Biography

Barry Crane was born on November 10, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Mannix (1967), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959). He died on July 5, 1985 in Studio City, California, USA.

Was murdered on July 5, 1985. His body was "found bludgeoned shortly before 3 P.M. in the garage of his luxury town home in Studio City", a suburb of Lo Angeles, apparently dragged to the garage from his apartment, according to L.A. police. On May 9, 2019, Edwin Hiatt was arrested in North Carolina for the murder, based on a DNA match, and confessed to killing Crane.

Was a renowned bridge player, particularly at matchpoint scoring. In 1951 he became only the 325th person to earn the rank of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). Whenever possible, he arranged his work schedule so that he could travel to bridge tournaments, and won several hundred events at regional or higher level. The ACBL award for the most master points earned in a year went to him six times, and after he died the league renamed the trophy after him. His master point total had been the highest in the ACBL since 1968 and remained the highest for another five years after his death.

He changed his name legally to Crane in 1954, and moved from Detroit to Los Angeles at about the same time.

Won World Mixed Pair Bridge Championship with Kerri Shuman. Considered by many to be greatest matchpoint player that ever lived.