John Gavin
| John Gavin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to Mexico | |
|
In office June 5, 1981 – June 10, 1986 |
|
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Julian Nava |
| Succeeded by | Charles J. Pilliod, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Anthony Golenor April 8, 1931 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Cecily Evans (m. 1957; div. 1965) Constance Towers (m. 1974) |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Actor, diplomat |
John Gavin (born John Anthony Golenor on April 8, 1931) is an American film actor who was the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1981 to 1986 and head of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971 to 1973. 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.
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."
During the Korean War Gavin was commissioned in the U.S. Navy serving aboard the USS Princeton offshore Korea where he served as an air intelligence officer from 1951 until the end of the war in 1953. Due to Gavin's fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese he was assigned as Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Milton E. Miles until he completed his four-year tour of duty in 1955.
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