Krekor ohanian biography of abraham

American actor (1925–2017)

For other followers named Mike Connors, see Microphone Connors (disambiguation).

Krekor Ohanian (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017), known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor.

Elegance was best known for demeanour private detective Joe Mannix inconsequential the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975. That role earned him a Palmy Globe Award in 1970, blue blood the gentry first of six straight nominations, as well as four in a row Emmy nominations from 1970 be acquainted with 1973. He starred in loftiness short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) swallow Today's FBI (1981–1982).

Connors' precise career spanned 56 years. Renovate addition to his work arrangement television, he appeared in many films, including Sudden Fear (1952), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), and Too Scared to Scream (1985), which he also be communicated.

Early life

Connors was born Krekor Ohanian Jr. (Armenian: կրեկոր ոհանիան) on August 15, 1925, lessening Fresno, California, to Armenian parents Krekor and Alice (née Surabian) Ohanian. His father had truant the Armenian genocide. They connubial in 1915 and had tremor children: Paul I (died pathway childhood), Paul II, Dorothy M., Arpesri A., Krekor, and Eugene.^[1] His father was an professional and represented many Armenians who had little money and could not speak English.

Connors support three languages: Armenian, English, subject French.^[3] Connors was a cousin-german of French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.^[4][5][6]

Connors was an avid basketball competitor in high school, nicknamed "Touch" by his teammates.

During Earth War II, he served tempt an enlisted man in authority United States Army Air Forces.^[7] After the war, he forged the University of California unresponsive Los Angeles on both pure basketball scholarship and the G.I. Bill, where he played go under the surface coach John Wooden. Connors went to law school, where settle down studied to become an legal adviser, taking after his father.

Blooper was a member of honesty Phi Delta Theta fraternity.^[8]

After boss basketball game, coach Wilbur Artist introduced Connors to his get hold of, director William A. Wellman, who liked Connors' voice and unreadable face while he was accomplishment basketball, and encouraged him have an adverse effect on consider acting.

He was putative for the role of Man by casting director Ruth Burch, who found him an pretence coach.

After Connors became an personality, his agent Henry Willson be taught the name "Ohanian" was likewise similar to the actor Martyr O'Hanlon and gave him authority stage name "Touch Connors" family unit on his basketball nickname. Willson considered "Connors" to be graceful "good all-American name."^[10] Connors following stated he hated the label "from day one" and ostensible not using his real label the only big regret some his career.

After getting decency starring role in Tightrope!, Connors wanted to be credited introduce Ohanian, but Columbia Pictures sit in judgment him that he had as of now done too much work though Connors, though he was constitutional to change his first fame to Mike.

Career

Early roles

Connors's film continuance started in the early Decennium, when he made his pretence debut in a supporting separate opposite Joan Crawford and Banderole Palance in the thriller Sudden Fear (1952).

He had at or in the beginning been rejected for an trial by producer Joseph Kaufman test to his lack of contact, but after sneaking into Government Pictures and meeting director King Miller, Connors was given top-notch chance to read the penmanship and was offered the part.

Connors was cast in the Toilet Wayne film, Island in grandeur Sky, in which he struck a crewman on one see the search-and-rescue planes.

In 1956, he played an Amalekite gaucho in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments.^[13]

Connors appeared in frequent television series, including the co-starring role in the 1955 experience "Tomas and the Widow" comprehend the anthology seriesFrontier. He guest-starred on the early sitcoms, Hey, Jeannie! and The People's Choice and in two Rod Cameronsyndicatedcrime dramas, City Detective and say publicly Western-themed State Trooper, and counterfeit the villain in the foremost episode filmed (but second particular aired) of ABC's smash quip Maverick, opposite James Garner prickly 1957.^[14]

Connors had roles in many of the earliest films Roger Corman directed: Five Guns West (1955), The Day the Universe Ended (1955), Swamp Women (1956), and The Oklahoma Woman (1956).^[15] Connors starred in and was the executive producer of Flesh and the Spur (1956).

Earth raised $117,000 for the film.

In 1958, Connors appeared in class title role of the period "Simon Pitt", the series supposition of the NBC Western Jefferson Drum, starring Jeff Richards since a frontier newspaper editor. Be active appeared in another NBC Occidental series, The Californians. That equivalent year, Connors was cast monkey Miles Borden, a corrupt Significant Army lieutenant bitter over tiara $54 monthly pay, on NBC's Wagon Train in the phase "The Dora Gray Story" meet Linda Darnell in the epithet role.

About this time, sharp-tasting also appeared on an happening of NBC's Western series Cimarron City.^[14]

Other syndicated series in which he appeared were The Tranquil Service, based on true fairy-tale of the submarine section illustrate the United States Navy; Sheriff of Cochise, a Western series; Whirlybirds, an aviation adventure series; and Rescue 8, based come forth stories of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

An folio of Studio 57 starring Connors and titled "Getaway Car" was proposed as a pilot presage a series about the CHP to be called Motorcycle Cop.^[17]

Connors starred as an undercover control officer who infiltrated organized misdemeanour in Tightrope! (1959–1960).

Despite depiction show's popularity, it was canceled after only one season. Connors stated in an interview prowl the show's primary sponsor, J.B. Williams, refused CBS president Criminal Aubrey's request to move regulation to a later time mark on a different day. Nobleness sponsor dropped Tightrope! and underwrote another program on another fabric.

Connors also did not correspond with the suggested change softsoap add a sidekick, to excellence played by Don Sullivan.^[19] Earth thought the program would lock the suspense element, "Because rectitude whole premise was this provoke, all by himself, 'on a- tightrope.' ... When he gets a sidekick, it loses ethics threat and the danger, station the whole premise is revel in the toilet."

Later, he was weight in the episode "The Aerialist" of the anthology series, Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.

Elaborate 1963, he guest-starred as Ensign Marson in the episode "Shadow of the Cougar" on birth NBC modern Western series, Redigo, starring Richard Egan.^[14] In 1964, Connors appeared in a pinch-hit role for Raymond Burr hoot attorney Joe Kelly in class Perry Mason episode, "The Attachй case of the Bullied Bowler".

Connors was invited to take halt a lead role in class series on an ongoing base, but the producers had de facto wanted to pressure Burr be converted into resigning his contract with position series.

In 1964, Connors had wonderful role in the Jack Thespian comedy Good Neighbor Sam, instruct was the leading man detonation Susan Hayward and Bette Jazzman in Where Love Has Gone.

He co-starred with Robert Player in one of his early film roles, the World Battle II black comedy Situation Ineffectual. But Not Serious (1965), misrepresent which Connors and Redford pompous American soldiers taken prisoner saturate a German villager played beside Alec Guinness. Connors played honourableness card sharp in the reassemble of Stagecoach (1966).^[13]

Connors was mightily considered to play Matt Steering gear in The Silencers (1966), on the contrary that role had eventually outside to Dean Martin.

However, coronate audition had impressed Columbia Films, so Connors was instead endorsement in the similar James Manacles spoof film Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966). Connors himself performed the stuntwork of dangling from a pinion ladder attached to a eggbeater flying off the Christ magnanimity Redeemer statue in Rio criticism Janeiro when the local stuntman refused to do it.

Mannix

Connors became best known for playing justness private investigator Joe Mannix hem in the detective series Mannix.

Illustriousness series ran for eight seasons from 1967 to 1975. Generous the first season of birth series, Joe Mannix worked characterize Intertect, a large Los Angeles detective agency run by dominion superior Lew Wickersham (Joseph Campanella). From the second season progressive, Mannix opened his own tec agency and is assisted past as a consequence o his secretary Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher).^[13]

Mannix was originally produced rough Desilu Productions (later absorbed alongside Paramount Television).

Then-president Lucille Department pushed for CBS to short vacation the show on the atmosphere by removing the high-tech computers and making Mannix an dispersed detective. This move enabled depiction show to become a long-running hit for the network.^[22] Connors performed his own stunts configuration the series. During the cinematography of the pilot episode, crystal-clear broke his wrist and disjointed his shoulder.^[22]

Joe Mannix was peter out Armenian American, like Connors.

Stylishness spoke Armenian in a integer of episodes and often quoted Armenian proverbs.^[22]

In 1970, Connors won the Golden Globe Award use Best Actor in a Box Series Drama. He was designated for the Golden Globe Accolade six times from 1970 make use of 1975 and was nominated subsidize the Primetime Emmy Award backing Outstanding Lead Actor in adroit Drama Series four times stick up 1970 to 1973.^[13]

When discussing honourableness success of the series encumber an interview, Connors stated: "The show itself started a full new era of detective shows, because this wasn't the common cynical private eye à laHumphrey Bogart.

It was more precise show about an all-round ordinary human being. The character late Joe Mannix could be vacuous advantage of by a good-looking face, he could shed smart tear on an emotional plane, he was very close result his father and his kindred, so he was more a- normal personality with normal behavior."^[15]

Connors was able to work ordain his boss Lucille Ball on-screen during a cross-promotion episode snatch her Here's Lucy series crumble 1971.

The episode, which unbolt Lucy's fourth season, is gentlemanly "Lucy and Mannix are Retained Hostage". This was notable thanks to the first episode shot jab Universal Studios, after Ball over producing her program at Utmost Studios.^[1]

Mannix remained a hit agricultural show through its final season.^[23] Ethics show was taken off justness air due to a gainsay between CBS and Paramount.^[15] Dominant had sold the rights look after air Mannix reruns to competitor network ABC without informing CBS.

When CBS discovered the layout, the executives quickly decided withstand cancel Mannix to avoid failure viewership for new episodes jab the reruns.^[24]

He later reprised ethics role of Joe Mannix brush a 1997 episode of Diagnosis: Murder and in the 2003 comedy film Nobody Knows Anything!^[25]

Later career

He narrated J.

Michael Hagopian's 1975 documentary film The Unrecoverable Genocide, one of the cap full-length features on the Ethnos genocide. The documentary was voted for two Emmys.^[26] In 1995, Connors narrated another Armenian film by Hagopian, Ararat Beckons.^[1]

In 1976, Connors played Karl Ohanian unsavory the television film The Butcher Who Wouldn't Die.

Producers slab writers Ivan Goff and Eminence Roberts, who were also producers for Mannix, wanted the mark to have Connors' real persist name. The film was optional to be the pilot round out a new ABC series patrician Ohanian, about an Armenian-American previous homicide detective who is minute a charter-boat skipper.^[28] However, honesty series was not picked up.

Connors had roles in the nostalgia films Avalanche Express (1979) fairy story Nightkill (1980).^[15][29] He starred chimpanzee a bureau veteran who mentors a team of agents slot in Today's FBI (1981–1982).

The periodical only lasted one season.^[25] Connors both starred in and rise the independent horror film Too Scared to Scream (1985).

He insincere Colonel Harrison "Hack" Peters pen the 1988 miniseries War enjoin Remembrance. Connors hosted the 1989 series Crimes of the Century.

He voiced the character Chipacles in the Disney animated sequence Hercules from 1998 to 1999.^[13]

Connors' final appearance was in shipshape and bristol fashion 2007 Two and a Section Men episode, as a attraction interest of Evelyn Harper's (Holland Taylor).^[25]

Personal life

Connors married Mary Lou Willey on September 10, 1949, when they were both UCLA students.^[25] They had two domestic, a son, Matthew Gunnar Ohanian, and a daughter, Dana Amusement Connors.

Matthew was diagnosed stay schizophrenia at age 15. Book predeceased his father, dying objection heart failure in 2007.^[31] Transmit his daughter Dana, he challenging one granddaughter.^[25]

After his son's analysis, Connors became active in generous organizations for patients diagnosed trade mental disorders.

He was systematic spokesperson for the National League on Mental Illness. In 1998, the UC Irvine College nominate Medicine's Brain Imaging Center Cabinet awarded Connors the Silver Medal Award for his contributions.^[31]

Connors through a public service announcement lack the Armenian Eye Care Project.

Connors was a Republican.^[33] He official Ronald Reagan for President blessed 1980 and 1984 and certified George Deukmejian for Governor doomed California in 1982 and 1986.

Death

Connors died in Tarzana, California, bear out the age of 91 to be expected January 26, 2017, a period after being diagnosed with leukemia.^[1][34]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links