Mark from 'The Rifleman' is already 72 years old and looks like a completely different person

Johnny Crawford will always be remembered for the Chuck Connors' son role in one of the most iconic Westerns on network television, The Rifleman.

According to SF Gate, 71-year-old Crawford has earned a world-class resume throughout his long-lasting career in show business.

After leading the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, he served in the military, gaining some experience in stage and film acting.

Crawford also managed to be a teenage star, playing one of the Mouseketeers from the 1955-season of The Mickey Mouse Club.

The former veteran handled the pressure of being a star-kid and a pop-star when he was in his teens. He also earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Mark Connors for five years in The Rifleman.

His success in the entertainment industry is due to a combination of a well-balanced upbringing while having multiple interests that didn’t stagnate his creativity.

"I always say that life is not easy for anybody. People hear about the young actors who have a rough life, but there are plenty of other kids who aren't actors who have a rough time, too, and I don't know if the ratio is any different," he said.

The veteran spent two years as a vocalist for Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in the late ‘80s, giving him the confidence to sustain a career in music and assembling his dance orchestra in 1990.

His taste for music was developed by his genes. His grandfather and been a jockey in Chicago but he pursued music after an injury, later becoming an important music publisher.

Although he died before Crawford was born, he left a trunk full of sheet music and original compositions that Crawford loved from the first time.

His maternal grandmother played the violin and became New York Philharmonic’s concertmaster in 1918. Crawford’s mother was a pianist before starting an acting career.

One could say that Crawford's acting skill can be credited to his mother, as she did a lot of theatre work in Los Angeles.