Mike Connors facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Connors
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Connors as Joe Mannix, 1968
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| Born |
Krekor Ohanian
August 15, 1925 Fresno, California, U.S.
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| Died | January 26, 2017 (aged 91) Tarzana, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Touch Connors |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1952–2007 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Lou Willey
(m. 1949) |
| Children | 2 |
Krekor Ohanian (born August 15, 1925 – died January 26, 2017), known as Mike Connors, was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the private detective Joe Mannix. This was in the TV show Mannix from 1967 to 1975. For this role, he won a Golden Globe Award in 1970. He also received four Emmy nominations. Mike Connors acted for over 50 years, appearing in many movies and TV shows.
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Mike Connors' Early Life & Name Change
Mike Connors was born Krekor Ohanian, Jr. on August 15, 1925. His hometown was Fresno, California. His parents, Krekor and Alice Ohanian, were from Armenia. They had six children. Mike's father was a lawyer who helped many Armenian people. Mike could speak three languages: Armenian, English, and French. He was also a cousin of the famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.
In high school, Mike was a great basketball player. His teammates called him "Touch." During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Forces. After the war, he went to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He played basketball there and also studied law, like his father.
One day, a basketball coach introduced Mike to a director named William A. Wellman. The director liked Mike's voice and face. He told Mike to think about becoming an actor. Mike was even considered for the role of Tarzan!
When Mike became an actor, his agent thought his real name, Ohanian, sounded too much like another actor. So, he gave Mike the stage name "Touch Connors," using his basketball nickname. Mike later said he didn't like the name "Touch" and wished he had used his real name. But when he got a main role in the show Tightrope!, he was allowed to change his first name to Mike.
Mike Connors' Acting Career
Starting Out: Early Roles
Mike Connors started his movie career in the early 1950s. His first acting job was in the thriller Sudden Fear (1952). He almost didn't get the part because he didn't have much experience. But he managed to meet the director and got a chance to read for the role.
He appeared in the John Wayne movie Island in the Sky (1953). In 1956, he had a small role in the famous movie The Ten Commandments.
Mike Connors also appeared in many TV shows. He guest-starred in early comedy shows like Hey, Jeannie!. He also appeared in crime dramas and Westerns. In 1957, he played a villain in an episode of the popular show Maverick.
He worked on several early films directed by Roger Corman, including Five Guns West (1955). Mike even helped produce one of his early films, Flesh and the Spur (1956).
In 1959, Mike Connors starred as an undercover police officer in the show Tightrope!. He played a detective who went deep into the world of organized crime. Even though the show was popular, it only lasted one season. Mike didn't want the show to add a sidekick, as he felt it would take away from the main idea of a lone detective.
Later, in 1964, he filled in for Raymond Burr in an episode of Perry Mason. He was asked to join the show full-time, but it was a way to pressure Raymond Burr to stay.
Mike Connors also acted in comedies like Good Neighbor Sam (1964). He co-starred with Robert Redford in the World War II comedy Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965). He also played a card shark in the movie Stagecoach (1966).
He was considered for a spy movie role, but instead got a part in the James Bond-style film Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966). Mike even did his own stunts in this movie, like hanging from a helicopter near the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro!
Becoming a Star: Mannix
Mike Connors became famous for playing the private investigator Joe Mannix. The detective series Mannix ran for eight seasons, from 1967 to 1975. In the first season, Joe Mannix worked for a big detective agency. But from the second season on, he opened his own agency. His secretary, Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher), helped him.
The show was almost canceled at first. But Lucille Ball, who was in charge of the production company, pushed for CBS to keep it. She suggested making Mannix an independent detective, which helped the show become a big hit.
Mike Connors did his own stunts on Mannix. He even broke his wrist and dislocated his shoulder while filming the first episode!
Joe Mannix, like Mike Connors, was Armenian-American. In some episodes, he spoke Armenian and shared Armenian sayings.
In 1970, Mike Connors won a Golden Globe Award for his role in Mannix. He was nominated for this award six times. He also received four Emmy nominations.
Mike Connors said that Mannix was different from other detective shows. He said Joe Mannix was a "normal human being" who could show emotion and was close to his family.
In 1971, Mike Connors even appeared as Joe Mannix in an episode of Lucille Ball's show, Here's Lucy. The episode was called "Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage."
Mannix was still a popular show when it ended. It was canceled because of a disagreement between CBS and Paramount. Paramount had sold the rights to show Mannix reruns to another network without telling CBS. So, CBS decided to cancel the show to avoid losing viewers.
Mike Connors played Joe Mannix again in a 1997 episode of Diagnosis: Murder. He also appeared as Mannix in a 2003 comedy movie.
Later Career & Other Work
After Mannix, Mike Connors narrated a 1975 documentary called The Forgotten Genocide. This film was about the Armenian genocide. He narrated another Armenian documentary in 1995.
In 1976, he played a character named Karl Ohanian in a TV movie. The writers wanted the character to have Mike's real last name. This movie was meant to be a new series about an Armenian-American detective, but it wasn't picked up.
Mike Connors also starred in the show Today's FBI (1981–1982), where he played a veteran agent. He also produced and starred in a horror film called Too Scared to Scream (1985).
He appeared in the 1988 miniseries War and Remembrance. He also hosted a series called Crimes of the Century in 1989. From 1998 to 1999, he voiced a character in the Disney animated series Hercules.
Mike Connors' last acting role was in a 2007 episode of Two and a Half Men.
Mike Connors' Personal Life
Mike Connors married Mary Lou Willey on September 10, 1949. They met while they were both students at UCLA. They had two children: a son named Matthew and a daughter named Dana.
Their son, Matthew, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 15. Matthew passed away in 2007, before his father. Through his daughter Dana, Mike had one granddaughter.
After his son's diagnosis, Mike Connors became very involved in helping people with mental health conditions. He spoke for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In 1998, he received an award for his work in this area.
Mike Connors also made a public service announcement for the Armenian Eye Care Project.
He was a member of the Republican political party. He supported Ronald Reagan for President in 1980 and 1984. He also supported George Deukmejian for Governor of California.
Death
Mike Connors passed away in Tarzana, California, on January 26, 2017. He was 91 years old. He had been diagnosed with leukemia a week before his death.
Images for kids
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Connors as Joe Mannix, 1968
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Connors with Leigh Snowden (left) and Claire Kelly in a publicity photo for Tightrope!, 1960
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Connors with Gail Fisher in a publicity photo for Mannix, 1970
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Connors with Eddie Egan in a publicity photo for Mannix, 1972
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Connors with Genevieve Gilles in a publicity photo for Mannix, 1973
See also
In Spanish: Mike Connors para niños
