Conrad Janis

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.

Conrad Janis
Conrad Janis in trailer for The Brasher Doubloon (1947)
Born (1928-02-11) February 11, 1928
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor, musician
Years active1945–2012
Spouse(s)
Vicki Quarles
​
​
(m. 1948; div. 1957)​

Ronda Copland
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 1983)​

Maria Grimm
​
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2

Early life

A native of New York City, Janis is the son of Harriet, a writer, and Sidney Janis, an art dealer and writer. 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
1978 Mork & Mindy Fred McConnell
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'
1997 Frasier Albert
2009 Maneater Doc Gramm
2012 Bad Blood Lawrence

References
  1. Glueck, Grace (November 24, 1989). "Sidney Janis, Trend-Setting Art Dealer, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  2. Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight", The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
  3. "Television . . . . . . Highlights of the Week". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1950. p. 22. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "The Scene", L.A. Jazz Scene, p. 14, Sunland, CA (November 2001).


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.