Almost one year before his death, his first wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Connors, died on February 27, 1992, after a long illness. Mike Connors married Marylou Riley in 1949. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Mike Connors, best known for his titular role in the long-running CBS procedural Mannix, died Thursday of leukemia,He was 91. He appeared in dozens of awarded movies such as The Oklahoma Women and Live Fast, Die Young. Connors married his wife, Mary Lou, in 1949. [14] In 1964, Connors appeared in a pinch-hit role for Raymond Burr as attorney Joe Kelly in the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Bullied Bowler." Who knows, maybe there is a formula and scheme in the world that you have to accept no matter how hard and painful it is. Your email address will not be published. Born in Fresno, California, on August 15, 1925, Mike Connors adopted his stage name early on in his career. ", Mike Connors during 1998 Sheeba Humanitarian Awards at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States | Photo: Getty Images. [20], In 1964, Connors had a role in the Jack Lemmon comedy Good Neighbor Sam and was the leading man to Susan Hayward and Bette Davis in Where Love Has Gone. [31] Through his daughter Dana, he had one granddaughter. The show ended in 1975, after which Connors continued to find work, but things did slow down. But Not Serious (1965), in which Connors and Redford played American soldiers taken prisoner by a German villager played by Alec Guinness. Friends and fans took to Twitter to remember Connors: #RIP the great Mike Connors. [18] Connors also did not agree with the suggested change to add a sidekick, to be played by Don Sullivan. In an effort to make his character 'more real' than the traditional cynical Bogart-style gumshoe, he played Mannix as being more 'humane', often becoming emotionally involved in his cases and -- just as often -- ending up on the wrong end of a knuckle sandwich (in the course of the 194 episodes, poor old Joe was knocked unconscious on fifty-five occasions and shot seventeen times), or watching his beautiful client walk off with another man. Towards the end of the series, his earnings per episode averaged a respectable $40,000. [9], After Connors became an actor, his agent Henry Willson thought the name "Ohanian" was too similar to the actor George O'Hanlon and gave him the stage name "Touch Connors" based on his basketball nickname. Through a talent agent, Mike got an interview at Republic to do a film with Joan Crawford called Sudden Fear (1952). The pair went on to have two children, Matthew Gunner, born in 1958, and Dana Lee, born in 1960. The couple met at UCLA and they had two children - a son, Matthew Gunner Ohanion (born November 1958) and a daughter, Dana Lee Connors (born July 1960). From the second season onward, Mannix opens his own detective agency and is assisted by his secretary Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher). Against all odds, he remained happily married to his wife for 67 years. In 1963, he guest-starred as Jack Marson in the episode "Shadow of the Cougar" on the NBC modern Western series, Redigo, starring Richard Egan. He has played the same character (Joe Mannix) in three different series: Has a son - Matthew Gunner Ohanion (b. November 1958) and a daughter - Dana Lee Connors (b. July 1960) with his wife, Best remembered by the public for his starring role in, Because of his Armenian heritage, Connors has been tapped by Armenian-American documentary film maker. Bill, where he played under coach John Wooden. (1981) did not come close to rekindling his earlier success. An episode of Studio 57 starring Connors and titled "Getaway Car" was proposed as a pilot for a series about the CHP to be called Motorcycle Cop. Mr. Mike Connors was happily married to Mary Lou Willey for 67 years. They had two children. Connors is seen here with his friend, actor Peter Graves, at the Mission Impossible and Airplane star's Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony in 2009. During and after "Mannix," Connors reprised his character's role thrice elsewhere: In an episode of "Here's Lucy" in 1971," in the 1973 "Bob Hope Special," and in an episode of "Diagnosis: Murder" in 1977. 1968. Weve had a great life., In retrospect, Connors said the only negative thing to have happened to them was the loss of their son. Matthew predeceased his father, dying of heart failure in 2007. Jeffrey, born in 1952, and Kevin, born in 1956, died in 2014 and 2005, respectively. Marriages lasting close to 7 decades are not typical in Hollywood, but Connor and Lou's made theirs work. Geoffrey Mark, the author of The Lucy Book, would say: Family was terribly important to him. [25] They had two children, a son, Matthew Gunnar Ohanian, and a daughter, Dana Lee Connors. A bit player on the set, known to both Connors and his wife, had called Lou staying that Lana had tried making a move on her husband. 13. His first name was Krekor Ohanian, and his high school nickname, "Touch.". We have estimated | Source: Getty Images. With that, he left Laguna Beach and returned to school. He was 91 years old. 0:52. Danbury, CT 06810 Danbury, CT 06810 Newtown, CT 06470-1062 Hooksett, NH 03106-1907 Newtown, CT 06470-2206 Everett, MA 02149-4922 Dorchester, MA 02125-4109 . IMDB Wikipedia "Avalanche Express" (1979) "Situation Hopeless Connors died from leukemia on January 26, 2017 in Tarzana, California. Mannixs Mike Connors Wife Were Married for 67 Years despite Tremendous Temptations Sons Disease, 4 people wounded by man on stabbing rampage in New Zealand. | Source: Getty Images. Mike Connors was the star of Mannix, one of the most famous TV detective series of all time. LOS ANGELES --Mike Connors, who starred as a hard-hitting private eye on the long-running television series "Mannix," has died. Mike Connors Jeff ConnorsSteve ConnorsKevin Connors Chuck Connors/Sons. The two love birds lived a fulfilled life and loved each other to the end, so much that after almost seven decades together, they did not want to be apart when the time came. While the show wasn't as prominent in his home country, it became a hit in Mexico for some reason. [13], Connors' final appearance was in a 2007 Two and a Half Men episode, as a love interest of Evelyn Harper (Holland Taylor). He was also. Mike received several prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe Award in category Best TV Actor- Drama, for his work on the TV series Mannix. He then returned in 1962 to do a couple more series and then a few movies, including 1966's "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die.". He shared that they had been fortunate to have their success, traveled the world, met some of the wittiest and funniest people, and even dined with royalty and top politicians. ", Actor Mike Connors and wife Mary Lou arriving at Paramount Pictures 90th Anniversary part on July 14 2002. After dating for a while, Connors wanted to marry her, but she kept stalling. [22], Joe Mannix was an Armenian-American, like Connors. Arguably, the one highlight of his film career -- several years later -- could be said to be his role as one of a pair of American bomber crew (the other being Robert Redford) held captive in a cellar by a lonely German drug store clerk who chooses to withhold from them the trivial matter of Germany's surrender to the Allies (played with whimsical aplomb by the brilliant Alec Guinness) in the underrated and very funny black comedy Situation Hopeless -- But Not Serious (1965).After many years as a struggling actor, Mike's first TV hit was Tightrope (1959) for CBS in which he starred as an undercover cop infiltrating an organized crime syndicate. His marriage was, however, not without its temptations. Connors and his wife, Mary Lou, were married in 1949 and had two children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Dana. Actor Mike Connors and wife Mary Lou at the Sportsman Lodge Luncheon on January 1 1977 | Source: Getty Images. The hairdresser called him an idiot, asking him how he thought people got ahead in the business. He retold how he and Lou lived in a tiny apartment off Sunset Boulevard. Another subsequent starring role as a modern-day G-Man in the short-lived Today's F. B. I. [25], After his son's diagnosis, Connors became active in charitable organizations for mental-disorder patients. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. [1] His father was an attorney and represented many Armenians who had little money and could not speak English. Connors was born Krekor Ohanian, Jr. (Armenian: ), on August 15, 1925, in Fresno, California, to Armenian parents Krekor and Alice (ne Surabian) Ohanian. There he met a hairdresser hed worked with before, and as they stood there talking, Lana sent a girl to ask for his name. Connors married Mary Lou Willey in 1949. Chuck Connors died of Lung Cancer on November 10, 1992, at age 71. On tv, he appeared in 18 episodes of "Today's FBI" and a few of "The Love Boat." They are very successful people in the business and the nights are a lot of laughs. In an effort to make his character 'more real' than the traditional cynical Bogart-style gumshoe, he played Mannix as being more 'humane', often becoming emotionally involved in his cases and -- just as often -- ending up on the wrong end of a knuckle sandwich (in the course of the 194 episodes, poor old Joe was knocked unconscious on fifty-five occasions and shot seventeen times), or watching his beautiful client walk off with another man.Another subsequent starring role as a modern-day G-Man in the short-lived Today's F.B.I. Connors, Mike 1925- (Touch Conners, Michael Connors, Touch Connors)PERSONALOriginal name, Krekor Ohanian (some sources spell the name as Krikor Ohanian), born August 15, 1925, in Fresno, CA; married Mary Lou Wiley; children: Dana Lee, Matthew Gunnar. Lana was interested in him, and after he gave his name, Lana once again sent the girl to ask if Connors would love to have a drink with her in her dressing room. Connors also starred in the TV series "Tightrope!" He was a spokesperson for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. [25], He narrated J. Michael Hagopian's 1975 documentary film The Forgotten Genocide, one of the first full-length features on the Armenian genocide. Standing 6 feet, 2 inches, Jeff loved to share stories about his father. His acting debut happened in the film Sudden Fear in 1952, credited as Touch Conners. Ellen was born in 1834, in Tipperary, Ireland. Against all odds, he remained happily married to his wife for 67 years. He often spoke well of his wife, never once uttering a disparaging word about her. Connors' acting career spanned six decades. This prompted Connors to go over there and perform at a few nightclubs where he stayed for 12 weeks. [33] He endorsed Ronald Reagan for President in 1980 and 1984 and endorsed George Deukmejian for Governor of California in 1982 and 1986. For him, his family was the most important thing. | Source: Getty Images. With that, he got into his car and drove home to his wife. The couple has one of the longest marriages in Hollywood. When he got home, he was shocked that his wife was already aware of what had transpired between him and Lana. His wife is Marylou Connors (10 September 1949 - 26 January 2017) ( his death) ( 2 children) Mike Connors Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. [24], He later reprised the role of Joe Mannix in a 1997 episode of Diagnosis: Murder and in the 2003 comedy film Nobody Knows Anything! One day he visited MGM, which was shooting a film starring Ricardo Montalban and Lana Turner. 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