Brad Johnson(1924-1981)

Brad Johnson was one of many screen actors in the 1940s and '50s who found their calling on the range. With the decline in popularity of the western, his career has since gone down the dusty trail of near oblivion. He occasionally stepped out of character as guest in the odd detective episode, but Johnson's brief spell in the limelight ultimately came in the role of Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig, co-starring with Gail Davis in the lively, heavily fictionalized series Annie Oakley (1954). Of Swedish-American ancestry, Johnson had graduated from the University of Southern California following wartime military service in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then began acting in live theatre. His rugged good looks attracted Hollywood interest and a few uncredited bit parts in motion pictures followed (Bedtime for Bonzo (1951), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), etc.). By 1953, he had discovered his niche playing assorted deputies or henchmen in TV westerns. Landing a recurring role in 'Annie Oakley' turned out to be his big break. Johnson appeared in all 81 episodes, riding his horse Forest and perfecting a fast-draw gun act (most likely tutored by ace markswoman Davis) which he would display in later years at rodeos and county fairs. Until the mid-1960s, he continued to find gainful employment on shows like Death Valley Days (1952), Cheyenne (1955) and Maverick (1957). Johnson later spurned offers to move to Europe to act in spaghetti westerns and hung up his six-shooter for a more profitable career in real estate.