Richard Jaeckel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Jaeckel
Richard Jaeckel in 1953
Born	R. Hanley Jaeckel (1926-10-10)October 10, 1926 Long Beach, New York, U.S.
Died	June 14, 1997(1997-06-14) (aged 70) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1943–1994
Spouse(s)	Antoinette Marches ​ ​ (m. 1947)​
Children	2, including Barry Jaeckel
Awards	1971 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (nomination)
War service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	US Merchant Marine
Years of service	1944–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Richard Jaeckel (born R. Hanley Jaeckel; October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor. He appeared in many films and TV shows over 50 years. He was known for playing strong, everyday characters. Richard Jaeckel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his role in the 1971 movie Sometimes a Great Notion.

Richard Jaeckel's Early Life

Richard Jaeckel was born on October 10, 1926, in Long Beach, New York. His father, also named Richard, worked in the family's fur business. His mother, Millicent Hanley, was a stage actress. His birth name was R. Hanley Jaeckel, using only an initial for his first name.

The family lived in New York until 1934. Then, they moved to Los Angeles, California. There, his father ran a part of the family business. Richard went to The Harvey School and other private schools. He later graduated from Hollywood High School.

Becoming an Actor: Richard Jaeckel's Career

Richard Jaeckel started acting when he was 17 years old. He was working as a mailboy at 20th Century Fox studios in Hollywood. A casting director saw him and asked him to try out for a role. He got the part in the 1943 film Guadalcanal Diary. This started his long career playing supporting roles.

He served in the United States Merchant Marine from 1944 to 1946. After that, he starred in two popular war movies from 1949. These were Battleground and Sands of Iwo Jima. In Sands of Iwo Jima, he acted alongside John Wayne.

One of his shortest movie roles was in The Gunfighter. In this film, his character is killed right at the start. He also played Turk in the 1952 movie Come Back, Little Sheba. This film won an Academy Award.

Key Film Roles

In 1960, Richard Jaeckel appeared in the Western movie Flaming Star. He acted with Elvis Presley in this film. He was also in the 1967 movie The Dirty Dozen. He played Sgt. Bowren, who was Lee Marvin's helpful second-in-command. He played this role again in the 1985 sequel, The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission.

Richard Jaeckel worked with director Robert Aldrich on several films. These included Attack (1956), Ulzana's Raid (1972), and Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977).

His most famous films from the 1950s include 3:10 to Yuma (1957) and The Naked and the Dead (1958). His film career was very successful between 1967 and 1975. During this time, he was in movies like The Dirty Dozen (1967) and Chisum (1970).

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). He also appeared in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Walking Tall Part 2 (1975). In 1976, he starred in the movie Mako: The Jaws of Death.

Later in his career, Richard Jaeckel had a big role in John Carpenter's 1984 film Starman. He played an agent hunting an alien. He also appeared in action films like Black Moon Rising and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection.

Television Appearances

Richard Jaeckel guest-starred in many TV shows. In 1954, he played a boxer in an episode of the show The Public Defender. He also played Billy the Kid in an episode of the Western series Stories of the Century.

He appeared in Western shows like The Tall Man and Cimarron City. In 1961-62, he had a main role in the CBS show Frontier Circus. He played Tony Gentry, who scouted locations for the circus.

Richard Jaeckel also appeared in popular shows like Perry Mason and Bonanza. He was in two episodes of Gunsmoke in 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he co-starred in an episode of The Wild Wild West.

Later in his career, he was known for playing Lt. Ben Edwards on Baywatch from seasons 2 to 4. He also played Al Gibson in the Baywatch pilot episode. He co-starred with Robert Urich in the ABC series Spenser: For Hire. In this show, he played Lieutenant Martin Quirk.

Richard Jaeckel's Personal Life

On May 29, 1947, Richard Jaeckel married Antoinette Helen Marches in Tijuana, Mexico. They had two sons together, named Barry and Richard.

Richard Jaeckel's Passing

Richard Jaeckel passed away at the age of 70 in 1997. He died from cancer at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.

Awards and Recognition

In 1972, Richard Jaeckel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his role in the movie Sometimes a Great Notion. In 1992, he received a Golden Boot Award. This award honors actors who have made important contributions to Western films.

Selected filmography