Thread: Mike Connors 'Mannix' star dies at 91

-Mike Connors, who broke free of years of supporting roles when he found stardom in the late 1960s as a maverick private investigator on the CBS series "Mannix," which went on to enjoy an eight-season run, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 91.

His son-in-law Mike Condon said the death, at a hospital, was caused by complications of leukemia, which had been diagnosed a week earlier, The Associated Press reported.

In the series, which had its premiere in 1967, Mr. Connors played the darkly handsome Joe Mannix, a Korean War veteran of (like Mr. Connors) Armenian descent who sleuthed his way around Los Angeles with flashy cars and a penchant for citing Armenian proverbs.

Unlike many a smooth TV private eye, Mannix took his lumps. The Washington Post, tabulating the wear and tear the character withstood over eight seasons, found that he had endured 17 gunshot wounds and 55 beatings that left him unconscious.

The violence drew criticism in some quarters, but "Mannix" became the most popular crime series on television in an era punctuated by comedies like "All in the Family" and "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." For several years it shared CBS's Saturday night lineup with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," whose own star died on Wednesday.

"Mannix" made Mr. Connors one of the highest-paid television actors of the 1970s; by the end of its run he was earning $40,000 an episode (almost $180,000 in today's dollars). The role brought him four Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award.

"Mannix" was also notable as one of the first regular series to provide a leading role to an African-American: Gail Fisher joined the show in its second season as Mannix's secretary, frequent damsel in distress and occasional potential love interest. She died at 65 in 2000.

Mr. Connors was born Krekor Ohanian on Aug. 15, 1925, in Fresno, Calif. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, then enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played basketball on a scholarship, earning the nickname "Touch" on the court. His father was a lawyer, many of whose clients were poor and would often pay him with fruit, vegetables or chickens, Mr. Connors told an interviewer...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/a...dies.html?_r=0

One of my regular shows to watch back in the day.

Originally Posted by fuego

One of my regular shows to watch back in the day.

Mine too!

Originally Posted by fuego

One of my regular shows to watch back in the day.

Me too, and Gail Fisher was the inspiration for me to continue my Business Admin classes - She looked so good in her crisp, white blouses and black pencil skirts - I wanted to be just like her!

Ahhh, the "good, old days" of television - Don't ya miss them?

I never watched it. I liked Rockford, Magnum, Simon and Simon, and occasionally Barnaby Jones.

Originally Posted by Valiant Woman

...And of course Gail Fisher as Peggy was a positive role model. So good was she in that role, my mother wanted me to be a secretary! LOL! It was not to be!

Well, I was definitely influenced, 'cause I worked as an Executive Secretary/Office Manager for the last 42 years!!!