Mike Connors, the actor best known for playing hard-boiled private detective Joe Mannix in the popular television series Mannix (1967 to 1975), has died in Tarzana, California. A family member said Connors had been suffering from leukemia, Variety reported. He was 91.
Connors won a Golden Globe and was nominated four times for an Emmy Award for his acting in Mannix, which was produced by Lucille Ball's company Desilu and aired on CBS. The series captured a loyal viewership by combining classic tropes of the detective genre with innovative plot and casting ideas, bare-fisted action, and a parade of souped-up cars. But the heart and soul of the show, the New York Times reported, was Connors himself:
He played Joe Mannix, a Korean War veteran -- and, like Mr. Connors, of Armenian descent -- who sleuthed his way through Los Angeles with a series of flashy automobiles, a penchant for Armenian proverbs and a glass jaw. (A reporter for the Washington Post tabulated the wear and tear that Mannix withstood of eight seasons; it included 17 gunshot wounds and 55 instances of being beaten unconscious.) Mannix was also notable for providing one of the first leading roles on a regular series to an African-American performer: Gail Fisher joined the show in its second season as Mannix's secretary, frequent damsel in distress and occasional potential love interest. She died in 2000.
Born in Fresno, California in 1925, Connors served in the Air Force during World War II and planned to study law, but he was spotted in Los Angeles by film director William A. Wellman, who encouraged him to become an actor. His first starring role in television was in a spy series called Tightrope, which only lasted a season. Connors went on to play guest roles on TV and the occasional supporting role in films until he landed Mannix in 1967, which ultimately made him one of the highest-paid actors in television.
Connors only starred in one other series, Today's FBI, which aired for one season in 1981. One of the last roles he played was a guest part on Two and a Half Men in 2007.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Wells, a daughter, and a granddaughter.