Born in Philadelphia, PA. Burly, gruff-voiced supporting player of the 1940s and 50s and son of popular stage and film comedienne Helen Broderick and vaudevillian Lester Crawford. After a brief stab at Hollywood, Crawford returned to Broadway and won acclaim for his performance as Lennie in the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937) before returning to film. Because of his thug-like mug he was relegated to playing gangsters and villainous cowboys in mostly forgettable fare until 1949, when he won an Oscar® for his portrayal of political demogogue Willie Stark in Robert Rossen's ALL THE KING'S MEN. The following year, in BORN YESTERDAY, he played a coarse, bullying junk dealer (reputedly parodying Columbia studio head Harry Cohn) who gets his comeuppance from Judy Holliday. After these two gems, Crawford reverted to character roles. Highlights of Crawford's later career were THE MOB (1951), Fellini's THE SWINDLE (1955) / IL BIDONE, in which he played a struggling con-man, and a starring role in the popular syndicated police series, "Highway Patrol" (1955-59).  Actor 1949: ALL THE KING'S MEN 1 nomination, 1 Award