The Passing of a Friend
by Fred T. Beeman

AMC member and actor Richard Crenna succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Friday, January 17, 2003, according to his family. He was 76. For the first 20 years of his entertainment career, he plied his trade and paid his dues over the AM (radio) dials in American living rooms, then moved on to television and eventually, motion pictures, but never forgot his experiences as a child actor, starting at age eleven.

His acting roots go back to the Golden Age of Radio, with "audio appearances" on "Burns & Allen," as well as launching the character of teenager Walter Denton on the radio version of "Our Miss Brooks," then bringing the role to television (at age 25, but playing down) in 1952. When the TV series ended in 1956, "high-schooler" Richard Crenna was just one year shy of age 30 yet identified as the adenoidal-voiced Walter Denton, a character he would later spoof in "Hot Shots! Part Deux," by playing Col. Denton Walters.

A Minor Consideration will deeply miss this multi-talented and kind, giving, Emmy-winning humanitarian, who was also an advocate for the well-being of the child actor, in his official capacity as a board member of the Screen Actors Guild. Mr. Crenna came into the SAG Boardroom as a healer and bridge-builder whose vast experience and gentle manner provided an island of calm. Our deepest condolences are extended to his friends and family.