Lamont Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lamont Johnson
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Johnson in an episode of Treasury Men in Action (1955)
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Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr.
September 30, 1922 Stockton, California, U.S.
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| Died | October 24, 2010 (aged 88) Monterey, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1951–2000 |
| Spouse(s) | Toni Merrill (m. 1945) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television for My Sweet Charlie (1970) Shared with Ralph Ferrin (assistant director) (plaque) |
Lamont Johnson (born Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. on September 30, 1922 – died October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director. He worked on many television shows and movies. He was very talented and won two Emmy Awards for his directing work.
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Early Life
Lamont Johnson was born in Stockton, California. He went to Pasadena Junior College and then to the UCLA. At both schools, he was very involved in theater plays.
Acting Career
Johnson started his career in radio when he was just 16 years old. He even played the famous character Tarzan in a popular radio show in 1951. He also worked as a newscaster, telling people the news, and as a disc jockey, playing music on the radio.
Later, he moved into films and television. At first, he was an actor. He appeared in TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Gunsmoke. He also acted in movies such as Retreat, Hell! and One on One.
Directing Work
Lamont Johnson began directing plays in New York in 1948. His first time directing for television was on a show called NBC Matinee Theater.
He directed many different types of shows and movies. He even directed operas, which are plays where the words are sung. Some of the TV shows he directed include Have Gun – Will Travel, Peter Gunn, and The Twilight Zone. He also directed many TV movies, like My Sweet Charlie and That Certain Summer.
Some of his well-known movies as a director include A Covenant with Death, The McKenzie Break, and The Last American Hero. He was known for directing stories that made people think.
Awards and Recognition
Lamont Johnson was nominated for nine Emmy Awards, which are very important awards for television. He won two Emmys for his amazing directing. He won for Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (1985) and Lincoln (1988). Both of these were for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Dramatic Special.
He also won five Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA Awards). These awards are given by other directors, which is a big honor. He won DGA Awards for his work on Lincoln (1988), That Certain Summer (1972), and My Sweet Charlie (1970).
Personal Life
Lamont Johnson married an actress named Toni Merrill in Paris in 1945. They had three children together: Jeremy, Carolyn, and Christopher Anthony.
Death
Lamont Johnson passed away on October 24, 2010, in Monterey, California. He died from heart failure.
Selected Filmography
Lamont Johnson worked on many projects as both an actor and a director. Here are some of them:
As an Actor
- Retreat, Hell! (1952)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956, TV Series)
- Gunsmoke (1967, TV Series)
- One on One (1977)
As a Director
- Have Gun – Will Travel (1958-1959, TV Series)
- The Twilight Zone (1961-1963, TV Series)
- The McKenzie Break (1970)
- My Sweet Charlie (1970, TV Movie)
- That Certain Summer (1972, TV Movie)
- The Last American Hero (1973)
- The Execution of Private Slovik (1974, TV Movie)
- Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (1985, TV Movie)
- Lincoln (1988, Miniseries)
