John Agar

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Birthday:

31 January 1921, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Birth Name:

John George Agar

Height:

185 cm

John Agar was born in Chicago, the eldest of four children. In World War II, Sgt. John Agar was a United States Army Air Force physical instructor. His 1945 marriage at the Wilshire Memorial Church to "America's Sweetheart" Shirley Temple put him in the public eye for the first time, and a movie contract with independent producer David O. Selznick quickly ensued.Agar debuted opposite John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Temple in John Ford's Fort Apache (1948), initial film in the famed director's "Cavalry Trilogy".His marriage to Shirley Temple ended in 1949, while his movie career continued.Popular with fans of Westerns and sci-fi flicks, Agar was a staple at film conventions and autograph shows. Show less «

I don't resent being identified with B science fiction movies at all. Why should I? Even though they were not considered top of the line, fo...Show more »

I don't resent being identified with B science fiction movies at all. Why should I? Even though they were not considered top of the line, for those people that like sci-fi, I guess they were fun. My whole feeling about working as an actor is, if I give anybody any enjoyment, I'm doing my job, and that's what counts. Show less «

To me it's much easier to play in something that's real -- a natural situation -- than it is to deal with abstracts and the unknown. It's so...Show more »

To me it's much easier to play in something that's real -- a natural situation -- than it is to deal with abstracts and the unknown. It's sort of difficult to make them come to life! I always had the feeling that when people looked at some of these science fiction things we were going to get a big laugh. On a couple of occasions some of the things that were supposed to frighten people really looked rather ludicrous -- funny, rather than scary. I feel it's more natural to deal in something that people understand, rather than something that human beings don't come in contact with. Show less «

[in a 1991 interview] Acting is something that I love to do, but it's a part of me that's often dormant. So, when I get an opportunity to go...Show more »

[in a 1991 interview] Acting is something that I love to do, but it's a part of me that's often dormant. So, when I get an opportunity to go on a film set it's like somebody's pushing a button that has been idle for a long time and right away I'm ready to get going at it. It's fun for me to be able to get back into it because it's a part of my life that I've really enjoyed. Show less «

To me the idea of just working is what's fun, I don't give a doggone what kind of part. Walter Huston said it years ago: "I don't care about...Show more »

To me the idea of just working is what's fun, I don't give a doggone what kind of part. Walter Huston said it years ago: "I don't care about billing. If the show is good and I'm good in it, people are going to say, 'Who was that?' And if it's not, I don't want 'em to know I was in it!" Show less «

Who wants to shake the hand of the first man to put it to America's sweetheart?

[about Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957)] I did that picture strictly for the bread. I didn't fluff it--but it wasn't my cup of tea. I just didn...Show more »

[about Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957)] I did that picture strictly for the bread. I didn't fluff it--but it wasn't my cup of tea. I just didn't believe it. Show less «

[about director Jack Arnold] I've always had nothing but great respect for Jack Arnold. I did Revenge of the Creature (1955) for him and the...Show more »

[about director Jack Arnold] I've always had nothing but great respect for Jack Arnold. I did Revenge of the Creature (1955) for him and then the next year we did Tarantula (1955), and we got along very well. So far as I was concerned, he was a very knowledgeable director and he gave his all trying to make 'em the best that he could. Show less «

[on the "floating brain" from The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)] I thought it was terrible--just awful! They really could have done a heck ...Show more »

[on the "floating brain" from The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)] I thought it was terrible--just awful! They really could have done a heck of a better than that--it looked like a balloon with a face painted on it. And that's probably what it was, too. Show less «

[on working with director Edward L. Cahn] Edward Cahn was Mr. Speed-O; he'd jump up and almost get in the shot before he'd yell, "Cut!".

[about the many "B" sci-fi films he made in the 1950s] I always had the kind of feeling that when people looked at some of these science-fic...Show more »

[about the many "B" sci-fi films he made in the 1950s] I always had the kind of feeling that when people looked at some of these science-fiction things, we were going to get a big laugh. Show less «

[about working with director Larry Buchanan] Larry, God bless him, is a nice guy but he was really not a director . . . he didn't even know ...Show more »

[about working with director Larry Buchanan] Larry, God bless him, is a nice guy but he was really not a director . . . he didn't even know not to "cross the line", which is one of the simplest things there is in directing . . . The first picture I did for Larry was Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1966). Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966) came next; then we did a war film called Hell Raiders (1968). Of course I never thought those things would ever see the light of day--that was the only reason i did 'em! Show less «

A lot of the pictures I made were not released--they escaped.