Al Christy

Who was Al Christy?

Albert Christopher Ladesich, better known as Al Christy, was an American actor, advertising executive, and radio and television announcer.

He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, the son of Croatian and Yugoslavian parents who had immigrated to the United States a few years before. He graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1937. This was where he first became interested in dramatics.

Ladesich began his career working under his father, selling insurance for Armour Packing Company in Kansas City. He then served in World War II, and upon his discharge, returned to Kansas City and became an announcer for radio station WDAF-FM. It was here that he first adopted the stage name "Al Christy." While with WDAF, Ladesich also did acting on various dramatic radio programs being produced in Kansas City, most notably The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen, where he starred as mechanic "Flash" Lewis during the show's 1946-47 run. He also found acting work in educational and industrial films being produced by the Calvin Company of Kansas City, including films directed by Robert Altman. Ladesich would continue to appear in Calvin films until the early 1980s.