“Forgotten Hollywood”- Gavin is Gone…

Posted on February 9, 2018 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here… 

“`John Gavin was a strikingly handsome actor who appeared in Psycho,   Spartacus, and other hit films of the 1960s; before forsaking acting to become President Ronald Reagan’s Mexico Ambassador. John was also a past president of the  Screen Actors Guild, a position that Reagan had previously held.

“`After attending Stanford University, and serving in the Navy, the future actor was unsure what career path to take until a family friend, producer Bryan Foy, suggested John try acting. Although, he had studied drama at Stanford, and made a few appearances on television and in theater, he played it down during a screen test with Universal Pictures.

“`Other movies included Imitation of Life,  Thoroughly Modern Millie, and History of the World Part 1On television, he guest-starred in The Alfred Hitchcock HourThe Virginian,  Mannix, Medical Center, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Hart to Hart.         JOHN GAVIN —>

“`While in the Navy in the 1950s, Gavin served in Panama as Pan-American affairs officer to a Navy commandant; and, during a lull in his acting career, he was appointed a special adviser to the Secretary-General of Organization of American States. Gavin’s assignment was to help promote President John Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress to help Latin American nations improve their economies.

“`When Reagan appointed John, the president cited the political turbulence in Latin America. Gavin arrived in Mexico in 1981, well equipped for the job. His father invested in the nation’s mines, and ancestors of his Mexican-born mother were among California’s first settlers. John often visited Mexico in his youth and he was fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. The nationals were initially dubious about having a former movie star as the United States ambassador. He soon won over the people. He and his statuesque blonde wife, Constance Towers (an actress and singer in Broadway musicals and Hollywood cinema), made a striking couple. Both were admired by the locals. He remained on the job until 1986.

“`After his ambassadorship ended, Gavin invested in various enterprises in Mexico, and served on boards of corporations and charities. Gavin was approached in 1991 by officials in President George H.W. Bush’s administration about running for a senate seat being vacated by Democrat Alan Cranston of California. He declined, citing business and family matters.

“`John Gavin was 86.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 9th, 2018 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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