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Jon-Erik Hexum

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Jon-Erik Hexum
Born
Jon Eric Hexum
Occupation(s)Actor, model
Years active1982–1984

Jon-Erik Hexum (November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American model and actor. He died as a result of a firearms accident on the set of television series Cover Up, on which he was the male lead.

Early life and career

Hexum was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Norwegian immigrants Gretha and Thorleif Hexum. He and his elder brother, Gunnar, were raised in Tenafly by their mother after their parents divorced when Hexum was four.[1] After graduating from high school, Hexum went on to the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in order to study biomedical engineering. However, he soon gave it up and switched to the Michigan State University in East Lansing. During that time, he worked as a radio disc jockey, played football, and acted in minor stage roles.[2]

Only a few days after graduation, he moved to New York in 1980 in order to pursue his acting career. While working as a cleaner he met Bob LeMond of LeMond/Zetter Management and the manager of John Travolta, who saw great potential in Hexum.[3] LeMond asked him to move to Los Angeles in 1981 in order to audition for a movie called Summer Lovers, directed by Randal Kleiser. Hexum lost the part to Peter Gallagher.

After only four months in Los Angeles, during which time he worked odd jobs to support himself, Hexum was cast as the lead in the series Voyagers!. Voyagers! aired on NBC during the 1982–83 television season, and the role earned Hexum $10,000 a week. The series was canceled after one season, after which Hexum was cast in the made for television movie Making of a Male Model which also stared Joan Collins and Roxie Roker. [3]

In 1984 he had a small but well-received role in the feature film The Bear about college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He also appeared in an episode of Hotel.

The Cover Up series began production in 1984. In the series Hexum played the male lead, a former model turned weapons expert and undercover CIA agent.

Personal life

Hexum dated actresses Heather Thomas and Emma Samms. At the time of his death, he was dating actress and singer E.G. Daily.[4]

Death

On October 12, 1984, between filming scenes on the set of Cover Up, Hexum was critically wounded after he placed a .44 Magnum prop gun loaded with blanks to his temple and pulled the trigger.[5] The accident happened during the filming of a scene where Hexum’s character (Mac Harper) was supposed to unload a handgun and replace the bullets with blanks—as the script required. The shooting was, however, delayed due to a technical difficulty and Hexum fell asleep on the set. Hexum awoke approximately fifteen minutes later and, realizing the scene was still not ready to be shot, began playing with the gun. Police later reported that Hexum had been playing Russian Roulette, having loaded three empty cartridges and two blanks into the cylinder. He eventually placed the gun to his head and, after saying, "Let's see if I've got one for me!" pulled the trigger.[6] [7]

Hexum was apparently not aware that blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the shell, and that this wadding is propelled from the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired within a few inches of the body, especially if pointed at a particularly vulnerable spot, such as the temple or the eye. Although the paper wadding in the blank that Hexum discharged did not penetrate his skull, the wad struck him in the temple with enough blunt force trauma to shatter a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propel the pieces into his brain, causing massive hemorrhaging.[1][8]

Hexum was rushed to the Beverly Hills Medical Center, where he underwent five hours of surgery to repair his wounds.[8] On October 18, six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain dead. Hexum's mother Greta allowed his body, still connected to life support, to be flown to San Francisco for organ transplants.[2] Hexum's heart was then implanted into a 36-year old Las Vegas escort service owner who was awaiting a heart transplant.[9] Hexum's kidneys and corneas were also harvested and placed in organ transplant banks before his body was flown back to Los Angeles for autopsy and burial.[2]

Hexum's death was ruled accidental.[10] Hexum's mother later received an out-of-court settlement from Twentieth Century Fox Television and Glenn Larson Productions, the production team behind Cover Up.[1]

Four weeks after Hexum's death, Cover Up resumed airing without Hexum's character, Mac Harper, who was killed in action. The return episode also featured a tribute to Hexum.[11] Antony Hamilton replaced Hexum as the show's new male lead. [12] Cover Up was canceled after its first season due to low ratings.[13]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1982 Voyager from the Unknown Phineas Bogg
1984 The Bear Pat Trammell
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982-1983 Voyagers! Phineas Bogg 20 episodes
1983 Making of a Male Model Tyler Burnett Television movie
1984 Hotel Prince Erik 1 episode
Cover Up Mac Harper 7 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jon-Erik Hexum's Fatal Joke". ew.com. 1994-10-14. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  2. ^ a b c Parish, James Robert (2001). The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More Than 125 American Movie and TV Idols. Contemporary Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-809-22227-2.
  3. ^ a b Wallace, David (1983-10-11). "On and Off Camera, Joan Collins Helps in the Making of Male Model Jon-Erik Hexum". People. Retrieved 2008-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Celebrity Suicides". cbs5.com. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  5. ^ Donnelley, Paul (2003-06-01). Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries (2 ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 483. ISBN 0-711-99512-5.
  6. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.
  7. ^ "Wounding of Actor on Coast is Laid to Russian Roulette". The New York Times. 1984-10-17. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Actor Wounds Himself On Set of TV Series". The New York Times. 1984-10-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Las Vegas Escort Operator Is Given Heart of TV Actor". The New York Times. 1984-10-23. Retrieved 2008-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Wounding of Actor on Coast Is Laid to Russian Roulette". The New York Times. 1984-10-18. Retrieved 2008-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Meisler, Andy (1992-11-08). "TELEVISION; When a Series Loses One of Its Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Brooks, Tim (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 294. ISBN 0-345-49773-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.


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