Joel Mccrea

Joel Dee Jody McCrea

On April 4, 2009, Joel Dee Jody McCrea passed away from a storied and fulfilled life of Hollywood fame, worldly adventures, and ultimately peaceful tranquility found on the plains of New Mexico.

Born in Los Angeles on September 6, 1934, Jody was the oldest of three sons to film actors Joel McCrea and Frances Dee. Upon the advice of their fathers mentor, Western entertainer Will Rogers, the McCreas purchased a ranch about and hour north of Los Angeles where Jody and his brothers were fortunate to be raised out of the spotlight. Jodys rural upbringing, however, would not keep him out of the spotlight for long.

Because Will Rogers sent his sons to New Mexico Military Institute and spoke very high of it, the McCreas sent Jody to NMMI for his last two years of high school. He excelled at boxing winning the New Mexico State Golden Gloves, rodeo as a roper and bareback rider, and football, before graduating from NMMI in 1952.

Jody began college at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, where he crossed paths with fellow actor Robert Duvall, before transferring to University of California at Los Angeles UCLA, where he threw the javelin on the 1956 NCAA Championship track and field team alongside 1960 Olympic gold medalist decathlete Rafer Johnson.

After college, Jody joined the Army and was stationed in New York City as a member of the Special Services. He served for two years as a host on the Armed Services radio channel and then as a host of Country Style, USA, an Army produced recruiting television program.
P It was during his stint in New York that Jody began to consider following in his parents footsteps. He reenrolled in classed with acting coach Sanford SandyS

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