System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Buster Crabbe
1910 - 1983
Buster Crabbe, the Olympic swimming champion who became a Hollywood star, died April 23, 1983. He was 73.
Crabbe was born Clarence L. Crabbe on February 7, 1910 in Oakland, California.
His family moved to Hawaii where Crabbe became a champion swimmer. His idol was Hawaiian legend Duke Kahanamoku.
Distance swimming was Crabbe's forte. He swam for the University of Southern California, and during the years from 1929-31, he won several AAU national championships, including the 440-yard freestyle, the one mile, 1500 meters and the 300-yard individual medley.
Crabbe entered the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games as an underdog to world champion Jean Taris of France.
The two men swam the finals of the 400-meter free style race.
The Frenchman led most of the way, but Crabbe caught him in the last 25 meters to win, setting a new world record in the process.
The victory was life changing for Crabbe.
His Olympic fame led to a Hollywood contract which saw him make more than 175 movies in a 50-year career.
And while he did appear as one of filmdom's Tarzans, fellow swimmer and actor Johnny Weissmuller took that role to its greatest heights.
Crabbe's claim to fame during the 1930's was his portrayal of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon in a number of popular serial films.
Crabbe also appeared in more than 70 western movies.
He was a top ten box office draw in that genre in 1936.
In the 1950's, he starred in a science fiction television series called Captain Gallant.
Crabbe also became a successful businessman.
After serving as athletic director for a rural New York resort, he managed and owned a swimming pool operation.
Crabbe authored several books on fitness for people over 50.
Crabbe starred in his last movie, The Alien Dead, in 1980.
He died of a heart attack in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 23, 1983.
He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family.
