Conrad Janis
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (March 2019) |
Conrad Janis | |
|---|---|
 Conrad Janis in trailer for The Brasher Doubloon (1947) | |
| Born | February 11, 1928 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1945–2012 |
| Spouse(s) | Vicki Quarles
(m. 1948; div. 1957)Ronda Copland
(m. 1979; div. 1983)Maria Grimm
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
Conrad Janis (born February 11, 1928) is an American jazz trombonist and actor, best known for his role as Mindy McConnell's father Frederick on television's Mork & Mindy.
Early life[]
A native of New York City, Janis is the son of Harriet, a writer, and Sidney Janis, an art dealer and writer.[citation needed] He has one brother, Carroll.[1][2]
Career[]
In 1946, Janis portrayed "Johnikins" in Margie with Jeanne Crain. The next year he starred in the film noir The Brasher Doubloon with George Montgomery.
Janis's work on television included starring in "Fit to Kill" on The Web on November 19, 1950.[3]
In 1953, he played eldest son Edward on the sitcom Bonino. He later appeared in an episode of Get Smart as a KAOS agent; guest-starred as a dance marathon emcee on The Golden Girls; and appeared in the sci-fi sitcoms Quark and Mork and Mindy. He was featured in The Buddy Holly Story and the Goldie Hawn / George Segal comedy The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox.[2] He also made a brief appearance as himself in the jazz bar scene from Nothing in Common.
Janis is a longtime advocate of traditional jazz. In 1949 he assembled 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 himself on trombone.[2] In the late 1970s, he formed the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, which appeared multiple times on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and gave eight sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall.[2][4]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Snafu | Ronald Stevens | Alternative title: Welcome Home |
| 1946 | Margie | Johnny 'Johnikins' Green | |
| 1947 | The Brasher Doubloon | Leslie Murdock | Alternative title: The High Window |
| That Hagen Girl | Dewey Koons | ||
| 1948 | Beyond Glory | Raymond Denmore, Jr. | |
| 1958 | Let's Rock | Charlie | Alternative title: Keep It Cool |
| 1965 | Get Smart | Victor (Season 1, Episode 12) | |
| 1966 | My Favorite Martian | Chad Foster (Season 3, Episode 19) | TV or Not TV |
| 1972 | Banacek | Video Technician (Season 1 Episode 1) | Let’s Hear it for a Living Legend |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | Arnie | |
| Cannon | Larry Warshaw | Daddy's Little Girl | |
| 1975 | The Happy Hooker | Fred | |
| 1976 | Happy Days | Mr. Kendall | |
| The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox | Gladstone | ||
| 1977 | Roseland | George | |
| 1977 | Quark | Otto Bob Palindrome | |
| 1980 | Oh, God! Book II | Charles Benson | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Businessman in Car | |
| 1986 | Nothing in Common | Conrad Janis and the Unlisted Jazz Band | |
| 1989 | Caddie Woodlawn | Rev. Tanner | |
| Sonny Boy | Doc Bender | ||
| 1992 | Mr. Saturday Night | Director | |
| 1995 | The Feminine Touch | Frank Donaldsonn | Also director; alternative title: The November Conspiracy |
| 1996 | The Cable Guy | Father 'Double Trouble' | |
| 2002 | Frasier | Albert | |
| 2009 | Maneater | Doc Gramm | |
| 2012 | Bad Blood | Lawrence |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Glueck, Grace (November 24, 1989). "Sidney Janis, Trend-Setting Art Dealer, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight", The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
- ^ "Television . . . . . . Highlights of the Week". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1950. p. 22. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Scene", L.A. Jazz Scene, p. 14, Sunland, CA (November 2001).
External links[]
- Official website
- Conrad Janis at IMDb
- Conrad Janis at the Internet Broadway Database
- Conrad Janis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Interview with Conrad Janis – The Spectrum, November, 2015.
- Conrad Janis Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2018)
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