Richard Jaeckel (born R. Hanley Jaeckel; October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

in his career, which spanned six decades. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor with his role in the 1971 adaptation of

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and Counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies o ...

's '' Sometimes a Great Notion''.

Early years

Jaeckel was born October 10, 1926, in Long Beach, New York, the son of Richard Jaeckel and Millicent Hanley. His father was active in the family's fur business, and his mother was a stage actress. His birth name was R. Hanley Jaeckel, with only the initial rather than a first name. He attended The Harvey School and other private schools. The family lived in New York until 1934, when they moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where his father operated a branch of the family business. He graduated from Hollywood High School.

Career

A short, tough man, Jaeckel played a variety of characters during his 50 years in films and television. Jaeckel got his start in the business at the age of seventeen while he was employed as a mailboy at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

studios in Hollywood. A casting director auditioned him for a role in the 1943 film '' Guadalcanal Diary''; Jaeckel won the role and settled into a lengthy career in supporting parts. He served in the

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

from 1944 to 1946, then starred in two of the most remembered war films of 1949: '' Battleground'' and ''

Sands of Iwo Jima ''Sands of Iwo Jima'' is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marine Corps, United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele M ...

'' with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

. One of Jaeckel's shortest film roles was in '' The Gunfighter'', in which his character is killed by

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

's character in the opening scene. He played the role of Turk, the roomer's boyfriend, in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning 1952 film '' Come Back, Little Sheba'', with

Shirley Booth Shirley Booth (born Marjory Ford; August 30, 1898October 16, 1992) was an American actress. One of 24 performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, Booth was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. ...

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

, and Terry Moore. In 1960, he appeared as Angus Pierce in the Western, ''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden, and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his better acting performances as ...

'', starring

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. He played Lee Marvin's able second-in-command, Sgt. Bowren, in the 1967 film '' The Dirty Dozen'' for director

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. An iconoclastic and maverick '' auteur'' working in many genres during the Golden Age of Hollywood, he directed main ...

, and reprised the role in the 1985 sequel, '' The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission''. Jaeckel appeared in several other Aldrich films, including Big Leaguer (1953), '' Attack'' (1956), '' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972), and '' Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977). He guest-starred in many television programs. He was cast as a boxer in a 1954 episode of Reed Hadley's CBS

legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...

, '' The Public Defender''. Also in 1954, Jaeckel portrayed Billy the Kid in an episode of the syndicated

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, ''Stories of the Century'', with Jim Davis as the fictitious Southwest Railroad detective Matt Clark. Seven years later, Jaeckel played "Denver" in "The Grudge Fight" episode of the NBC Western series '' The Tall Man''. In 1957, he appeared as Mort Claffey in two episodes, "Paratroop Padre" and "The Light," of the syndicated religion anthology series, '' Crossroads''. That same year, he portrayed Lieutenant Bradshaw in episode "War of the Whale Boats" of the military drama, '' Navy Log''. In 1956-57, he appeared in three episodes of another military drama, '' The West Point Story''. In 1955 and 1958, Jaeckel appeared in different roles on two episodes of CBS's fantasy drama '' The Millionaire''. In 1958, Jaeckel guest-starred as Webb Martin in the episode "The Bloodline" of NBC's Western series '' Cimarron City''. That same year, he appeared in the syndicated drama of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, '' Gray Ghost'' in the episode entitled "The Hero". In 1959, he was cast as Clint Gleason in episode "The Man Behind the Star" of CBS's '' The Texan'' Western series, starring

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

. In 1960, Jaeckel appeared twice on Nick Adams's ABC Western series, '' The Rebel'', as Marshal Roader in "The Rattler" and as Clyde Traskel in "Run, Killer, Run". During the 1961-62 season, Jaeckel had a starring role (with John Derek and

Chill Wills Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American actor and a singer in the Avalon Boys quartet. Early life Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas, on July 18, 1902. Career Wills was a performer from early c ...

) on CBS'

Frontier Circus ''Frontier Circus'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s. Filmed by Revue Productions, the program originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1961, until Sep ...

, an adventure drama about a one-ring circus traveling the American West during the 1880's. Jaeckel's character Tony Gentry served as an advance location scout for the circus in addition to assisting John Derek's circus manager Ben Travis. Jaeckel appeared in all 26 episodes with featured player roles in several episodes, most notably "Karina" opposite

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She portrayed the good witch List of Bewitched characters#Samantha Stephens, Samantha Step ...

. In 1963, Jaeckel played Willie the murderer in "The Case of the Lover's Leap" on CBS's '' Perry Mason'', starring Raymond Burr. That same year he was among the guest stars on the short-lived ABC/

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Western series, '' The Dakotas'' and in "The Predators" episode of '' Have Gun – Will Travel'', Season 6 (1962). Also in 1963, Jaeckel, speaking in German, played the role of

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

Sgt. Buxman in the '' Combat!'' TV series episode "Gideon's Army." Finally in that year, he guest starred in the TV Western Series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' in the S8E27 episode "Two of a Kind", playing Irish immigrant mine owner O'Ryan, who was feuding with his partner. Jaeckel appeared in

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

"Incident in a Small Jail" (1961) as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episodes, "Low Clouds and Coastal Fog" (1963), "Death of a Cop (1963), and "Off Season" (1965). In 1964, Jaeckel appeared as Danny in the episode "Keep Cool" of '' The New Phil Silvers Show'' and as Mitch Devlin in an episode of ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ″Between Heaven and Earth″. In 1966, Jaeckel made a second guest appearance on ''Perry Mason'' as Mike Woods in the episode "The Case of the Bogus Buccaneers". That same year, he also co-starred as Christopher Cable in an episode – "The Night of the Grand Emir" – of ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

''. Also that year he played "Percy Farley", part of a bank robbing gang in a rare two part episode called "The Raid" on ''

''. He guest-starred in 1967 as Dibbs in the episode "Night of Reckoning" on ''Bonanza''. Jaeckel's most famous film appearances of the 1950s are in '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (1957) and '' The Naked and the Dead'' (1958). His film career achieved its greatest success in the period 1967 to 1975, in such features as '' The Dirty Dozen'' (1967), '' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968), '' Chisum'' (1970), '' Sometimes a Great Notion'' (1971) (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), '' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972), '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973), '' The Outfit'' (1973), '' The Drowning Pool'' (1975), and '' Walking Tall Part 2'' (1975). ''Chisum'' was a

vehicle in which Jaeckel, Christopher George and Andrew Prine all co-starred in prominent supporting roles. The three would re-team six years later in ''

Grizzly The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

'' (1976) (an amiable "Jaws" ripoff reset in the forest), and Jaeckel and George would team again in another "nature strikes back" story, '' Day of the Animals'' (1977). In 1976, he starred in the B movie '' Mako: The Jaws of Death''. In 1975, he starred as the title character on the episode "Larkin" on ''

'' (S20E17). In 1977, Jaeckel appeared with Donna Mills, Bill Bixby, and

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

in the last episode, entitled "The Scarlet Ribbon", of NBC's Western series '' The Oregon Trail'', starring Rod Taylor and Andrew Stevens. The following year he played Sergeant Lykes in the epic TV miniseries '' Centennial''. He had a recurring role in the short-lived Andy Griffith vehicle '' Salvage 1'' (1979). The later films in his career included a major role in

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

's 1984 film '' Starman'' as an NSA agent hunting an alien life form played by

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...

as well as in the action films '' Black Moon Rising'' with Tommy Lee Jones and '' Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection'' with

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

. In his later years, Jaeckel was known to television audiences as Lt. Ben Edwards on ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'' from seasons 2-4. He also played Al Gibson in the Baywatch Pilot. He also co-starred on Robert Urich's ABC series '' Spenser: For Hire'' in the role of Lieutenant Martin Quirk.

Personal life

On May 29, 1947, Jaeckel married Antoinette Helen Marches in Tijuana, Mexico. They had two sons, Barry and Richard.

Death

Jaeckel died at the age of 70 in 1997 as a result of cancer at the

Motion Picture & Television Hospital The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temp ...

in Woodland Hills, California.

Recognition

In 1972, Jaeckel received an

nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' Sometimes a Great Notion''. In 1992, he received a Golden Boot Award for his work in Westerns.

Select filmography

* '' Guadalcanal Diary'' (1943) as Private Johnny ('Chicken') Anderson * '' Wing and a Prayer'' (1944) as Beezy Bessemer * '' Jungle Patrol'' (1948) as Lieutenant Dick Carter * '' City Across the River'' (1949) as Bull * '' Battleground'' (1949) as Bettis * ''

'' (1949) as Private First Class Frank Flynn * '' The Gunfighter'' (1950) as Eddie * '' Wyoming Mail'' (1950) as Nate * '' Fighting Coast Guard'' (1951) as Tony Jessup * '' The Sea Hornet'' (1951) as Johnny Radford * '' My Son John'' (1952) as Chuck Jefferson * ''

Hoodlum Empire ''Hoodlum Empire'' is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph Kane starring Brian Donlevy, Claire Trevor, Forrest Tucker, Vera Ralston, Luther Adler and John Russell (actor), John Russell.. It was inspired by the United States Sena ...

'' (1952) as Ted Dawson * '' Come Back, Little Sheba'' (1952) as Turk Fisher * '' Big Leaguer'' (1953) as Bobby Bronson * '' Sea of Lost Ships'' (1953) as Ensign H.G. 'Hap' O'Malley * '' The Violent Men'' (1954) as Wade Matlock * '' The Shanghai Story'' (1954) as 'Knuckles' Greer * '' Apache Ambush'' (1955) as Lee Parker * '' Attack!'' (1956) as Private Snowden * '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (1957) as Charlie Prince * ''

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

'' (1958) as Paul Curtis * '' The Lineup'' (1958) as Sandy McLain * '' The Naked and the Dead'' (1958) as Gallagher * '' The Gun Runners'' (1958) as Buzurki * '' When Hell Broke Loose'' (1958) as Karl * '' Platinum High School'' (1960) as Hack Marlow * '' The Gallant Hours'' (1960) as Lieutenant Commander Roy Webb * ''

'' (1960) as Angus Pierce * ''

'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Incident in a Small Jail") as The Suspect / Mechanic * '' Town Without Pity'' (1961) as Corporal Birdwell "Birdie" Scott * '' The Predators'' (1962) as John Tyree ('' Have Gun – Will Travel'') * '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 17: "Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog") as Tom * '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 32: "Death of a Cop") as Boxer * '' The Young and The Brave'' (1963) as Corporal John Estway * '' 4 for Texas'' (1963) as Pete Mancini * ''

'' (1963) (Season 8, Episode 27: "Two of A Kind") as O'Ryan * ''

'' (1964) (TV) (Season 6 episode 9: "Between Heaven and Earth") : Mitch Devlin * '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (1965) (Season 3 Episode 29: "Off Season") as Milt Woodman * '' Nightmare in the Sun'' (1965) as Motorcyclist * '' Town Tamer'' (1965) as Deputy Johnny Honsinger * '' Once Before I Die'' (1966) as Lieutenant Custer * '' The Dirty Dozen'' (1967) as Sergeant Clyde Bowren * '' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) as Private Omar Greco * '' The Green Slime'' (1968) as Commander Vince Elliott * '' Latitude Zero'' (1969) as Perry Lawton * ''Surabaya Conspiracy'' (1970) as Dirk * '' Chisum'' (1970) as Jesse Evans * '' Sometimes a Great Notion'' (1971) as Joe Ben Stamper * '' The Deadly Dream'' (1971) (TV) as Delgreve * '' Mission Impossible'' (1971) (TV) as Edward Trask * '' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972) as Sergeant * '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973) as Sheriff Kip McKinney * '' The Outfit'' (1973) as Kimmie Cherney * '' Chosen Survivors'' (1974) as Major Gordon Ellis * '' The Drowning Pool'' (1975) as Franks * '' Walking Tall Part 2'' (1975) as Stud Pardee * ''The Kill'' (1975) as Ming * ''

'' (1975) (Season 20, Episode 16: "Larkin") as Clay Larkin * ''

'' (1976) as Arthur Scott * '' Mako: The Jaws of Death'' (1976) as Sonny Stein * '' Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977) as Captain Stanford Towne * '' Day of the Animals'' (1977) as Professor MacGregor * '' Speedtrap'' (1977) as Billy * '' Black Sheep Squadron'' (1978) (Season 2, Episode 9: "Iceman") as Maj. John Duncan * '' Mr. No Legs'' (1979) as Chuck * '' The Dark'' (1979) as Detective Dave Mooney * '' Salvage 1'' (1979) as Jack Klinger * ''Pacific Inferno'' (1979) as Dealer * '' Delta Fox'' (1979) as Santana * ''

Herbie Goes Bananas ''Herbie Goes Bananas'' is a 1980 American adventure comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and written by Don Tait. The film is the fourth installment in the ''Herbie'' film series and the sequel to '' Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' (1977). ...

'' (1980) as Shepard * '' ...All the Marbles'' (1981) as Bill Dudley * ''Cold River'' (1982) as Mike Allison * '' Blood Song'' (1982) as Frank Hauser * '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982) as Controller #2 * ''Goma-2'' (1984) as Martin * '' Starman'' (1984) as George Fox * '' The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission'' (1985) as Sergeant Clyde Bowren * ''The Fix'' (1985) as Charles Dale * '' Black Moon Rising'' (1986) as Earl Windom * ''Ghetto Blaster'' (1989) as Mike Henry * '' Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection'' (1990) as DEA Agent John Page * '' The King of the Kickboxers'' (1991) as Captain O'Day * '' Martial Outlaw'' (1993) as Mr. White

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeckel, Richard 1926 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American military personnel of World War II 20th-century American sailors Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from New York (state) Male Western (genre) film actors Military personnel from New York (state) People from Long Beach, New York United States Merchant Mariners United States Merchant Mariners of World War II