Jay Jostyn Bio

Eugene J. Johnston, known as J. Johnston, was born on December 13th in 1901 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a son of George and Mary Johnston. He attended St. Joseph's Pero-Kiel School, Marquette Academy, Marquette University, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

On October 17th in 1928, Justin married Ruth Hill in Pasadena, California. She was an actress whom he had met while they were performing together in a play. They had two sons, Gene Charles and John George.

Before starting an acting career, Justin would work with a telephone company. He worked in theatrical stock companies and repertory theaters for about six years. In a 1975 interview, he stated that it helped to develop one's acting skills, specifically it helped him to develop his interpretation of characters he played.

By the late 1930s, he had his degree in dramatic arts from the University of Wisconsin, and in 1938 he was teaching radio drama himself. Justin's career in radio began at WLW and Cincinnati, Ohio in 1936.

He started as the first poetry reader for the station's late night program called Moon River, and he had several lead roles on the local shows. His wife also worked at WLW as an actress, and after two years he and his wife left for New York.

In 1939, Secret Agent K7 returns a revival of an earlier show, ran for about a year, Justin would play Agent Z. The show also included the famous actor Walter Pigeon. By April of 1939, he would begin working on a show that he would be associated with for the remainder of his career, Mr. District Attorney. However, in this first show, he portrayed one

of the racketeers. But from 1940 until 1952, Justin would take the title role of the show. He also appeared in several soap operas and other shows often simultaneously, and for a period of time he was on many shows at the same time. The time recorder stated in the July 29, 1940 edition that Justin once appeared in 35 scripted shows portraying 45 different