorado Skies

    Under Colorado Skies