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'Gone With the Wind' Actor Crane Dies

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ATLANTA (Aug. 25) - Fred Crane, the one-time actor whose Southern accent won him a slot as one of Scarlett O'Hara's beaux and the opening line in "Gone With the Wind," has died.

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Deaths in Hollywood

Julius Carry III, Aug. 19: Despite a busy career over 25 years, Carry is best known for his intentionally campy role as Sho'nuff in the cult classic 'The Last Dragon.' Serving both as an answer and as a moniker, Sho'nuff was the Shogun of Harlem in the urban kung fu parody. He died at 56.

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Evelyn Keyes, July 4: She played Scarlett O'Hara's little sister in 'Gone With the Wind' and was married to entertainment legends Artie Shaw, King Vidor and John Huston. Keyes succumbed to uterine cancer at her home in Montecito, Calif. She was 91.

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Cyd Charisse, June 17: The actress-dancer who had iconic roles in 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'The Band Wagon' died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 86.

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Stan Winston, June 15: Winston's pioneering special effects work on 'Jurassic Park,' the 'Terminator' films and 'Aliens' wowed audiences around the world. He lost his seven-year battle with multiple myeloma at age 62.

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Bob Anderson, June 6: The son of movie makers, who got his start in Shirley Temple's 'Young People' before landing his best known role as a young George Bailey in 'It's A Wonderful Life,' died of cancer at his home in Palm Springs.

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Mel Ferrer, June 2: Ferrer, who was once married to Audrey Hepburn, wore many hats, including actor, director and producer. He died at his home in Santa Barbara, surrounded by family, at the age of 90.

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Harvey Korman, May 29: The tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to 'The Carol Burnett Show' and on the big screen in 'Blazing Saddles,' pictured with Slim Pickens, died from complications of an aneurysm. He was 81.

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Robert Knox, May 24: The 18-year-old actor, right, with his brother Jamie and mother Sally, was cast in the role of Marcus Belby for 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.' He was stabbed to death outside a pub in Sidcup, England. Four others were hurt during the fight and one man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

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John Phillip Law, May 13: The 1960s actor, famous for roles in 'Barbarella' and 'The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming' died at the age of 70. No cause of death was given.

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Hazel Court, April 15: The '50s and '60s scream queen who became famous for her roles in classic horror films like 'The Raven' and 'The Masque of the Red Death' passed away from a heart attack at the age of 82.

Crane, who played one of the Tarleton twins in the 1939 classic, was 90. His wife, Terry Lynn Crane, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he died on Thursday of complications from diabetes. She declined to give details.

Crane was reportedly the last living male actor who had a credited role in the movie.

The couple had lived in Barnesville south of Atlanta, where they operated Tarleton Oaks. The bed and breakfast was named for his character in the film, Brent Tarleton.

The other Tarleton twin was played by George Reeves, who later gained TV immortality as Superman.

Born in New Orleans, Crane stumbled into his role on "Gone With the Wind." He was not yet an actor when he accompanied a cousin who wanted to audition for the movie.

The casting director liked the 20-year-old's Southern twang, and he wound up being cast.

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The film opens with Crane's character asking O'Hara, played by Vivien Leigh: "What do we care if we were expelled from college, Scarlett? The war is going to start any day now, so we'd have left college anyhow."

Her reply to Crane and Reeves contains one of the movie's classic lines: "Fiddle-dee-dee. War, war, war. This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream."

Crane also had roles in the 1949 Cisco Kid movie "The Gay Amigo," and acted on television during the 1960s. He also hosted a classical music radio show in Los Angeles for 40 years.

He did not attend the 1939 premiere of "Gone With the Wind" and for decades he did not exploit his role. But Crane did channel his character later, at Tarleton Oaks, located in a 19th century mansion.

He sold the business, as well as his own movie memorabilia, last year.

Crane was married five times and is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-08-25 13:55:48

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