Conrad Janis
| Conrad Janis | |
|---|---|
 Conrad Janis in trailer for The Brasher Doubloon (1947) | |
| Born |
February 11, 1928 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor; musician |
| Years active | 1945–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Vicki Quarles (1948-1957) (divorced) 2 children Ronda Copland (1979-1983) (divorced) Maria Grimm (1987-present) |
Conrad Janis (born February 11, 1928) is an American jazz musician (trombone) and also a theatre, film, and television actor. He was born in New York City, New York, the son of Harriet, a writer, and Sidney Janis, an art dealer and writer,[1] and he has a brother named Carroll.[2][3]
At age 19, he starred in the film noir The Brasher Doubloon (1947) with George Montgomery. In 1946 he portrayed "Johnniekins" in the Technicolor film Margie with Jeanne Crain.
In 1953, he played eldest son Edward in the NBC sitcom Bonino on NBC. He appeared in an episode of Get Smart playing a KAOS agent, guest starred as a dance marathon emcee on The Golden Girls and appeared in the sci-fi sitcom Quark. He was featured in The Buddy Holly Story and in the Goldie Hawn comedy The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox.[4] He also made a brief appearance as himself in the jazz bar scene from Nothing in Common. [5]
Janis is best known for playing Mindy McConnell's father Frederick on Mork & Mindy, an American TV series that ran for four seasons (1978-1982) and starred Robin Williams and Pam Dawber.[6]
Throughout his life, Janis has striven to keep traditional jazz alive. In 1949, Janis put together a band of aging jazz greats ("all of the guys that I idolized"), consisting of James P. Johnson (piano), Henry Goodwin (trumpet), Edmond Hall (clarinet), Pops Foster (bass), and Baby Dodds (drums), with Janis on trombone.[7] In the late 1970s, Janis' formed the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, which appeared multiple times on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and made eight sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "Conrad Janis Biography (1928-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- ↑ Glueck, Grace (1989-11-24). "Sidney Janis NY Times Obituary". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- ↑ Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
- ↑ Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, p. 8, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
- ↑ "Conrad Janis ... Himself (as Conrad Janis and the Unlisted Jazz Band)". imdb.com.
- ↑ Mork And Mindy
- 1 2 Uhl, Jim. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, Sept. 2002, Minneapolis, MN.
- ↑ "The Scene," L.A. Jazz Scene, p. 14, Sunland, CA, November 2001.
External links
- Official website
- Conrad Janis at the Internet Movie Database
- Conrad Janis at the Internet Broadway Database
- Conrad Janis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Interview with Conrad Janis – The Spectrum, November, 2015.