Rick Jason

Rick Jason

actor, director

Rick Jason was born on May 21, 1923 in USA. Rick Jason's big-screen debut came with Sombrero directed by Norman Foster in 1953, strarring Ruben. Rick Jason is known for Around the World in 80 Days directed by Buzz Kulik, Pierce Brosnan stars as Phileas Fogg and Eric Idle as Jean Passepartout. The upcoming new tvshow Rick Jason plays is Around the World in 80 Days - Season 1 which will be released on Apr 16, 1989.

The only child of a stockbroker and well-to-do mother, Richard Jacobson (who changed his surname to "Jason") described himself as "second-generation nouveau riche" and a born romantic. His behavior got him expelled from eight prep schools before he managed to graduate from the Rhodes School. His father bought him a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, but Jason sold the seat and enlisted in the Army Air Corps (1943-45). After the war, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) on the GI Bill. While attending a New York play, he was spotted by actor-director Hume Cronyn, who immediately cast him in "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" in 1950 as "Anselmo". Although the play closed after a month, the role earned Jason a Theater World Award and a Hollywood contract with Columbia Pictures. For the first year he was under contract, a frustrated Jason did not work. Meanwhile, MGM was searching for an actor to replace the departed Fernando Lamas in Sombrero (1953). Jason, now released from Columbia, landed the role. This success led to The Saracen Blade (1954) and RKO's This Is My Love (1954).Twentieth Century-Fox then signed him for the male lead in Chéri, ne fais pas le zouave (1956), after which he was signed to a multi-picture contract. His first project, an adaptation of John Steinbeck's "The Wayward Bus" (Les naufragés de l'autocar (1957)), earned him critical acclaim; a string of strong performances, both in films and TV, followed. In 1960, he starred as suave insurance investigator Robin Scott in The Case of the Dangerous Robin (1960). The series ran 38 episodes and made Jason the first actor seen using martial arts (karate) on television. In September 1962 he exploded onto prime-time screens as the cool, calm, and collected Lt. Gil Hanley in ABC's hit series Combat! (1962), Five seasons and 152 episodes later, Jason was a household name.After "Combat!", Jason returned to the stage. He also made films in Japan and Israel. In 1970 he took the lead in the 1970 pilot Prudence and the Chief (1970). His TV career remained strong, and in the 1970s and 1980s he appeared in Matt Houston (1982), Sergent Anderson (1974), Arabesque (1984), Wonder Woman (1975), L'île fantastique (1977), Supercopter (1984) and Dallas (1978). In 1973, he was a regular on the then-new soap opera Les feux de l'amour (1973). After retirement, he kept busy doing voice-overs for commercials and ran the Wine Locker, a 4,000-square-foot facility used to store fine wines under optimal conditions. Sadly, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 77 in October 2000.

  • Birthday

    May 21, 1923
  • Place of Birth

    New York City, New York, USA

Known For

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies
TV Shows