John Gavin

John Gavin (born John Anthony Golenor on April 8, 1931) is an American film actor and a former United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1981–86 and head of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971-73. He is best known for his performances in the films Imitation of Life (1959), Spartacus (1960), Psycho (1960) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), playing leading roles in a series of films for producer Ross Hunter; and also for being cast as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) before Sean Connery agreed to reprise the role.

Biography

Early life

Born John Anthony Golenor, Gavin is of Mexican and Irish descent, and is fluent in Spanish. His father, Herald Ray Golenor, was of Irish origin, and his ancestors were early landowners in California when it was still under Spanish rule. Gavin's mother (Delia Diana Pablos) hailed from the historically influential Pablos family of Sonora, Mexico.

After attending St. John's Military Academy (Los Angeles) and Villanova Prep (Ojai, California), both Catholic schools, he earned a B.A. from Stanford University, where he did senior honors work in Latin American economic history and was a member of Stanford's Naval ROTC unit. He graduated with a degree in economics and Latin American affairs. "I never did any acting in school, never had any curiosity about college plays", he later said. "My entire thought moved in quite another direction."

John Gavin (comedian)

In September 2009 John Gavin won the Scottish comedian of the year.

External links

John Gavin (disambiguation)

John Gavin (born 1931) is an American film actor and former United States Ambassador to Mexico.

John Gavin may also refer to: