Jan-Michael Vincent

Jan-Michael Vincent (July 15, 1944 – February 10, 2019) was an American actor. He emerged as a leading man in the 1970s, playing notable roles in films like Going Home, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture; The Mechanic (1972), Damnation Alley (1977), and Big Wednesday (1978). He earned his second Golden Globe nomination for his role on the television miniseries The Winds of War (1983) before starring as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the television series Airwolf (1984–87).

At the height of his career, Vincent was the highest-paid actor on American television.

Lloyd Vincent and Doris met in 1940 when she was 15 and Lloyd had finished high school. Lloyd was stationed in Denver in 1941 as a B-25 bomber pilot during World War II, and he married Doris there when she was sixteen. Vincent's mistrust of authority came from seeing his father in the Army being told what to do and when to do it. Vincent's sister, Jaqueline "Jacquie" Vincent, was born in 1947. His brother, Christopher, was born in 1952. After the war, Lloyd became a painter, like Vincent's grandfather, and later developed alcoholism. By the time Vincent was born in 1944, his parents owned a sign company in Hanford. Vincent later served in the California Army National Guard and remained in the National Guard Reserve until 1971.

Career Vincent's first acting job was in 1967 in The Bandits, starring and co-directed by Robert Conrad.

Vincent also acted in several movies in the late 1960s, including the 1969 20th Century Fox movie The Undefeated (as Bubba Wilkes), starring John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and Antonio Aguilar. His name appeared as Michael Vincent in the credits of the movie. Vincent guest-starred in three episodes of Lassie with actor Tony Dow and two episodes of Bonanza. That same year, he appeared in the Gunsmoke episode "The Legend".

In 1972, Vincent appeared with Charles Bronson in the crime film The Mechanic In 1973, Vincent starred in the Disney comedy The World's Greatest Athlete, with Tim Conway and John Amos.

Vincent starred as the anti-hero Buster Lane in the 1974 romance Buster and Billie, In Bite the Bullet (1975), he played opposite Gene Hackman, James Coburn, and Candice Bergen. He starred in the trucker movie White Line Fever (1975); in Baby Blue Marine (1976), a war film directed by John D. Hancock, which also starred Glynnis O'Connor; and in Shadow of the Hawk (1976) co-starring Marilyn Hassett. Vincent also starred in Damnation Alley (1977), based on Roger Zelazny's science fiction novel. Two more 1978 appearances were the surfing film Big Wednesday with William Katt and Gary Busey, and Hooper with Burt Reynolds, in which Vincent played a young stuntman. While filming Airwolf, Vincent admitted to drug and alcohol problems for which he acknowledged seeking help. After Airwolf, he found roles in smaller-budget and lower-exposure film projects.

Vincent worked with Traci Lords in the 1991 suspense film Raw Nerve. He also co-starred with Clint Howard in the 1995 black comedy/horror film Ice Cream Man, which had a very limited theatrical release but eventually reached cult status via home video as an unintentional comedy. In 1994, he played in a South African-produced movie called Ipi Tombi, produced and directed by Tommie Meyer and based on a musical by Bertha Egnos.

While in the hospital in 1996, Vincent was committed to a role in Red Line with Chad McQueen as Keller. He appeared in the film with a swollen face and scars, and still wearing his hospital ID bracelet. In 1997, he had a small guest role on Nash Bridges, playing the title character's long-lost brother, and in 1998 he had a cameo role in the independent film Buffalo '66. His last role was in the independent film White Boy (titled Menace for the US video market), released in March 2003.

Personal life Vincent married Bonnie Poorman in 1968, and they had a daughter in 1973. The couple's divorce was finalized in 1986.

Vincent remarried in 1986. His second wife, Joanne Robinson, left him and filed a restraining order against him in 1998, alleging that he had abused her during their marriage.

Substance abuse and health issues He battled alcoholism and intravenous drug use for much of his life. In 1977, 1978, and 1979 he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and in 1984 and 1985 he was arrested after two bar brawls.

In 1986, he was charged with felony assault, but was acquitted after his attorney argued that the woman tripped and fell on a telephone cord in his home.

In the 1990s, he was involved in three severe automobile collisions, which he barely survived. The first near-fatal accident occurred in February 1992. In the second accident, in August 1996, Vincent broke three vertebrae in his neck. He sustained a permanent injury to his vocal cords from an emergency medical procedure, leaving him with a permanently raspy voice.

Vincent was charged with drunk driving again after his 1996 accident, and again sentenced to rehabilitation and placed on probation. In an interview on the television program The Insider in September 2007, when asked about his 1996 car accident, Vincent answered "Y'know, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't remember being in an accident."

In 2000, Vincent violated probation for his prior alcohol-related arrests by appearing drunk in public three times and assaulting his fiancée. As a result, he was sentenced to 60 days in the Orange County Jail. In 2008, Vincent was involved in another automobile accident.

In an October 2014 interview with the National Enquirer, Vincent revealed that his right leg had been amputated just below the knee in 2012 after he contracted a leg infection as a result of complications from peripheral artery disease. After that, he walked with a prosthetic limb, although he was sometimes forced to use a wheelchair.

Death Vincent died on February 10, 2019, at the age of 74 in Asheville, North Carolina, due to cardiac arrest while hospitalized at Mission Hospital.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1967 The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk Tony Prito The Bandits Taye "Boy" Brown 1968 Journey to Shiloh "Little Bit" Lucket 1969 The Undefeated Lt. Bubba Wilkes 1971 Going Home Jimmy Graham 1972 The Mechanic Steve McKenna 1973 The World's Greatest Athlete Nanu 1974 Buster and Billie Buster Lane 1975 Bite the Bullet Carbo White Line Fever Carrol Jo Hummer 1976 Baby Blue Marine Marion Shadow of the Hawk Mike Vigilante Force Ben Arnold 1977 Damnation Alley Tanner 1978 Big Wednesday Matt Johnson Hooper Delmore "Ski" Shidski 1980 Defiance Tommy The Return Wayne 1981 Hard Country Kyle 1983 Last Plane Out Jack Cox 1984 Airwolf: The Movie Stringfellow Hawke 1985 Get Out of My Room Immigration Officer 1987 Enemy Territory Parker Born in East L.A. McCalister 1989 Hit List Jack Collins Deadly Embrace Stewart Moreland direct-to-video Dirty Games Kepler West Alienator Commander Demonstone Andy Buck 1990 Xtro II: The Second Encounter Dr. Ron Shepherd Haunting Fear Detective James Trent direct-to-video In Gold We Trust Oliver Moss 1991 Hangfire Colonel Johnson Raw Nerve Lieutenant Bruce Ellis 1992 The Divine Enforcer Father Thomas direct-to-video Animal Instincts Fletcher Ross Beyond the Call of Duty Len Jordan 1993 Midnight Witness Lance Sins of Desire Warren Robillard Hidden Obsession Ben Scanlon Deadly Heroes Cody Grant Indecent Behavior Tom Mathis 1994 Ipi Tombi Steven Gilbert 1995 Abducted II: The Reunion Brad Allen Body Count Detective Reinhart Ice Cream Man Detective Gifford direct-to-video Red Line Keller Russian Roulette: Moscow 95 Captain Nazarov 1996 The Last Kill 1998 Buffalo '66 Sonny No Rest for the Wicked Sheriff Juan Ramirez 2000 Escape to Grizzly Mountain Trapper The Thundering 8th Captain Otis Buchwald 2003 White Boy Ron Masters

Television Year Title Role Notes 1967 The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk Tony Prito Dragnet Rick Schneiderman 1968 Lassie Chris Hanford Bonanza Eddie MaKay 1968–1969 The Banana Splits Adventure HourDanger Island Lincoln "Link" Simmons 1969 Bonanza Rick Miller 1969–1970 The Survivors Jeffrey Hastings main cast (10 episodes) 1970 Tribes Adrian 1971 Dan August Kevin Colter episode: "Death Chain" (S 1:Ep 15) Men at Law episode: "One American" (S 1:Ep 23) The Persuaders! Helicopter Pilot The Last of the Powerseekers Jeffrey Hastings Gunsmoke Travis Colter episode "The Legend" (S 17:Ep 6) 1972 The Catcher Sam Callende Sandcastles Michael 1973 Marcus Welby, M.D. Ritchie Manning episode: "Catch a Ring That Isn't There" (S 4:Ep 20) Deliver Us from Evil Nick Fleming Toma Billy Haskell episode: "Blockhouse Breakdown" 1973–1975 Police Story Warren Yates / Dave Hauser episodes:"Incident in the Kill Zone""Line of Fire" 1975 Dinah! Himself 1 episode The Mike Douglas Show 1983 The Winds of War Byron Henry miniseries 1984–1986 Airwolf Stringfellow Hawke main cast (55 episodes) 1986 Hotel Nick Hauser episode "Undercurrents" 1987 Six Against the Rock Miran "Buddy" Thompson 1989 Tarzan in Manhattan Brightmore 1991 The Final Heist David King 1993 Singapore Sling Billy 1994 Renegade Max episode: "Hard Rider" 1996 Jurassic Women Zepp Lethal Orbit Riff 1997 Nash Bridges Bobby Chase episode "Revelations"