John Dehner Biography

John Dana Born John Forkam on November 23, 1915 in Staten Island, New York, the son of an artist, he spent much of his youth in Europe. As a teen, he returned to the United States and tried his hand at stage acting.

During World War II, he served as a publicist for the Army and spent much time covering General Patton. After the war, he worked in radio for many years, as both newsmen, commentator, and actor. John Dainer walked in many circles within the world of communication and entertainment.

From being a Disney animator, an award-winning journalist, to acting in over 100 films, John Dainer also brought his talents to radio. His deep, authoritative, and sometimes villainous voice made an unforgettable contribution to the airwaves throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

Once voted Best Radio Voice by Radio Life magazine, John was best known to listeners as Paladin on the series' Have Gun Will Travel, and as the reporter J.B. Kendall in the short-lived but popular Frontier Gentlemen series.

He also lent his talents to writing many scripts for CBS shows such as Escape, Suspense, and the CBS Radio Workshop. He worked as an animation assistant at Disney Studios on such films as Fantasia and Bambi.

He also worked on Mickey Mouse cartoons. He made his film acting debut in 1944 in 30 seconds over Tokyo playing in a bit part. He appeared in many movies including Plymouth Adventure in 1952, The Left Handed Gone in 1958, Critics Choice in 1963, Dirty Dingus McGee in 1970, Support Your Local Gunfighter in 1971, Slaughterhouse 5 in 1972, The Day of the Dolphin in 1973, fun with Dick and Jane

in 1977, and The Boys from Brazil in 1978. He was a master of many areas of the entertainment world—animation, stage, radio news announcer, and film and television actor. Tall and impressive looking with a stern face and a smooth voice, he was most prolific on television. On TV, not surprisingly, he was a regular in many series. The Westerner in 1960 as Burgundy Smith,