
John Alvin
Born October 24, 1917 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
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.
Notable Appearances
Movies

Somewhere in Time

Milk Money

Marnie

The Fountainhead

Irma la Douce

They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

The Legend of Lylah Clare

Deep in My Heart

Romance on the High Seas

The Legend of Lizzie Borden

A Bullet for Joey

The Organization

Passions

The Beast with Five Fingers

Bright Leaf

Destination Tokyo

Come Fill the Cup

Carrie

The Breaking Point

The Quest: The Longest Drive

Three Strangers

Return to Green Acres

Missing Women

The Iron Mistress

Objective, Burma!

Shadow of a Woman

This Side of the Law

Dennis the Menace

Two Guys from Texas

San Antonio

The Unknown Man

Northern Pursuit

Nora Prentiss

The Very Thought of You

Pretty Baby

Illegal

The Shanghai Story

April in Paris

Deep Valley

The Shanghai Chest

Sweet, Sweet Rachel

The McConnell Story

Torpedo Alley
TV Shows

Climax!

The Rifleman

Four Star Playhouse

Cheyenne

My Three Sons

Starsky & Hutch

Petticoat Junction

Dragnet

Hart to Hart

The Incredible Hulk

The Lucy Show

The Beverly Hillbillies

Amazing Stories

The Lone Ranger

All in the Family

One Step Beyond

Leave It to Beaver

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

The Jack Benny Program

The Munsters

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

Family Affair

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Bronco

The Millionaire

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Navy Log

Cain's Hundred

87th Precinct

Racket Squad

Hopalong Cassidy

The Lone Wolf

Dangerous Assignment

The Second Hundred Years

Occasional Wife

Wire Service

The Whistler

Hey, Jeannie!

The Living Christ

The Cara Williams Show

Sheena: Queen of the Jungle














