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Johnny Sands

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Johnny Sands
Sands in The Admiral Was a Lady, 1950
Born
Elbert Harp Jr.

(1928-04-29)April 29, 1928
DiedDecember 30, 2003(2003-12-30) (aged 75)
Occupation(s)Actor, real estate agent
Years active1946–1971 as actor, 1971-1991 as real estate agent
Spouses
Sue Allen
(m. 1947; div. 1947)
Donella B. Clementini
(m. 1962)

Johnny Sands (born Elbert Harp Jr., April 29, 1928 – December 30, 2003) was an American film and television actor. He worked in over a dozen films, and on television, before he retired from show business in 1971. He then worked as a real estate agent in Hawaii, until retiring in 1991.[1]

Early years

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Sands was born in Lorenzo, Texas.[2][1] When he was 13, he went to Hollywood to work as an usher in a theater.[3]

Career

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Discovered by a talent scout on his way to the beach, he chose his professional name for his love of sand and surf.[2]

Sands' screen debut was in Affairs of Geraldine (1946).[3] He is perhaps best remembered for his role in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), with Shirley Temple, Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, as Shirley Temple's boyfriend, Jerry White;[2] as well as the title character in Aladdin and His Lamp (1952).

He also appeared in The Stranger (1946), with Orson Welles, Loretta Young, and Edward G. Robinson; and, Till the End of Time (1946), with Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum and Dorothy McGuire.

A popular actor who worked in over a dozen films, as well as television shows such as Perry Mason, with Raymond Burr, he continued to receive fan mail for the rest of his life.[citation needed]

Sands eventually left acting and moved to Hawaii, launching a career in real estate.[3]

Personal life

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Sands was married twice, first to Sue Allen in 1947, but it lasted only one year Daughter Catherine Browning from a previous marriage. Two sons, Michael and Marco with Donella..[2]

Death

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Sands died on December 30, 2003, at his home in Ainaloa, Hawaii.[3]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1946 The Stranger Jogging Student in Woods Film debut, Uncredited
Till the End of Time Tommy
Affairs of Geraldine Danny
1947 Born to Speed Johnny Randall
Blaze of Noon Keith McDonald
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer Jerry White
The Fabulous Texan Bud Clayton
1949 Adventure in Baltimore Gene Sheldon
Massacre River Randy Reid
It's Your Health Jim Davis Short
1950 The Lawless Joe Ferguson
The Admiral Was a Lady Eddie Hoff
Two Flags West Lt. Adams
1951 Target Unknown Sgt. Frank Crawford
The Basketball Fix Jed Black
1952 Aladdin and His Lamp Aladdin
1953 Jungle Drums of Africa Bert Hadley Serial
Sabre Jet Sgt. Cosgrove Final film

References

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  1. ^ a b "Johnny Sands, 76; Actor Began Career in Hollywood as Usher". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2004. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Wagner, Laura (Fall 2016). "Johnny Sands: Bobby-Soxer Boyfriend". Films of the Golden Age (86): 73–74.
  3. ^ a b c d Lentz, Harris M. III (2004). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 347. ISBN 9780786417568. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
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