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{{Infobox person
| name=John R. Vukayan, known as John Vivyan
| image=
| birth_date=May 31, 1915
| birth_place=[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| death_date=December 20, 1983 (aged 68)
| death_place=Santa Monica, [[Los Angeles]] Couny]<br>[[California]]
''Resting place''':<br>
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
| yearsactive=1949-1983
|branch=[[United States Army]]
|battles[[Guadalcanal]] in [[World War II]]}}
'''John Vivyan ''' , born '''John R. Vukayan''' (May 31, 1915 – December 20, 1983)<ref> Most Internet sites, including findagrave.com, give his year of birth as 1916.</ref> was an [[United States|American]] [[actor]] active primarily between 1957 and 1970. He was known for his starring role in the [[CBS]] adventure [[television]] series, ''Mr. Lucky, which aired from 1959 to 1960.'
==Early life and career==
Vivyan was born to [[Serbia]]n immigrant parents in [[Chicago|Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. He served in the [[Guadalcanal]] campaign with the [[United States Army]] Company E, the 132nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment during [[World War II]] and was wounded in the leg.<ref> ''San Antonio Express-News'' April 3, 1960, p. 106.</ref>
John Vukayan changed his surname to Vivyan after he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art under the [[GI Bill of Rights]]. He first appeared on stage in the late 1940s before taking film and television roles.
Vivyan's first screen role was in the 1949 episode "Two Sharp Knives" of the ''Studio One'' anthology series at a time when relatively few residences had television access. In 1957, he appeared as the character Richard Goff with Broderick Crawford in the episode "Nitro" of the syndicated series, ''Highway Patrol.''. He guest starred in two other 1950s syndicated programs too, ''Harbor Command'' and ''State Trooper.'' In 1957, he was cast as Hewitt in "The Laura Hunter Story" on CBS's fantasy drama ,''The Millionaire.'' He starred too as Mack Barron in the episode "The Little Witness" on Loretta Young's [[NBC]] anthology series.
Thereafter, he appeared in three Warner Brothers series on [[ABC]], two westerns ''Colt .45'' (as George F. Foley in "The Mirage") and ''Sugarfoo]'' (as Victor Valla in the episode "Deadlock"), and then on the detective]] series ''77 Sunset Strip'' (as Mitch in "The Girl Who Couldn't Remember"). Vivyan appeared as LeBow in "Duel at the Oaks" in the CBS western 'Yancy Derringe,'', starring Jock Mahone]. He appeared twice in ABC's ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' starring Hugh O'Brian, twice on CBS's ''Rawhide,'' and twice on NBC's ''Bat Masterson,'' starring Gene Barry. He appeared four times from 1957 to 1959 as different characters on the ABC/WB western series, ''Maverick.'' He also appeared in the syndicated western series, ''Tombstone Territory,'' in the episode entitled "Desert Survival." He appeared as the gangster Duke in the 1958 episode, "The Gentle Monster" on ''The Adventures of Superman.''
Vivyan appeared twice in the role of Jason Hemp, a dishonest [[Texas]] [[rancher]], on ABC's ''Disneyland'' in the western miniserie, ''Texas John Slaughter,'' with Tom Tryon in the title role. He also guest starred on Richard Carlson's syndicated western series, ''Mackenzie's Raiders.''
Between 1959 and 1961, Vivyan appeared nine times as Lepke, nickname of mobster Louis Buchalter, on NBC's crime drama "The Lawless Years,'', set during the [[Roaring 20s]]. Five of those appearances were on the multi-part episode "Louy K."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052484/fullcredits#cast|title=Full cast and crew for ''The Lawless Years|publisher=imdb.com|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref>
In 1962, Vivyan appeared twice on the syndicated western anthology ''[[Death Valley Days]].'' That same year he appeared as Shelly Hanson in NBC's modern-day western, ''Empire,'' starring Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo, in the episode entitled "Down There, the World." He appeared on two CBS situation comedies, [[Lucille Ball]]'s ''The Lucy Show'' in the 1963 episode "Lucy Becomes a Reporter" and in ''Petticoat Junction]]'' as Lane Haggard in the 1964 episode "Visit from a Big Star." In 1969, he was teamed up with [[Canada|Canadian]]-born Hollywood actress [[Yvonne De Carlo]] in ''[[Cactus Flower (play)|Cactus Flower]]''. The play was a big success, drawing full houses everywhere it played.
Vivyan made relatively few appearances after 1970, when he guest starred once on Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s ABC crime drama 'The F.B.I.'' His last two appearances were on CBS in 1982 as Mr. Mittenhoff in the episode "Jennifer's and Johnny's Charity" on the sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' and in 1983 as Farley in the episode "Betty Grable Flies Again" on the detective series ''Simon & Simon.''
==Death==
Vivyan died in Santa Monica, [[California]], at the age of sixty-eight and is interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in [[Los Angeles]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0900387}}
* {{Find a Grave|7083236}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vivyan, John}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Television]]
[[Category:Chicago]]
[[Category:Los Angeles]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:World War II]]