Johnny Mc Govern

John Wilder (born John Keith McGovern; May 28, 1936) is an American television producer, writer, and former actor. He received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series for his work on The Streets of San Francisco, and created the series The Yellow Rose and Spenser: For Hire. He was also the producer of the miniseries Centennial.

As an actor, he appeared in films including Tumbleweed Trail (1946), When I Grow Up (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Pride of St. Louis (1952), Peter Pan (1953), Hold Back the Night (1956), and Five Guns to Tombstone (1960).

Life and career Wilder was born in Tacoma, Washington, on May 28, 1936. He began performing as a tap dancer by the time he was four years old. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1943, and, under his birth name, Johnny McGovern, he began a career as a child actor. and performed over 2500 broadcasts during the 1940s and early 1950s. and voiced the Raccoon Twins in Walt Disney Productions' Peter Pan (1953). In the mid-1950s, Wilder planned to abandon acting to pursue a baseball scholarship at the University of Southern California, but producer Ed Chevie persuaded him to appear in the film Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), which lead to roles in other films such as Hold Back the Night (1956), The Unguarded Moment (1956), Until They Sail (1957), and Imitation General (1958).

In the early 1960s, Wilder decided to abandon acting, believing it to be unfulfilling and feeling he had no future in the profession. He began attending Santa Monica City College and later transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. Chuck Connors, a friend of Wilder's who co-starred with him in Hold Back the Night, enlisted Wilder to write a script for his show The Rifleman. Wilder later wrote for Connors' series Branded, and afterwards wrote for the soap opera Peyton Place for several seasons. Wilder served as the creator of The Yellow Rose and Spenser: For Hire, and was also the producer of the miniseries Centennial.

Wilder and his ex-wife, Carolyn Cunningham, have three children. He has worked as a professor at Westmont College since 2019.

Filmography Film

Television As actor Year Series Role Notes 1951–1953 Big Town Alan Donovan Episodes: "Success Story", "On Their Own" 1953–1961 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Various 8 episodes 1954 Death Valley Days Bill Spencer Episode: "The Rainbow Chaser"1955 The Stu Erwin Show Teenager Episode: "One of the Boys"The Loretta Young Show Pete Preston Episode: "The Refinement of 'Ab'"1956 Crossroads Smiley Episode: "St. George and the Dragon"Studio 57 Don Baxter Episode: "The Baxter Boy"Alfred Hitchcock Presents Don Season 2 Episode 10: "Jonathan"1956–1957 The West Point Story Cadet JacobyCadet Wilson Episode: "Officer's Wife"Episode: "Backfire"1956–1958 Navy Log Steve PolachekLover Episode: "The Plebe"Episode: "The Soapbox Kid"1957 Circus Boy Anthony Gambino Episode: "The Great Gambini's Son"The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Pete Benton Episode: "Stagecoach Sally"Telephone Time Dabney Episode: "Pit-a-Pit and the Dragon"The Adventures of Jim Bowie Dan Jeffers Episode: "House Divided"1958 Jane Wyman Presents Jay Dee Episode: "My Sister Susan"Broken Arrow Ben Swallow Episode: "The Duel"Wanted Dead or Alive Joe Sands Episode: "Die By the Gun"Rescue 8 Stan Smith Episode: "Danger! 20,000 Volts"Hey, Jeannie! Tom Episode: "The Landlord"1959 The Millionaire Joe McGrath Episode: "Millionaire Father Gillooly"The David Niven Show Jerry Episode: "Maggie Malone"Wagon Train Stanley Blower Episode: "The Elizabeth McQueeny Story" 1960 The Tom Ewell Show Arthur Banning Episode: "Salesmanship Lesson"1961 The Barbara Stanwyck Show Joe Episode: "Call Me Annie"Perry Mason Dick Wilson Episode: "The Case of the Brazen Request" 1962 The Real McCoys Soldier Episode: "Money from Heaven" 1963 Petticoat Junction Arthur Gilroy Episode: "The Little Train Robbery"

As producer or writer The Rifleman Branded Peyton Place Paris 7000 The Young Rebels Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Marcus Welby, M.D. The Partridge Family Cade's County The Streets of San Francisco Most Wanted The Bastard Centennial The Devlin Connection The Mississippi The Yellow Rose Spenser: For Hire Return to Lonesome Dove