biography

Jan-Michael Vincent in Going Home Born in Denver, Colorado, on July 15, 1944, Jan-Michael Vincent relocated to southern California with his family following the end of World War II. Upon graduation from high school, Vincent enrolled in college and served in the National Guard. With some drama training under his belt, soon after completing his college studies he was cast in The Bandits (1967), shot in Mexico and directed by Robert Conrad. Following a few more roles, Vincent's career gained momentum when he was cast in the Saturday morning series The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, appearing in the Danger Island segments of the series from 1968 through 1970.

In 1969, Vincent was cast in the ABC series The Survivors as Lana Turner's son, but the series was canceled after 13 episodes. Vincent's career, however, continued going well; he acted in several made-for-television films in the early 1970s and then jumped back to the big screen with a starring role in the Charles Bronson action film The Mechanic (1972).

Jan-Michael Vincent Throughout the remainder of the 1970s, Vincent starred in numerous films, including the then-controversial Buster and Billie (1974; with Joan Goodfellow, Pamela Sue Martin, and Robert Englund), the adventure Bite the Bullet (1975; with Gene Hackman and Candace Bergen), the sci-fi film Damnation Alley (1977; with George Peppard and Paul Winfield), and the surfing drama Big Wednesday (1978; with Gary Busey and William Katt). As his film career began to ebb in the 1980s, Vincent looked to telvision for work, which he found in the miniseries The Winds of War (1983; with Robert Mitchum and Ali McGraw) and his hit CBS action series Airwolf (1984-1986; with Alex Cord and Ernest Borgnine).

the films of jan-michael vincent

Going Home (1971)

Jan-Michael Vincent and Robert Mitchum

With Robert Mitchum in the little-seen MGM drama Going Home

The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)

Jan-Michael Vincent and Tim ConwayJohn Amos and Jan-Michael Vincent

From Disney's wholesome The World's Greatest Athlete. LEFT: With Tim Conway. RIGHT: With John Amos

Buster and Billie (1974)

Jan-Michael Vincent and Joan GoodfellowPamela Sue Martin and Jan-Michael Vincent

From Columbia's controversial Buster and Billie. LEFT: With co-star Joan Goodfellow. RIGHT: With Pamela Sue Martin

White Line Fever (1975)

Jan-Michael Vincent and Kay Lenz

As trucker Carrol Jo Hummer with Kay Lenz as his wife Jerri Kane in Columbia's White Line Fever

Baby Blue Marine (1976)

Jan-Michael Vincent and Glynnis O'ConnorJan-Michael Vincent

Vincent stars in Columbia's Baby Blue Marine, a romantic drama set during World War II. LEFT: With Glynnis O'Connor. RIGHT: One-sheet poster from the film's original release

Shadow of the Hawk (1976)

Jan-Michael VincentJan-Michael Vincent

From the Columbia adventure Shadow of the Hawk. The right photo includes Marilyn Hassett

Vigilante Force (1976)

Jan-Michael Vincent

From the United Artists release Vigilante Force

Damnation Alley (1977)

Jackie Earle Haley, George Peppard, and Jan-Michael Vincent

Still from the 20th Century Fox sci-fi actioner Damnation Alley with Jackie Earle Haley and George Peppard

Big Wednesday (1978)

Jan-Michael VincentJan-Michael VincentJan-Michael VincentWilliam Katt, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Gary BuseyGary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent, and William Katt

Stills from the Warner Bros. surf epic Big Wednesday. LEFT, CENTER A, and CENTER B: Vincent as Matt. CENTER C and RIGHT: With William Katt and Gary Busey

Hard Country (1981)

Jan-Michael VincentKim Basinger and Jan-Michael Vincent

LEFT: As Kyle in the independent feature Hard Country. RIGHT: With co-star Kim Basinger

Airwolf (1984-1986 CBS TV Series)

Jan-Michael VincentAlex Cord, Jean Bruce Scott, Ernest Borgnine, and Jan-Michael Vincent

LEFT: As Stringfellow Hawke in the CBS action-adventure series Airwolf. RIGHT: With series co-stars Alex Cord, Jean Bruce Scott, and Ernest Borgnine

later years

Jan-Michael Vincent suffered from years of alcoholism and drug abuse, which took a toll on him and did his career no favors. In August 1996, he suffered serious injuries in an auto accident, leaving the actor with a broken neck. Fortunately, Vincent escaped paralysis but was left with damaged vocal cords. He briefly continued his career after the accident for a few years; his final film appearance came in the indie feature White Boy (2002; with Romany Malco). He was injured again in a 2008 accident, and in 2012 a portion of his right leg was amputated. Vincent retired to Mississippi with his third wife following his retirement, which was necessitated by his deteriorating health. Sadly, Jan-Michael Vincent passed away from cardiac arrest on February 10, 2019, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife and a daughter by his first marriage, Amber (b. 1972).

filmography

FILM
Menace (2002) with Allen Garfield, Romany Malco, and Alison Lohman
Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000) with Dan Haggerty and Miles O'Keeffe
The Thundering 8th (2000) with Bo Hopkins, Ron Masak, June Lockhart, Donny Most, William Windom, and Larry Wilcox
No Rest for the Wicked (1998) with William Smith, Joe Estevez, and Timothy Bottoms
Buffalo '66 (1998) with Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke, and Rosanna Arquette
Jurassic Women (1996)
The Last Kill (1996) with Joe Estevez
Orbit (1996) with Casper Van Dien
Red Line (1996) with Chad McQueen, Michael Madsen, Dom DeLuise, Corey Feldman, and Robert Z'Dar
Ice Cream Man (1995) with Clint Howard and David Naughton
Russian Roulette - Moscow 95 (1995) with Barbara Carrera and Oliver Reed
Body Count (1995) with Brigitte Nielsen
Abducted II: The Reunion (1994) with Dan Haggerty and Debbie Rochon
Deadly Heroes (1994) with Michael Pare
Hidden Obsession (1993) with Heather Thomas
Singapore Sling (1993)
Sins of Desire (1993) with Tanya Roberts
Indecent Behavior (1993) with Shannon Tweed and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
Midnight Witness (1993) with Maxwell Caulfield
Beyond the Call of Duty (1992)
Animal Instincts (1992) with Maxwell Caulfield, John Saxon, and Mitch Gaylord
The Divine Enforcer (1991) with Jim Brown, Don Stroud, and Judy Landers
The Final Heist (1991)
Hangfire (1991) with Lyle Alzado, Kim Delaney, Lou Ferrigno, Peter Lupus, and Fred Schneider
In Gold We Trust (1991) with Sam Jones
Raw Nerve (1991) with Glenn Ford and Traci Lords
Haunting Fear (1990) with Robert Clarke, Karen Black, Robert Quarry, Michael Berryman, and Brinke Stevens
Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1990)
Alienator (1989) with John Phillip Law, Robert Clarke, Ross Hagen, and P.J. Soles
Deadly Embrace (1989) with Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley
Demonstone (1989) with Peter Brown
Dirty Games (1989)
Tarzan in Manhattan (1989) with Joe Lara
Hit List (1989)
Enemy Territory (1987) with Ray Parker Jr.
Born in East L.A. (1987) with Cheech Marin and Daniel Stern
Six Against the Rock (1987) with David Carradine and Richard Dysart
Get Out of My Room (1985) with Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Cassandra Peterson, and Mary Woronov
Airwolf (1984) with Ernest Borgnine
Last Plane Out (1983) with Mary Crosby and William Windom
Hard Country (1981) with Kim Basinger and Michael Parks
Defiance (1980) with Danny Aiello, Art Carney, and Joseph Campanella
The Return (1980) with Raymond Burr, Cybill Shepherd, Neville Brand, and Susan Kiger
Big Wednesday (1978) with William Katt, Gary Busey, Barbara Hale, and Reb Brown
Hooper (1978) with Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Brian Keith, Adam West, and James Best
Damnation Alley (1977) with George Peppard, Kip Niven, Jackie Earle Haley, and Robert Donner
Vigilante Force (1976) with Kris Kristofferson, Paul Gleason, Bernadette Peters, Andrew Stevens, and Victoria Principal
Shadow of the Hawk (1976) with Marilyn Hassett and Chief Dan George
Baby Blue Marine (1976) with Glynnis O'Connor, Katherine Helmond, and Dana Elcar
White Line Fever (1975) with Kay Lenz, Slim Pickens, and L.Q. Jones
Bite the Bullet (1975) with Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, and James Coburn
Buster and Billie (1974) with Joan Goodfellow, Robert Englund, and Pamela Sue Martin
Deliver Us From Evil (1973) with Bradford Dillman, George Kennedy, and Jim Davis
The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) with Tim Conway, John Amos, John Lupton, Billy De Wolfe, and Nancy Walker
The Mechanic (1972) with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Keenan Wynn, and Celeste Yarnall
Sandcastles (1972) with Bonnie Bedelia, Mariette Hartley, and Gary Crosby
The Catcher (1972) with Anthony Franciosa, Jackie DeShannon, and Anne Baxter
The Last of the Powerseekers (1971) with Kevin McCarthy, Lana Turner, Ralph Bellamy, and George Hamilton
Going Home (1971) with Robert Mitchum, Brenda Vaccaro, and Sally Kirkland
Double Jeopardy (1970) with Burt Reynolds, Norman Fell, Chris Robinson, Susan Oliver, and Richard Anderson
Tribes (1970) with Darren McGavin and Earl Holliman
The Undefeated (1969) with Rock Hudson, John Wayne, Lee Meriwether, Bruce Cabot, and Merlin Olsen
Journey to Shiloh (1968) with James Caan, Michael Sarrazin, Don Stroud, Tisha Sterling, Paul Petersen, Harrison Ford, and Robert Pine
The Bandits (1967) with Robert Conrad
The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967) with Tim Matheson, Teri Garr, Richard Anderson, Edward Andrews, and James Shigeta

TELEVISION SERIES
Airwolf, 1984-1986 CBS TV series. Vincent portrayed Stringfellow Hawke
The Winds of War, 1983 ABC miniseries. Vincent portrayed Byron Henry
The Survivors, 1969-1970 ABC TV series. Vincent portrayed Jeffrey Hastings
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, 1968-1970 NBC Saturday morning children's series. Vincent portrayed Link Simmons in the Danger Island show-within-a-show segments of the series

jan-michael vincent trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Jan-Michael Vincent's 1972 action film The Mechanic and 1977 sci-fi film Damnation Alley

jan-michael vincent film now showing

Watch Jan Michael Vincent's 1976 adventure film Shadow of the Hawk
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