John Alvin

ALVIN, John (Hoffstadt) John Alvin was born October 24, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. He passed away on February 27, 2009. He had a career in acting that spanned more than five decades. He discovered a passion for acting while in high school, and came to California in 1939 to study at The Pasadena Playhouse. After graduation, he returned to Chicago where he worked as a radio announcer both there and in Detroit. It was at this time that he was asked to change his last name because we were at war with Germany. He used his middle name from that time on, and was known as John Alvin. He worked at night doing stage shows with the Actors' Company and was seen by a talent scout from Hollywood who signed him for a four-year contract with Warner Brothers. He had strong supporting roles in over 25 films including "Objective Burma", "Destination Tokyo", "San Antonio", "Two Guys from Texas", The Very Thought of You", "April in Paris", and "Irma La Duce". He was loaned out to 20th Century Fox for one of the leading roles in "The Fighting Sullivans". Many more films followed that period. Perhaps his most favorite was "Somewhere in Time." His many television shows included appearances in "Burns and Allen", "Death Valley Days", "Dragnet", "Jack Benny Show", "Rawhide", "All in the Family", "The Lucy Show", "Mash", "Murder, She Wrote", "Dennis the Menace", "Starsky and Hutch", and many others. In addition to films and television, he worked in many plays in local theaters: The Circle Theater, The Players Ring, The Company of Angles, and at the old Biltmore Theater. He was an outgoing man who loved to tell funny stories, quote Shakespeare, sing, and do old Danny Kaye routines. He was an exceptional cook and enjoyed having friends over. He became a member of the Rolling Readers Program and dearly loved reading to children at a local elementary school. His other passion was his family. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather. Planning special outings with his family, he enjoyed taking them camping, hiking and on adventurous road trips. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, June; daughter, Kim (David) Ford; grandchildren, Brian and Allison; son, Craig; granddaughters, Karen and Christine; and three great-grandchildren, Jaden, Alyssa, and Emily. He was preceded in death by son, Tracy Michael. We all miss him very, very much. In lieu of flowers, please make donation to your favorite charity. The family is planning a celebration of his life at a future date.