Jan-Michael Vincent
| Jan-Michael Vincent | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1944 Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Residence | Vicksburg, Mississippi |
| Other names | Jan Michael Vincent Michael Vincent Mike Vincent |
| Occupation | Film, television actor |
| Years active | 1967–2002 |
| Spouse(s) | Bonnie Poorman (1974-75) 1 child (div) Joanne Robinson (1986-1997) (div) Patricia Ann (2000-present) |
| Children | Amber Vincent |
Jan-Michael Vincent (born July 15, 1944) is a retired American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf (1984–1986).
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Biography [edit]
Early life [edit]
Vincent was born July 15, 1944 in Denver, Colorado, to Doris and Lloyd Vincent. His family moved to Hanford, California, when Jan-Michael was in his teens. Vincent attended Ventura College in Ventura, California.
Career [edit]
1960s [edit]
He was finishing a stint in the National Guard when a talent scout was struck by his all-American looks. Jan-Michael Vincent's first acting job was in the movie The Bandits (aka Los Banditos), co-directed by and starring Robert Conrad, in 1967.
His career took off in the late 1960s when casting agent Dick Clayton signed him to Universal Studios. Vincent made an appearance on the Dragnet 1968 episode, "The Grenade," as a muscular high school student who suffered an acid attack by a mentally unstable classmate. He also appeared in the Danger Island segments of Hanna-Barbera's The Banana Splits series as Link (1968–1969). Finally, in the fall of 1969 Vincent had a starring role in the prime time soap opera The Survivors, alongside Lana Turner and George Hamilton; however, the series was canceled at midseason.
He also performed in several movies in that period, such as the 1969 Twentieth Century Fox movie The Undefeated (as Bubba Wilkes) starring John Wayne, Rock Hudson and Mexican actor Antonio Aguilar. His name appeared as Michael Vincent in the credits of the movie. Vincent guest-starred in two episodes of Bonanza (April 1969's "The Unwanted"as Rick Miller and "The Arrival of Eddie" as Eddie MacKay May 19th, 1968 Season 9 credited as Michael Vincent).
1970s [edit]
Vincent appeared in one episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. as Richie, a teen with an alcohol addiction. Vincent co-starred with Charles Bronson in the crime film The Mechanic. In 1970, he garnered critical praise for his role in the made for TV film Tribes, co-starring Darren McGavin, about a tough Marine boot-camp drill instructor dealing with a hippie draftee (portrayed by Vincent), who will not play by "the rules." Other notable films included the cult surfing film Big Wednesday with William Katt and Gary Busey; he also attracted attention giving a highly complex performance opposite Robert Mitchum in Going Home. In 1971 he appeared in the Gunsmoke episode "The Legend." In 1972 Vincent starred in a made-for-TV love story, Sandcastles, and in 1973 he starred in the Disney movie The World's Greatest Athlete, with Tim Conway and John Amos. Vincent also starred in the 1974 romance Buster and Billie as the romantic anti-hero Buster Lane, where he startled audiences with his full-frontal nudity. In Hooper with Burt Reynolds, Vincent played a young stunt man. In 1975 Bite the Bullet found him sharing screen time opposite Gene Hackman, James Coburn and Candice Bergen. He also starred in the cult classic trucker movie White Line Fever; in 1976's Baby Blue Marine, a war film directed by John D. Hancock, which also starred Glynnis O'Connor; and in the 1976 cult classic Shadow of the Hawk co-starring Marilyn Hassett. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars. Vincent also appeared in Damnation Alley, based on Roger Zelazny's science fiction novel, in 1977.
1980s [edit]
In 1980, he starred in the gang-themed drama, Defiance, which received a limited release. In that film, He costarred alongside Danny Aiello, as Manhattan residents who fight back against the gang members who terrorize their neighborhood. He also appeared in The Return, a science-fiction film which was released directly to television and video. In 1981, he co-starred with Kim Basinger in Hard Country. Vincent starred in the 1983 action film Last Plane Out.
After the completion of his role in the 1983 television miniseries Winds of War, Vincent was cast as Stringfellow Hawke for the action-espionage series Airwolf, in which Vincent co-starred with Ernest Borgnine and is the role for which he is best known and remembered, as well as for his rate of pay. It was noted, at the time, that Vincent's salary for his work on Airwolf was the highest paid (rumoured to be $200,000 per episode) of any actor in American television.[1][2] While filming Airwolf, Vincent admitted to drug and alcohol problems for which he acknowledged seeking help.
After the end of Airwolf Vincent found roles in smaller budget and lower exposure film projects.
1990s and 2000s [edit]
Jan-Michael Vincent worked with Traci Lords in the 1991 suspense film Raw Nerve. In the latter half of the decade, Vincent was involved in two severe automobile collisions which he barely survived. As a result of one accident in 1996, in which Vincent broke three vertebrae in his neck, he sustained a permanent injury to his vocal cords from an emergency medical procedure. This has left him with a permanently raspy voice. While he was in the hospital he was committed to a role in Red Line with Chad McQueen. He appeared in the film with a swollen face, scars, and still wearing the hospital ID bracelet. Vincent was involved in another automobile accident in 2008.[3]
In 1997 he had a small guest role on Nash Bridges playing the title character's long-lost brother.
A notable exception to the downward trend in Vincent's post-Airwolf career was his small role in the critically acclaimed, independent film Buffalo '66, in 1998.[4]
His last movie roles included the independent film White Boy, also titled Menace (for the US video version), released in March 2002 and the 2004 film "Escape from Witch Mountain".
Personal life [edit]
Beginning during his career on Airwolf and continuing through the mid-2000s, Vincent battled alcoholism. In 2000, after violating probation for prior alcohol-related arrests by appearing drunk in public three times and assaulting his then-girlfriend, he was sentenced to 60 days in Orange County Jail.[5]
In an interview on the TV program The Insider on September 18, 2007, when asked about his 1996 car accident, he answered, "Y'know, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't remember being in an accident." He then discussed being an alcoholic and admitted alcohol had robbed him of his career and memories.[1][6]
Vincent has a daughter, Amber Vincent,[7] from his marriage to first wife Bonnie Poorman.
As of 2013, Vincent resides near Vicksburg, Mississippi.[8]
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Mystery of the Chinese Junk | Tony Prito | Credited as "Mike Vincent" | ||||
| 1967 | Dragnet (TV series) | Rick Schneiderman | "The Grenade" episode, credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1967 | The Bandits | Taye "Boy" Brown | |||||
| 1968 | Lassie (TV series) | Chris Hanford | Episodes "Hanford's Point", part 1-3, credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1968 | Journey to Shiloh | Little Bit Lucket | Credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1968-1970 | The Banana Splits Adventure Hour | Lincoln 'Link' Simmons | Several episodes, credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1968-1969 | Bonanza | Rick Miller and Eddie | Episodes "The Unwanted" and "The Arrival of Eddie", credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1969 | The Survivors | Jeffrey Hastings | |||||
| 1969 | The Undefeated | Bubba Wilkes | Credited as "Michael Vincent" | ||||
| 1970 | Double Jeopardy | Kevin Colter | |||||
| 1970 | Tribes | Adrian | |||||
| 1971 | The Last of the Powerseekers | unknown | |||||
| 1971 | Dan August | Kevin Colter | Episode "Death Chain" | ||||
| 1971 | Men at Law (TV series) | unknown | Episode "One American" | ||||
| 1971 | The Persuaders! | Helicopter pilot | Episode "The Gold Napoleon", uncredited | ||||
| 1971 | Gunsmoke | Travis Colter | Episode "The Legend" | ||||
| 1971 | Going Home | Jimmy Graham | |||||
| 1972 | The Catcher (TV movie) | Sam Callende | |||||
| 1972 | Sandcastles (TV movie) | Michael | |||||
| 1972 | The Mechanic | Steve McKenna | |||||
| 1973 | The World's Greatest Athlete | Nanu | |||||
| 1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Ritchie | Episode: "Catch a Ring That Isn't There" | ||||
| 1973 | Deliver Us from Evil (TV movie) | Nick Fleming | |||||
| 1973 | Toma (TV series) | Billy Haskell | Episode "Blockhouse Breakdown" | ||||
| 1974 | Buster and Billie | Buster Lane | |||||
| 1973-1975 | Police Story (TV series) | Warren Yates & Dave Hauser | Episodes "Incident in the Kill Zone" and "Line of Fire" | ||||
| 1975 | Bite the Bullet | Carbo | |||||
| 1975 | White Line Fever | Carrol Jo Hummer | |||||
| 1976 | Baby Blue Marine | Marion | |||||
| 1976 | Shadow of the Hawk | Mike | |||||
| 1976 | Vigilante Force | Ben Arnold | |||||
| 1977 | Damnation Alley | Tanner | |||||
| 1978 | Big Wednesday | Matt Johnson | |||||
| 1978 | Hooper | Ski | |||||
| 1980 | The Return | Wayne | |||||
| 1980 | Defiance | Tommy | |||||
| 1981 | Hard Country | Kyle | |||||
| 1983 | The Winds of War (TV miniseries) | Byron Henry | |||||
| 1983 | Last Plane Out | Jack Cox | |||||
| 1984 | Airwolf (TV movie) | Stringfellow Hawke | |||||
| 1985 | Get Out of My Room | Immigration Officer | |||||
| 1984-1987 | Airwolf (TV series) | Stringfellow Hawke | |||||
| 1986 | Hotel (TV series) | Nick Hauser | Episode "Undercurrents" | ||||
| 1987 | Six Against the Rock (TV movie) | Miran 'Buddy' Thompson | |||||
| 1987 | Enemy Territory | Parker | |||||
| 1987 | Born in East L.A. | McCalister | |||||
| 1989 | Demonstone | Andy Buck | |||||
| 1989 | Hit List | Andy Buck | |||||
| 1989 | Tarzan in Manhattan (TV movie) | Brightmore | |||||
| 1989 | Deadly Embrace (video) | Stewart Moreland | |||||
| 1989 | Dirty Games | Kepler West | |||||
| 1990 | Alienator | Commander | |||||
| 1990 | Haunting Fear (video) | Detective James Trent | |||||
| 1991 | Xtro II: The Second Encounter | Oliver Moss | |||||
| 1991 | Hangfire | Colonel Johnson | |||||
| 1991 | Raw Nerve | Lt. Bruce Ellis | |||||
| 1991 | The Final Heist (TV movie) | David King | |||||
| 1992 | Beyond the Call of Duty | Len Jordan | |||||
| 1992 | The Divine Enforcer (video) | Father Thomas | |||||
| 1992 | Animal Instincts (video) | Fletcher Ross | |||||
| 1993 | Singapore Sling (TV movie) | Billy | |||||
| 1993 | Midnight Witness | Lance | |||||
| 1993 | Sins of Desire | Warren Robillard | |||||
| 1993 | Hidden Obsession | Ben Scanlon | |||||
| 1993 | Deadly Heroes | Cody Grant | |||||
| 1993 | Indecent Behavior | Tom Mathis | |||||
| 1994 | Renegade (TV series) | Max | Episode "Hard Rider" | ||||
| 1995 | Russian Roulette - Moscow 95 | unknown | |||||
| 1995 | Abducted II: The Reunion | Brad Allen | |||||
| 1995 | Body Count | Detective Reinhart | |||||
| 1995 | Ice Cream Man | Detective Gifford | |||||
| 1995 | Red Line (video) | Who? | |||||
| 1996 | Jurassic Women (TV movie) | Zepp | |||||
| 1996 | Lethal Orbit (TV movie) | Riff | |||||
| 1996 | The Last Kill | unknown | |||||
| 1997 | Nash Bridges (TV series) | Bobby Chase | Episode "Revelations" | ||||
| 1998 | No Rest for the Wicked | Sheriff Juan Ramirez | |||||
| 1998 | Buffalo '66 | Sonny | |||||
| 2000 | The Thundering 8th | unknown | |||||
| 2002 | White Boy | Ron Masters |
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2004 | Escape to Witch Mountain | Trapper |
References [edit]
- ^ a b “”. "Jan-Michael Vincent interview on "The Insider", August 19, 2007". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ "Ultimate DVD description of Airwolf DVD". Ultimatedvd.org. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ 2008 accident in Vicksburg
- ^ "Review of "Buffalo 66", Chicago Tribune, July 17, 1998". Chicagotribune.com. 1998-07-17. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ Piccalo, Gina (October 11, 2000). "Actor Works Off Sentence Wielding Mop and Broom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ ""Recluse Jan-Michael Vincent in Shocking New TV Expose" S.F. Gate, September 14, 2007". Sfgate.com. 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ "FilmBug bio". Filmbug.com. 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ "StudentOperated Press, July 28th, 2009". Thesop.org. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
External links [edit]
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