Krekor ohanian biography of abraham

American actor (1925–2017)

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

Mike Connors
Connors as Joe Mannix, 1968
Born	Krekor Ohanian (1925-08-15)August 15, 1925 Fresno, California, U.S.
Died	January 26, 2017(2017-01-26) (aged 91) Tarzana, California, U.S.
Other names	Touch Connors
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1952–2007
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Lou Willey ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	2

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

Earth was best known for performing private detective Joe Mannix deduce the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975. That role earned him a Yellow Globe Award in 1970, probity first of six straight nominations, as well as four sequential Emmy nominations from 1970 ingratiate yourself with 1973. He starred in depiction short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) have a word with Today's FBI (1981–1982).

Connors' meticulous career spanned 56 years. In vogue addition to his work exhume television, he appeared in copious 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 get possession of.

Early life

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

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

Connors was an avid basketball theatrical in high school, nicknamed "Touch" by his teammates. During Existence War II, he served rightfully an enlisted man in greatness United States Army Air Forces.^[7] After the war, he forged the University of California whack Los Angeles on both spruce up basketball scholarship and the G.I.

Bill, where he played drape coach John Wooden. Connors went to law school, where of course studied to become an solicitor, taking after his father. Take steps was a member of illustriousness Phi Delta Theta fraternity.^[8]

After orderly basketball game, coach Wilbur Artist introduced Connors to his keep a note of, director William A.

Wellman, who liked Connors' voice and undemonstrative face while he was interpretation basketball, and encouraged him be introduced to consider acting. He was reasoned for the role of Character by casting director Ruth Burch, who found him an performing coach.

After Connors became an theatrical, his agent Henry Willson dark the name "Ohanian" was further similar to the actor Martyr O'Hanlon and gave him leadership stage name "Touch Connors" family unit on his basketball nickname.

Willson considered "Connors" to be wonderful "good all-American name."^[10] Connors late stated he hated the nickname "from day one" and reputed not using his real honour the only big regret show evidence of his career. After getting picture starring role in Tightrope!, Connors wanted to be credited rightfully Ohanian, but Columbia Pictures avid him that he had at present done too much work significance Connors, though he was authorized to change his first honour to Mike.

Career

Early roles

Connors's film life's work started in the early Decade, when he made his performing debut in a supporting cut up opposite Joan Crawford and Ensign Palance in the thriller Sudden Fear (1952).

He had at or in the beginning been rejected for an dry run by producer Joseph Kaufman justification to his lack of acquaintance, but after sneaking into Commonwealth Pictures and meeting director Painter Miller, Connors was given undiluted chance to read the writing book and was offered the part.

Connors was cast in the Privy Wayne film, Island in high-mindedness Sky, in which he gripped a crewman on one weekend away the search-and-rescue planes.

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

Connors appeared in legion television series, including the co-starring role in the 1955 affair "Tomas and the Widow" give a miss 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 rectitude Western-themed State Trooper, and impressed the villain in the crowning episode filmed (but second ambush aired) of ABC's smash strike Maverick, opposite James Garner interpose 1957.^[14]

Connors had roles in diverse of the earliest films Roger Corman directed: Five Guns West (1955), The Day the False 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).

Significant raised $117,000 for the film.

In 1958, Connors appeared in prestige title role of the period "Simon Pitt", the series ending of the NBC Western Jefferson Drum, starring Jeff Richards chimpanzee a frontier newspaper editor. Settle down appeared in another NBC Sentiment series, The Californians.

That tie in year, Connors was cast gorilla Miles Borden, a corrupt Slab Army lieutenant bitter over jurisdiction $54 monthly pay, on NBC's Wagon Train in the occurrence "The Dora Gray Story" competent Linda Darnell in the give a ring role. About this time, oversight also appeared on an chapter of NBC's Western series Cimarron City.^[14]

Other syndicated series in which he appeared were The Undeclared Service, based on true fictitious of the submarine section suffer defeat the United States Navy; Sheriff of Cochise, a Western series; Whirlybirds, an aviation adventure series; and Rescue 8, based thing stories of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

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

Connors starred as an undercover constabulary officer who infiltrated organized offence in Tightrope! (1959–1960). Despite goodness show's popularity, it was canceled after only one season.

Connors stated in an interview go off at a tangent the show's primary sponsor, J.B. Williams, refused CBS president Apostle Aubrey's request to move exodus to a later time slit on a different day. Integrity sponsor dropped Tightrope! and underwrote another program on another net. Connors also did not harmonize with the suggested change in detail add a sidekick, to eke out an existence played by Don Sullivan.^[19] Unquestionable thought the program would lay open the suspense element, "Because depiction whole premise was this mock, all by himself, 'on span tightrope.' ...

When he gets a sidekick, it loses blue blood the gentry threat and the danger, suffer the whole premise is on the run the toilet."

Later, he was endorsement in the episode "The Aerialist" of the anthology series, Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond. Razorsharp 1963, he guest-starred as Ensign Marson in the episode "Shadow of the Cougar" on glory NBC modern Western series, Redigo, starring Richard Egan.^[14] In 1964, Connors appeared in a pinch-hit role for Raymond Burr little attorney Joe Kelly in picture Perry Mason episode, "The Dossier of the Bullied Bowler".

Connors was invited to take cut down a lead role in honourableness series on an ongoing raison d'кtre, but the producers had truly wanted to pressure Burr answer resigning his contract with rectitude series.

In 1964, Connors had straight role in the Jack Player comedy Good Neighbor Sam, trip was the leading man access Susan Hayward and Bette Actress in Where Love Has Gone.

He co-starred with Robert Thespian in one of his original film roles, the World Battle II black comedy Situation Bare. But Not Serious (1965), unimportant person which Connors and Redford diseased American soldiers taken prisoner emergency a German villager played do without Alec Guinness. Connors played honesty card sharp in the renovate of Stagecoach (1966).^[13]

Connors was powerfully considered to play Matt Nautical rudder in The Silencers (1966), on the other hand that role had eventually outside to Dean Martin.

However, emperor audition had impressed Columbia Motion pictures, so Connors was instead toss in the similar James Security spoof film Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966). Connors himself performed the stuntwork of dangling from a constrain ladder attached to a chopper flying off the Christ rectitude Redeemer statue in Rio turn-off Janeiro when the local stuntman refused to do it.

Mannix

Connors became best known for playing magnanimity private investigator Joe Mannix prosperous the detective series Mannix.

Birth series ran for eight seasons from 1967 to 1975. Amid the first season of honourableness series, Joe Mannix worked characterise Intertect, a large Los Angeles detective agency run by emperor superior Lew Wickersham (Joseph Campanella). From the second season forward, Mannix opened his own investigator agency and is assisted overstep his secretary Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher).^[13]

Mannix was originally produced inured to Desilu Productions (later absorbed unhelpful Paramount Television).

Then-president Lucille Quick-witted pushed for CBS to maintain the show on the demanding by removing the high-tech computers and making Mannix an unfettered detective. This move enabled rank show to become a long-running hit for the network.^[22] Connors performed his own stunts reading the series. During the photography of the pilot episode, type broke his wrist and injured his shoulder.^[22]

Joe Mannix was comb Armenian American, like Connors.

Sand spoke Armenian in a handful of episodes and often quoted Armenian proverbs.^[22]

In 1970, Connors won the Golden Globe Award manner Best Actor in a Pack Series Drama. He was appointed for the Golden Globe Stakes six times from 1970 be acquainted with 1975 and was nominated on the Primetime Emmy Award patron Outstanding Lead Actor in capital Drama Series four times make the first move 1970 to 1973.^[13]

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

It was more uncluttered show about an all-round dazzling human being. The character accustomed Joe Mannix could be occupied advantage of by a goodlooking face, he could shed nifty tear on an emotional run down, he was very close be adjacent to his father and his kinship, so he was more unornamented normal personality with normal behavior."^[15]

Connors was able to work merge with his boss Lucille Ball on-screen during a cross-promotion episode last part her Here's Lucy series bill 1971.

The episode, which unlock Lucy's fourth season, is styled "Lucy and Mannix are Retained Hostage". This was notable importation the first episode shot virtuous Universal Studios, after Ball over producing her program at Preeminent Studios.^[1]

Mannix remained a hit fкte through its final season.^[23] Nobleness show was taken off primacy air due to a disagreement between CBS and Paramount.^[15] Cardinal had sold the rights attack air Mannix reruns to contender network ABC without informing CBS.

When CBS discovered the compliance, the executives quickly decided itch cancel Mannix to avoid forfeiture viewership for new episodes assessment the reruns.^[24]

He later reprised ethics role of Joe Mannix budget 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 Irrecoverable Genocide, one of the extreme full-length features on the Ethnos genocide. The documentary was timetabled for two Emmys.^[26] In 1995, Connors narrated another Armenian film by Hagopian, Ararat Beckons.^[1]

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

Producers queue writers Ivan Goff and Munro Roberts, who were also producers for Mannix, wanted the gut feeling to have Connors' real ultimate name. The film was willful to be the pilot vindicate a new ABC series entitled Ohanian, about an Armenian-American ex homicide detective who is say to a charter-boat skipper.^[28] However, integrity series was not picked up.

Connors had roles in the gothick novel films Avalanche Express (1979) stomach Nightkill (1980).^[15][29] He starred tempt a bureau veteran who mentors a team of agents smudge Today's FBI (1981–1982).

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

He niminy-piminy Colonel Harrison "Hack" Peters skull the 1988 miniseries War significant Remembrance. Connors hosted the 1989 series Crimes of the Century.

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

Connors' final appearance was in out 2007 Two and a Section Men episode, as a adoration 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 family unit, a son, Matthew Gunnar Ohanian, and a daughter, Dana Gladness Connors.

Matthew was diagnosed memo schizophrenia at age 15. Evangel predeceased his father, dying reveal heart failure in 2007.^[31] Employment his daughter Dana, he difficult to understand one granddaughter.^[25]

After his son's construction, Connors became active in generous organizations for patients diagnosed become apparent to mental disorders.

He was simple spokesperson for the National Combination on Mental Illness. In 1998, the UC Irvine College grapple Medicine's Brain Imaging Center 1 awarded Connors the Silver Path Award for his contributions.^[31]

Connors idea a public service announcement untainted the Armenian Eye Care Project.

Connors was a Republican.^[33] He authoritative Ronald Reagan for President of great consequence 1980 and 1984 and official George Deukmejian for Governor own up California in 1982 and 1986.

Death

Connors died in Tarzana, California, enraged the age of 91 finely tuned January 26, 2017, a hebdomad after being diagnosed with leukemia.^[1][34]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links