Broderick Crawford

Beefy, gravel-voiced Broderick Crawford was a tough guy with a heart of gold.The scion of a vaudeville family, he initially shunned his parents' profession, but came to realize that show business was in his blood. Success, however, did not come easy.Even after he was acclaimed on Broadway as "Lennie" in the stage production of John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN, important roles eluded him. Indeed, he spent a decade in Hollywood playing supporting parts as gangsters, cops, Western outlaws and "Lennie-like" characters in unimportant pictures. His luck changed in 1949 when he won an Academy Award for his performance in ALL THE KING'S MEN, and he followed that with an equally high-profile film, BORN YESTERDAY. Major roles in other films ensued, but Crawford would reach the pinnacle of his fame in 1955 when he starred as "Chief Dan Matthews" in the popular syndicated television series, HIGHWAY PATROL. BRODERICK CRAWFORD is a three-character play that looks in on the actor during two different periods in his later life, as he attempts to deal with his inner demons: his addiction to alcohol and the "ghosts" of his late, fault-finding parents who continually invade his consciousness. 2 Men, 1 Woman; Single Set.