Buster Crabbe.

Buster Crabbe won his first Olympic medal, a bronze in the 1500-meter freestyle, at the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Four years later, in Los Angeles, he took gold in the 400-meter freestyle. That athletic foundation was built at Punahou School in Honolulu, where he graduated in 1927, and at the University of Southern California, where he graduated in 1931. He was born Clarence Linden Crabbe II on February 7, 1908, in Oakland, California, to Agnes Lucy McNamara and Edward Clinton Crabbe. He later adopted the stage name Buster Crabbe.

In 1932, while working on That’s My Boy for Columbia Pictures, Crabbe was tested for MGM’s Tarzan role but was rejected. Paramount Pictures cast him in King of the Jungle 1933 as a Tarzan-like character, emphasizing his Olympic swimming victory. Producer Sol Lesser then secured Crabbe for an independent Tarzan film, Tarzan the Fearless 1933, which was released both as a feature and a serial. Crabbe gave himself one year to succeed as an actor or attend law school. Paramount placed him in Zane Grey westerns. In 1936, Universal Pictures gave him the lead in Flash Gordon, the first of three sci-fi serials. He also starred in Buck Rogers 1939 and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe 1940. In 1940, he began a string of Billy the Kid westerns for PRC. After World War II, he devoted time to his swimming pool corporation and a boys’ camp in New York. He remained active on television in the 1950s, hosting a local show in New York City and starring in Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion 1955.

Crabbe married his college sweetheart, Adah Virginia Held, on April 13, 1933, shortly before the release of Tarzan the Fearless. They had three children: Cullen, Caren Lynn Sande who died of anorexia in 1957, and Susan. He gave himself one year to succeed as an actor or attend law school, and he ultimately made it in Hollywood. Crabbe died ten days after his 50th wedding anniversary, on April 23, 1983, at age 75.

Buster Crabbe is the only actor to have played the top three 1930s pulp heroes: Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Tarzan. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. His self-described title King of the Serials is supported by his nine sound serials, more than any other actor except William Desmond. Crabbe’s portrayal of Flash Gordon influenced generations of sci-fi fans and remains a benchmark for serial heroes. He is most remembered for his roles in Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.