Jack Cassidy: Difference between revisions
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Cassidy was married twice. His first wife was actress [[Evelyn Ward]]. Together they had a son, [[David Cassidy]]. After divorcing in 1956, Jack married actress [[Shirley Jones]]. David and Shirley later starred together in the [[sitcom]] ''[[The Partridge Family]].'' Jack and Shirley had three sons, [[Shaun Cassidy|Shaun]], [[Patrick Cassidy (actor)|Patrick]], and Ryan, and divorced in 1974. |
Cassidy was married twice. His first wife was actress [[Evelyn Ward]]. Together they had a son, [[David Cassidy]]. After divorcing in 1956, Jack married actress [[Shirley Jones]]. David and Shirley later starred together in the [[sitcom]] ''[[The Partridge Family]].'' Jack and Shirley had three sons, [[Shaun Cassidy|Shaun]], [[Patrick Cassidy (actor)|Patrick]], and Ryan, and divorced in 1974. |
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In his 1994 autobiography, ''C'Mon, Get Happy'', David wrote that he became |
In his 1994 autobiography, ''C'Mon, Get Happy'', David wrote that he became in[http://davidcassidyfansite.com/InPrintPages/News1976Dec16Independent1.pdf%20 This is what was said at Jack's wake. Many people assumed that Jack was a scoundrel because he frequently played cads. Let me say that he was just the funniest, best humored, sweetest, brightest, most charming guy ever. ]creasingly concerned about his father in the last years of his life. He suffered from [[alcoholism]] and displayed increasingly erratic behavior. In 1974, his neighbors were shocked to see him watering his front lawn naked in the middle of the afternoon.<ref>''C'mon, Get Happy'', p. 204</ref> Shirley Jones described a similar incident when she found him sitting naked in a corner, reading a book. Jones said to Cassidy that they had to get ready to do a show, and he calmly looked up and said, "I know now that I'm Christ".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Shirley |authorlink1=Shirley Jones|last2=Ingels |first2=Marty|authorlink2=Marty Ingels |last3=Herskowitz |first3= Mickey |title=Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story |year=1990 |publisher=William Morrow & Company |location=New York |isbn=0-688-08457-5 |page=49}}</ref> In December 1974, he was hospitalized in a [[Psychiatry|psychiatric]] facility for 48 hours.<ref>''C'mon, Get Happy'', p. 204-205</ref> At that time, Jones found out that he had been previously diagnosed with [[bipolar disorder]].<ref>''Shirley & Marty'', p. 52</ref> David wrote about his father's [[bisexuality]] in his autobiography, a fact he discovered only after his father's death.<ref name=scotsman>{{cite news | first=Jackie | last=McGlone | title=Still a daydreamer | url=http://living.scotsman.com/features/Still-a-daydreamer.3356877.jp | date=2007-03-24 | work=The Scotsman | accessdate=2008-07-06 }}</ref> |
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===Death=== |
===Death=== |
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Revision as of 17:07, 30 September 2011
Jack Cassidy | |
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| File:Jack Cassidy.jpg | |
| Born | John Joseph Edward Cassidy March 5, 1927 |
| Died | December 12, 1976 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1946–1976 |
| Spouse(s) | Shirley Jones (1956-1974) Evelyn Ward (1948-1956) |
John Joseph Edward “Jack” Cassidy (March 5, 1927 – December 12, 1976) was an American actor of stage, film and screen.
His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane, super-confident egotist with a dramatic flair, much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay. Cassidy perfected this character to such an extent that he was cast as the legendary John Barrymore in the feature film W.C. Fields and Me. The role of the vain, shallow, buffoon-like newsman Ted Baxter on TV's The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) was written with Cassidy in mind.[1] However, Cassidy turned down the role, feeling that it was not right for him, and the part went to Ted Knight. Cassidy later appeared as a guest star in a 1971 episode as Ted's highly competitive and equally egocentric brother, Hal.
Biography
Early years
Cassidy was born in Richmond Hill, New York to William Cassidy, who was of Irish descent, and Charlotte Koehler, who was of German descent. He achieved his greatest success as a musical performer on Broadway, appearing in Alive and Kicking, Wish You Were Here, Shangri-La, Maggie Flynn, Fade Out - Fade In, It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, and She Loves Me, for which he won a Tony Award. He also received Emmy Award nominations for his television performances in He & She and The Andersonville Trial.
On television he became a frequent guest star, appearing in such programs as Bewitched, Get Smart, That Girl, Columbo, Hawaii Five-O, Match Game and McCloud. He lent his charming wit to game shows, and co-starred with Ronnie Schell in a TV revival of Hellzapoppin'. Cassidy also co-starred in the movie The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood.
Personal life
Cassidy was married twice. His first wife was actress Evelyn Ward. Together they had a son, David Cassidy. After divorcing in 1956, Jack married actress Shirley Jones. David and Shirley later starred together in the sitcom The Partridge Family. Jack and Shirley had three sons, Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan, and divorced in 1974.
In his 1994 autobiography, C'Mon, Get Happy, David wrote that he became inThis is what was said at Jack's wake. Many people assumed that Jack was a scoundrel because he frequently played cads. Let me say that he was just the funniest, best humored, sweetest, brightest, most charming guy ever. creasingly concerned about his father in the last years of his life. He suffered from alcoholism and displayed increasingly erratic behavior. In 1974, his neighbors were shocked to see him watering his front lawn naked in the middle of the afternoon.[2] Shirley Jones described a similar incident when she found him sitting naked in a corner, reading a book. Jones said to Cassidy that they had to get ready to do a show, and he calmly looked up and said, "I know now that I'm Christ".[3] In December 1974, he was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility for 48 hours.[4] At that time, Jones found out that he had been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[5] David wrote about his father's bisexuality in his autobiography, a fact he discovered only after his father's death.[6]
Death
In 1976, Cassidy was living alone in an apartment in West Hollywood, California. Some time in the early morning hours of December 12, 1976, he lit a cigarette and fell asleep or passed out on a couch, which then caught fire and the flames spread throughout the apartment. His body was found on the floor, as if he had been trying to crawl to the sliding glass doors but was overcome by smoke inhalation.[7] He was officially identified by the signet ring he wore, bearing the Cassidy family crest. He had had six of these ringsShaun's father, actor Jack Cassidy, "could really blow people away who didn't know him. But he was straight with me." His father's accidental death in an apartment fire in December 1976 left his young son shaken. "The biggest disappointment in my life was that my father never got to hear me perform. I think he would have been proud of what I've accomplished, but he would think the way I try to handle things is even more important." made (one each for his four sons, one for his brother, and one for himself) while researching his family history.[8] Coincidentally, he had starred in a 1971 episode of the TV series Night Gallery, called "The Last Laurel", in which he played a character who accidentally killed himself while sleeping.
Jack and Shirley shared the thought that David's booming career had played an important part in the estrangement Shirley has gone to great lengths to prevent any such occurence in her own family. ==Awards== Cassidy was nominated for two Emmy Awards: in 1968 for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy, for He & She, and 1971 for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film The Andersonville Trial (1970). Cassidy was approved for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 and fundraising efforts are currently under way to fund the dedication ceremony.
Stage
Filmography
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References
- ^ Cassidy, David; Deffaa, Chip (1994). C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. New York: Warner Books. p. 50. ISBN 0-446-39531-5.
- ^ C'mon, Get Happy, p. 204
- ^ Jones, Shirley; Ingels, Marty; Herskowitz, Mickey (1990). Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story. New York: William Morrow & Company. p. 49. ISBN 0-688-08457-5.
- ^ C'mon, Get Happy, p. 204-205
- ^ Shirley & Marty, p. 52
- ^ McGlone, Jackie (2007-03-24). "Still a daydreamer". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ^ C'mon, Get Happy, p. 211-212
- ^ Jack Cassidy's IMDB biography
External links
- Jack Cassidy at Find a Grave
- Jack Cassidy at the Internet Broadway Database
- Please use a more specific IOBDB template. See the template documentation for available templates.
- Jack Cassidy at IMDb
- A Star For Jack
- The Last Laurel at IMDb
- 1927 births
- 1976 deaths
- Accidental deaths in California
- Deaths from fire
- American film actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Bisexual actors
- American people of German descent
- American people of Irish descent
- LGBT people from the United States
- People from New York City
- People from Queens
- People self-identifying as alcoholics
- People with bipolar disorder
- Tony Award winners