{{Short description|American actor and musician (1928–2022)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Conrad Janis | image = Conrad-janis-trailer.jpg | caption = In the trailer for ''The Brasher Doubloon'' (1947) | birth_date = {{birth date|1928|2|11}} | birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|03|01|1928|2|11}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|trombonist}} | years_active = 1945–2012 | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Vicki Quarles<br />|1948|1957|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Ronda Copland<br />|1979|1983|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Maria Grimm<br />|1987|2021|end=died|}} }} | children = 2 }}
'''Conrad Janis''' (February 11, 1928 – March 1, 2022) was an American jazz trombonist and actor who starred in film and television during the [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age Era]] in the 1950s and 1960s, and continued acting right up until 2012. He played the role of Mindy McConnell's father Frederick in 53 episodes of ''[[Mork & Mindy]],'' and appeared in many guest-starring roles on several notable television shows throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, such as the sitcoms ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'', ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', and ''[[Frasier]]''.
==Early life== Janis was born in [[Manhattan]] on February 11, 1928.<ref name="NYT obit">{{cite news|title=Conrad Janis, Father on 'Mork & Mindy' and Much More, Dies at 94|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/arts/television/conrad-janis-dead.html |first=Neil |last=Genzlinger |date=March 8, 2022 |access-date=March 9, 2022 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> His father, [[Sidney Janis|Sidney]], was an art dealer and writer; his mother, Harriet (Grossman), was also a writer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sidney Janis; Innovative and Influential Art Dealer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91132397/the-los-angeles-times/ |access-date=December 25, 2021 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 24, 1989 |page=28 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He had one brother, Carroll.<ref>{{cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/24/obituaries/sidney-janis-trend-setting-art-dealer-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=Sidney Janis, Trend-Setting Art Dealer, Dies at 93 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 24, 1989 |accessdate=November 14, 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=uhl>Uhl, Jin (September 2002). "For Conrad Janis, Acting and Jazz Share the Spotlight". ''The Mississippi Rag''. pp. 1-9. Bloomington, Minn.</ref> Janis successfully auditioned as an actor for a road company at the age of 13 and consequently spent the next two years with them. He also began doing radio voice work during this time.<ref name="NYT obit"/>
==Career== ===Film and television=== Janis secured a role in the play ''[[Dark of the Moon (play)|Dark of the Moon]]'' during its pre-Broadway run, in which he was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout. He stayed with the production when it ran in New York City, consequently making his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in March 1945. He then made his film debut later that year as Ronald Stevens in the film ''[[Snafu (film)|Snafu]]''.<ref name="NYT obit"/> Next Janis played Johnikins in ''[[Margie (1946 film)|Margie]]'' (1946) with [[Jeanne Crain]]. He starred in the film noir ''[[The Brasher Doubloon]]'' with [[George Montgomery (actor)|George Montgomery]] the following year.<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/>
Janis's work on television included starring in "Fit to Kill" on ''[[The Web (1950 TV series)|The Web]]'' on November 19, 1950.<ref>{{cite news |title=Television . . . . . . Highlights of the Week |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75693573/detroit-free-press/ |access-date=April 13, 2021 |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]] |date=November 19, 1950 |page=B6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He played the eldest son Edward on the sitcom ''Bonino'' in 1953. He subsequently appeared in an episode of ''[[Get Smart]]'' as a [[KAOS (Get Smart)|KAOS]] agent, guest-starred as a dance marathon emcee on ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', and appeared in the sci-fi sitcoms ''[[Quark (TV series)|Quark]]'' and ''[[Mork and Mindy]]''. He was also featured in ''[[The Buddy Holly Story]]'' and the [[Goldie Hawn]] / [[George Segal]] comedy ''[[The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox]]''.<ref name=uhl/> Janis made a brief appearance as himself in the jazz bar scene of ''[[Nothing in Common]]''.<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/>
===Music=== Janis was a longtime advocate of [[Trad jazz|traditional jazz]]. He assembled a band of jazz musicians in 1949 ("all of the guys that I idolized"), consisting of [[James P. Johnson]] (piano), [[Henry Goodwin (musician)|Henry Goodwin]] (trumpet), [[Edmond Hall]] (clarinet), [[Pops Foster]] (bass), and [[Baby Dodds]] (drums), with himself on trombone.<ref name=uhl/> During 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]].<ref name=uhl/><ref>{{cite news |title=Conrad Janis, Trombonist and 'Mork & Mindy' Actor, Dies at 94 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/conrad-janis-dead-mork-mindy-1235107604/ |last=Barnes |first=Mike |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=March 8, 2022 |access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Janis's first marriage was to Vicki Quarles. Together, they had two children: Christopher and Carin. They later divorced. His second marriage to Ronda Copland also ended in divorce. Janis married his third wife, Maria Grimm, in 1987. They remained married until her death in September 2021.<ref name="NYT obit"/>
Janis died on March 1, 2022, aged 94, in Los Angeles. His death was announced by his business manager Dean A. Avedon, who was also the executor of his estate.<ref name="NYT obit"/>
==Partial filmography== {|class="wikitable" |- !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Year !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Title !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Role !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Notes |- ||1945 |''[[Snafu (film)|Snafu]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/conrad_janis |title=Conrad Janis |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name=AFI>{{cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/33874-Conrad-Janis |title=Conrad Janis |website=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=March 9, 2022}}</ref> |Ronald Stevens |Alternative title: ''Welcome Home'' |- ||1946 |''[[Margie (1946 film)|Margie]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Johnny 'Johnikins' Green | |- |rowspan=2|1947 |''[[The Brasher Doubloon]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Leslie Murdock |Alternative title: ''The High Window'' |- |''[[That Hagen Girl]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Dewey Koons | |- ||1948 |''[[Beyond Glory]]''<ref name=AFI/><ref name=BFI>{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba3e0de2d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527123254/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba3e0de2d |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |title=Conrad Janis |website=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=March 9, 2022}}</ref> |Raymond Denmore, Jr. | |- ||1958 |''[[Let's Rock]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Charlie |Alternative title: ''Keep It Cool'' |- ||1965 |''[[Get Smart]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography">{{cite web |title=Conrad Janis List of Movies and TV Shows |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/conrad-janis/credits/3000021491/ |website=TV Guide |access-date=March 9, 2022}}</ref> |Victor |(Season 1, Episode 12) |- ||1966 |''[[My Favourite Martian|My Favorite Martian]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Chad Foster | [[My Favorite Martian#Season 3 (1965–66)|TV or Not TV]] (Season 3, Episode 19)
|- ||1972 |''[[Banacek]]''<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Teletype: Hollywood |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |first=Joseph |last=Finnigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fyMxAQAAIAAJ |date=September 1972 |page=88 |access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> |Video Technician |Let's Hear it for a Living Legend (Season 1 Episode 1) |- |rowspan=2|1974 |''[[Airport 1975]]''<ref name=AFI/><ref name=BFI/> |Arnie | |- |''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> |Larry Warshaw | [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0535979/fullcredits Daddy's Little Girl] |- ||1975 |''[[The Happy Hooker (film)|The Happy Hooker]]''<ref name=AFI/><ref name=BFI/> |Fred | |- |rowspan=3|1976 | ''[[Happy Days]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Mr. Kendall |(Season 4, Episode 7) |- |''[[The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Gladstone | |- |''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Lyle Bellamy (Game Show Host) |(Season 5, Episode 8) |- |1977 |''[[Roseland (film)|Roseland]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |George | |- |{{nowrap|1977–1978}} |''[[Quark (TV series)|Quark]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> |Otto Bob Palindrome |8 episodes |- |{{nowrap|1978–1982}} |''[[Mork & Mindy]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Frederick ''Fred'' McConnell | 53 episodes |- |1978 |''[[The Buddy Holly Story]]'' |Ross Turner | |- |1980 |''[[Oh, God! Book II]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Charles Benson | |- |rowspan=3|1985 | ''[[V (1984 TV series)|V: The Series]]'' | Dr. David Atkins | Episode: "War of Illusions" |- |''[[Brewster's Millions (1985 film)|Brewster's Millions]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> | Businessman in Car | |- |''[[Highway to Heaven]]'' | C.J. Barabbas | Episode: "The Devil and Jonathan Smith" |- |1986 |''[[Nothing in Common]]''<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Conrad Janis and the Unlisted Jazz Band | |- |1987 |''[[The Golden Girls]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Dance Marathon Emcee |(Season 3, Episode 2) |- |1988 |''[[Murder She Wrote]]'' |Miles Hatcher |(Season 5, Episode 2 'A Little Night Work') |- |rowspan=2|1989 |''[[Caddie Woodlawn]]''<ref>{{cite book |title=Leonard Maltin's Family Film Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9FNfsXY_ogC&q=Conrad+Janis+%22Caddie+Woodlawn%22 |publisher=Penguin Group |year=1999 |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |page=91 |isbn=978-0-451-19714-6}}</ref> |Rev. Tanner | |- |''[[Sonny Boy (1989 film)|Sonny Boy]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |Doc Bender | |- |1992 |''[[Mr. Saturday Night]]''<ref name=AFI/><ref name=BFI/> |Director | |- |1995 |''[[The Feminine Touch (1995 film)|The Feminine Touch]]''<ref name=BFI/> |Frank Donaldsonn |Also director; alternative title: ''The November Conspiracy'' |- |1996 |''[[The Cable Guy]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> |Father 'Double Trouble' | |- |1997–2002 |''[[Frasier]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Albert |3 episodes |- |2009 |''[[Maneater (2009 film)|Maneater]]''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |Doc Gramm | |- |2012 | ''Bad Blood''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> |Lawrence |Also director |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.conradjanis.com/}} *{{IMDb name|417641|Conrad Janis}} *{{IBDB name}} *{{iobdb name |33010}} *{{discogs artist|Conrad Janis}} *[http://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2015/11/05/conrad-janis-years-film-tv/75170304/ Interview with Conrad Janis] – The Spectrum, November 2015. *[http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/conrad-janis Conrad Janis Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2018)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Janis, Conrad}} [[Category:1928 births]] [[Category:2022 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:20th-century American trombonists]] [[Category:21st-century American Jews]] [[Category:21st-century American male actors]] [[Category:21st-century American male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century American trombonists]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American male jazz musicians]] [[Category:American male stage actors]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:Male actors from New York City]] [[Category:American male trombonists]] [[Category:Jazz musicians from New York (state)]] [[Category:Jewish American male actors]] [[Category:Jubilee Records artists]] [[Category:Musicians from New York City]]