Rick Jason (born Richard Jacobson; May 21, 1923 – October 16, 2000) was an American
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
, born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, and most remembered for starring in the
ABC television
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''
Combat!
''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American s ...
'' (1962–1967).
Childhood
An only child of Jewish parents, Jason was expelled from several prep schools before graduating from
Rhodes Preparatory School in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
.
Military service
Rick Jason served from 1943 to 1945 in the
U.S. Army Air Corps, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
[ In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he visited American troops serving in ]Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
on several USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tours.
Acting career
Later, MGM was searching for an actor to replace Fernando Lamas
Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos (January 9, 1915 – October 8, 1982) was an Argentine-American actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.
Biography Argentina
Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos was born in Buenos Aires, Arg ...
in the 1953 movie ''Sombrero
A sombrero (Spanish , ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high pointed crown, an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck and shoulders of the w ...
'' and gave the role to Jason, who was earlier released from Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...
. This led to Jason being cast in '' The Saracen Blade'' (1954) and '' This Is My Love'' (1954).
In 1956, Jason played the lead in '' The Fountain of Youth'', a half-hour unsold pilot written and directed by Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
which won the Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
in 1958.
Soon after, Jason received offers for television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
. He guest-starred on ABC's anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...
, ''The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
''The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse'' is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl (1953), Anita Colby (1954), and, finally, Polly Bergen (1955). Initially the ...
''. In 1954, he played Joaquin Murietta, the notorious Mexican bandit of the California Gold Rush, in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
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 i ...
series ''Stories of the Century
''Stories of the Century'' is a 39-episode Western historical fiction television series starring Jim Davis that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between 1954 and 1955.
Synopsis
Jim Davis, who became famous decades later as the ...
'', the story of a railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads t ...
investigating crime in the American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
. He appeared on the NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
interview program ''Here's Hollywood
''Here's Hollywood'' is an American celebrity interview program which aired on weekday afternoons on NBC at 4:30 Eastern time from September 26, 1960, to December 28, 1962.
Overview
In the first season, the interviews were conducted by Dean Mille ...
'', in the '' Rawhide'' episodes "Incident of the Coyote Weed" and "Incident of the Valley in Shadow", and co-starred in 1969 in ''The Monk
''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. A quickly written book from early in Lewis's career (in one letter he claimed to have written it in ten weeks, but other correspondence suggests that he h ...
''.
In 1960, he starred as insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
investigator Robin Scott in ''The Case of the Dangerous Robin
''The Case of the Dangerous Robin'' is an American crime drama series that aired in syndication from October 1960 to July 1961. The series, which stars Rick Jason, was produced by Ziv Television Productions.
Overview
The series follows an insura ...
'', a syndicated
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
American television series that lasted only one season. It was not renewed due to Jason's health issues, including back problems. In 1962, he began starring in the television series ''Combat!
''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American s ...
'' as Platoon Leader 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley, probably his most memorable role. In this series he shared the starring role in an alternating episode rotation, with Vic Morrow
Victor Morrow (born Victor Morozoff; February 14, 1929 – July 23, 1982) was an American actor. He came to prominence as one of the leads of the ABC drama series '' Combat!'' (1962–1967), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstan ...
as Sgt. Chip Saunders, though in many episodes they both appeared. The show was a hit that lasted for 152 episodes in five seasons.
After ''Combat!'', Rick returned to stage acting. He made films in Japan and Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, as well as films such as '' Color Me Dead'' (1969), '' The Day of the Wolves'' (1971), '' The Witch Who Came from the Sea'' (1976), ''Love and the Midnight Auto Supply'' (1977), ''Partners
Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to:
Books
* ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997
* ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928
* ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart
* ''Partner'' (m ...
'' (1982) and '' Illegally Yours'' (1988). He also played Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
in the 1989 miniseries ''Around the World in 80 Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employ ...
''. In 1973, he was a frequent character on ''The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City ...
''.Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
He was also a favorite voice for TV commercial narration in the 1960s.
Retirement
After retiring from screen appearances, Jason kept busy by doing voice-overs for commercials and wrote his autobiography, ''Scrapbooks of My Mind''. In 2000, he attended a ''Combat!
''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American s ...
'' reunion in Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
with fellow cast members.[''Variety'' (2000)]
Personal life
In his personal life, Jason enjoyed playing guitar, painting, sculpting, collecting wines, flying, hunting, photography, and breeding tropical fish.
In 2000, Jason published his autobiography ''Scrapbooks of My Mind: A Hollywood Autobiography''. The book describes Jason growing up in New York during the Great Depression and shares behind-the-scenes stories of his film and tv career.[ Scrapbooks of My Mind (July 29, 2000)] The book was pulled from publication after his death in October 2000. An online version of the book exists on the web.
Death
Jason died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...
one week after the ''Combat!'' reunion, on October 16, 2000, in Moorpark, California
Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. As of 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County. ...
, where he lived. He left no note. Authorities said the actor was "despondent" over "unspecified personal matters."[
His body was cremated and interred at the ]Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Ang ...
in Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
, Los Angeles, California in the Cathedral Mausoleum.
Legacy
Concerning Combat!
''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American s ...
, pop culture scholar Gene Santoro has written:
Producer Steve Rubin wrote a tribute to Jason published in the Los Angeles Times on October 20, 2000:
Rubin concluded:
Filmography
Notes
References
*Jason, Rick. ''Scrapbooks of My Mind : A Hollywood Autobiography''; Strange New Worlds; 1st edition 29 July 2000;
*
Obituary
in '' Variety''; 9 November 2000
*
*
External links
*
''The Fountain of Youth''
on YouTube
The Life and Sad Ending of Rick Jason
(December 18, 2020) Access Date: March 9, 2022
A Salute to Rick Jason (as platoon leader 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley) 2018
Access Date: March 9, 2022
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jason, Rick
1923 births
2000 deaths
Jewish American male actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Male actors from New York City
Suicides by firearm in California
Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
20th-century American male actors
People from Moorpark, California
2000 suicides
United States Army Air Forces soldiers
20th-century American Jews