Conrad Janis

Conrad Janis

Conrad Janis in trailer for "The Brasher Doubloon" (1947)
Born February 11, 1928
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor; musician
Years active 1945–present
Spouse(s) Vicki Quarles (1948-1957) (divorced) 2 children
Ronda Copland (1979-1983) (divorced)
Maria Grimm (1987-present)

Conrad Janis (born February 11, 1928) is an American jazz musician (trombone) and also a theatre, film, and television actor. He was born in New York City, New York, the son of Harriet, a writer, and Sidney Janis, an art dealer and writer,[1] and he has a brother named Carroll.[2][3]

At age 19, he starred in the film noir The Brasher Doubloon (1947) with George Montgomery. In 1946 he portrayed "Johnniekins" in the Technicolor film Margie with Jeanne Crain.

In 1953, he played eldest son Edward in the NBC sitcom Bonino on NBC. He appeared in an episode of Get Smart playing a KAOS agent, and later guest starred as a dance marathon emcee on The Golden Girls but is best known for playing Mindy's father, Frederick McConnell, on Mork & Mindy. Janis appeared in the sci-fi sitcom Quark and was featured in The Buddy Holly Story and in the Goldie Hawn comedy The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox.[4] He also made a brief appearance as himself in the jazz bar scene from Nothing in Common.

Between 1978 and 1982, he also played Mindy's father Fred McConnell in Mork & Mindy, an American TV series that ran for four seasons starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber.[5]

Throughout his life, Janis has striven to keep traditional jazz alive. In 1949, as an 18-year-old, Janis put together 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 Janis on trombone.[6] In more recent years, Janis' formed the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, which appeared multiple times on the Johnny Carson Show and made eight sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall.[7][8]

References


  1. ↑ Conrad Janis Biography (1928-)
  2. ↑ Sidney Janis NY Times Obituary
  3. ↑ Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
  4. ↑ Uhl, Jin. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, p. 8, September 2002, Bloomington, MN.
  5. ↑ Mork And Mindy
  6. ↑ Uhl, Jim. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, Sept. 2002, Minneapolis, MN.
  7. ↑ Uhl, Jim. "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight," The Mississippi Rag, pp. 1-9, Sept. 2002, Minneapolis, MN.
  8. ↑ "The Scene," L.A. Jazz Scene, p. 14, Sunland, CA, November 2001.

External links