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Clarence Linden Crabbe II, known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimming event, which launched his career on the silver screen and later television. He starred in a variety of popular feature films and movie serials released between 1933 and the 1950s. He portrayed the top three syndicated comic-strip heroes of the 1930s: Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers.
Birth Name
Clarence Linden Crabbe
Born
Friday, 07 February 1908
Died
Saturday, 23 April 1983
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| These Amazing Shadows | Flash Gordon (clip from Flash Gordon (1936)) | 2011 |
| The Wonder of it All | Flash Gordon | 2007 |
| How William Shatner Changed the World | Flash Gordon | 2005 |
| The One, the Only, the Real Tarzan | Tarzan in 'Tarzan the Fearless' | 2004 |
| Action Heroes of Movies & T.V. | Captain Gallant | 1989 |
| American Experience | Flash Gordon | 1988 |
| Bad Girls in the Movies | (archive footage) | 1986 |
| The Alien Dead | Sheriff Kowalski | 1980 |
| Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Brigadier Gordon | 1979 |
| Swim Team | Rock Sands | 1979 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| These Amazing Shadows | Flash Gordon (clip from Flash Gordon (1936)) | 2011 |
| The Wonder of it All | Flash Gordon | 2007 |
| How William Shatner Changed the World | Flash Gordon | 2005 |
| The One, the Only, the Real Tarzan | Tarzan in 'Tarzan the Fearless' | 2004 |
| Action Heroes of Movies & T.V. | Captain Gallant | 1989 |
| American Experience | Flash Gordon | 1988 |
| Bad Girls in the Movies | (archive footage) | 1986 |
| The Alien Dead | Sheriff Kowalski | 1980 |
| Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Brigadier Gordon | 1979 |
| Swim Team | Rock Sands | 1979 |
| B.J. and the Bear | Jake O'Brien | 1978 |
| Live Wednesday | Self | 1978 |
| Buck Rogers | Col. Buck Rogers / Buck Rogers | 1977 |
| Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976 |
| It's Showtime | Self | 1976 |
| The David Frost Show | Self | 1969 |
| Peril from the Planet Mongo | Flash Gordon | 1966 |
| Destination Saturn | Buck Rogers | 1966 |
| Spaceship to the Unknown | Flash Gordon (archive footage) / Flash Gordon | 1966 |
| Deadly Ray from Mars | Flash Gordon | 1966 |
| Purple Death from Outer Space | Flash Gordon | 1966 |
| Arizona Raiders | Capt. Andrews / Capt. Tom Andrews | 1965 |
| The Bounty Killer | Mike Clayman | 1965 |
| Tarzan the Fearless | Tarzan | 1964 |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Himself - Guest | 1962 |
| The Mike Douglas Show | Himself - Actor | 1961 |
| Gunfighters of Abilene | Kip Tanner / Kip | 1959 |
| Badman's Country | Wyatt Earp | 1958 |
| Adventures of the Sea Hawk | Kiley | 1958 |
| The Lawless Eighties | Linc Prescott | 1957 |
| Gun Brothers | Chad Santee | 1956 |
| The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | Self - Guest | 1956 |
| Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion | Capt. Michael Gallant / Captain Michael Gallant | 1955 |
| Star Tonight | The sheriff | 1955 |
| Planet Outlaws | Col. Buck Rogers / Buck Rogers | 1953 |
| King of the Congo | Roger Drum / Thunda | 1952 |
| The Red Skelton Hour | Jim Dandy / Chief Petty Officer Muldoon | 1951 |
| The Carmel Myers Show | Self | 1951 |
| The Sam Levenson Show | Self | 1951 |
| Pirates of the High Seas | Jeff Drake | 1950 |
| Captive Girl | Barton | 1950 |
| The Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter | Self | 1950 |
| Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall | Himself | 1948 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | Self - Audience Bow | 1948 |
| The Milton Berle Show | Self - Actor | 1948 |
| Caged Fury | Smiley | 1948 |
| The Sea Hound | Captain Silver / Capt. Silver | 1947 |
| Last of the Redmen | Magua | 1947 |
| Outlaws of the Plains | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Swamp Fire | Mike Kalavich | 1946 |
| Overland Riders | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Prairie Badmen | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Ghost of Hidden Valley | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Terrors on Horseback | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Gentlemen with Guns | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Lightning Raiders | Billy Carson | 1946 |
| Prairie Rustlers | Billy Carson / Cousin Jim Slade / Jim Slade | 1945 |
| Fighting Bill Carson | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Border Badmen | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Rustlers' Hideout | Billy Carson (Billy Gibson in credits) / Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Stagecoach Outlaws | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Gangster's Den | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Shadows of Death | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| His Brother's Ghost | Billy Carson | 1945 |
| Oath of Vengeance | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| Wild Horse Phantom | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| Fuzzy Settles Down | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| The Drifter | Drifter Davis / Billy Carson | 1944 |
| The Contender | Gary Farrel | 1944 |
| Valley of Vengeance | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| Thundering Gun Slingers | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| Frontier Outlaws | Billy Carson | 1944 |
| Nabonga | Ray Gorman | 1944 |
| Devil Riders | Billy Carson | 1943 |
| Blazing Frontier | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| The Renegade | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| Cattle Stampede | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| Western Cyclone | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| Fugitive of the Plains | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| The Kid Rides Again | Billy the Kid | 1943 |
| Queen of Broadway | Ricky Sloane | 1942 |
| The Mysterious Rider | Billy the Kid - posing as Bill Andrews / Billy the Kid | 1942 |
| Wildcat | Mike Rawlins | 1942 |
| Sheriff of Sage Valley | Kansas Ed / Billy the Kid | 1942 |
| Law and Order | Lt. Ted Morrison / Billy the Kid / Ted Morrison | 1942 |
| Jungle Siren | Capt. Gary Hart / Captain Gary Hart | 1942 |
| Billy the Kid's Smoking Guns | Billy the Kid | 1942 |
| Billy the Kid Trapped | Billy the Kid | 1942 |
| Billy the Kid's Round-Up | Billy the Kid | 1941 |
| Jungle Man | Dr. Robert Hammond, aka Junga / Dr. Robert Hammond - aka Junga | 1941 |
| Billy the Kid Wanted | Billy the Kid | 1941 |
| Sailor's Lady | Rodney (as Larry Crabbe) / Rodney | 1940 |
| Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe | Flash Gordon | 1940 |
| Call a Messenger | Chuck Walsh | 1939 |
| Colorado Sunset | Dave Haines (as Larry "Buster" Crabbe) / Dave Haines | 1939 |
| Million Dollar Legs | Coach Jordan (as Larry Crabbe) / Coach Jordan | 1939 |
| Unmarried | Buzz Kinney (as Larry Crabbe) / Buzz Kinney | 1939 |
| Buck Rogers | Buck Rogers | 1939 |
| Mars Attacks the World | Flash Gordon | 1938 |
| Illegal Traffic | Steve | 1938 |
| Red Barry | Red Barry | 1938 |
| Hunted Men | James Flowers | 1938 |
| Tip-Off Girls | John A. 'Red' Deegan | 1938 |
| Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars | Flash Gordon | 1938 |
| Rocket Ship | Flash Gordon | 1938 |
| Daughter of Shanghai | Andrew Sleete (as Larry Crabbe) / Andrew Sleete | 1937 |
| Thrill of a Lifetime | Don | 1937 |
| Sophie Lang Goes West | Steve Clayson | 1937 |
| Forlorn River | Nevada | 1937 |
| King of Gamblers | Eddie (as Larry Crabbe) / Eddie | 1937 |
| Murder Goes to College | Strike Belno | 1937 |
| Arizona Mahoney | Kirby Talbot | 1936 |
| Rose Bowl | Ossie Merrill (as Larry Crabbe) / Ossie Merrill | 1936 |
| Lady Be Careful | Jake | 1936 |
| The Arizona Raiders | Laramie Nelson | 1936 |
| Flash Gordon | Flash Gordon | 1936 |
| Desert Gold | Chief Moya | 1936 |
| Drift Fence | Slinger Dunn / 'Slinger' Dunn | 1936 |
| Nevada | Jim Lacey aka 'Nevada' | 1935 |
| Starlit Days at the Lido | Self | 1935 |
| Wanderer of the Wasteland | Big Ben | 1935 |
| The Oil Raider | Dave Warren | 1934 |
| She Had to Choose | Bill Cutler | 1934 |
| We're Rich Again | Erasmus Rockwell 'Erp' Pennington (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe) / Erp Pennington | 1934 |
| You're Telling Me! | Bob Murchison (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe) / Bob Murchison | 1934 |
| Badge of Honor | Bob Gordon | 1934 |
| Search for Beauty | Don Jackson (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe) / Don Jackson | 1934 |
| Hollywood on Parade No. B-5 | Self | 1933 |
| The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi | Bob North | 1933 |
| To the Last Man | Bill Hayden | 1933 |
| Man of the Forest | Yegg / Henchman Yegg | 1933 |
| Tarzan the Fearless | Tarzan | 1933 |
| The Thundering Herd | Bill Hatch | 1933 |
| King of the Jungle | Kaspa the Lion Man | 1933 |
| That's My Boy | Football Player | 1932 |
| Maker of Men | Football Player | 1931 |
| Movie-Town | Larry Crabbe - Champion Swimmer | 1931 |
| Good News | Student | 1930 |
