View Full Version : Jan Michael Vincent RIP Dead at 73.
Averageman
03-08-19, 12:47
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/jan-michael-vincent-star-of-the-mechanic-and-airwolf-dies-at-73/ar-BBUxwCE?OCID=ansmsnnews11
Jan-Michael Vincent, who starred in such action fare as The Mechanic, White Line Fever and TV's Airwolf before a raft of personal problems and illness sent him on a downward spiral, has died. He was 73.
Vincent died Feb. 10 in Asheville, North Carolina, according to his death certificate obtained by KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
Vincent had a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse and his career was already on the wane when he was drunk and involved in a 1996 car accident in Mission Viejo, Calif., that broke his neck and damaged his vocal cords.
Stringfellow Hawk inspired many a Commodore 64 Gunship game in my youth
See You Space Cowboy
He was the dude back in the Hooper days. HBO ran that movie 4 times a week, I probably saw it 50 times.
Will never understand successful famous people who once they are "winning" decide "hey let me f it all up with drugs."
I have a theory. They are surrounded by remoras and orbiters and they feel invincible and want to feel “better”.
My favorite actor is Gary Oldman because he is a chameleon, you know absolutely nothing about him, and he has played every role from Sid Vicious to Stansfield to Dracula to Zorg to Sirius Black to the dude from Book of Eli to Commissioner Gordon and Lord knows who else and no news about politics, drugs, brushes with the law, or other chicanery. He takes roles he wants, goes home, and you don’t even know he’s in a movie until you see it.
He’s not catching HIV from crackwhores, he’s not on probation, he’s not whining about who is president, and he isn’t in rehab.
He was the dude back in the Hooper days. HBO ran that movie 4 times a week, I probably saw it 50 times.
Will never understand successful famous people who once they are "winning" decide "hey let me f it all up with drugs."
Not sure about his case, but a lot of people get their start on winning by being screwed up on something with the right people.
I have a theory. They are surrounded by remoras and orbiters and they feel invincible and want to feel “better”.
My favorite actor is Gary Oldman because he is a chameleon, you know absolutely nothing about him, and he has played every role from Sid Vicious to Stansfield to Dracula to Zorg to Sirius Black to the dude from Book of Eli to Commissioner Gordon and Lord knows who else and no news about politics, drugs, brushes with the law, or other chicanery. He takes roles he wants, goes home, and you don’t even know he’s in a movie until you see it.
He’s not catching HIV from crackwhores, he’s not on probation, he’s not whining about who is president, and he isn’t in rehab.
A lot of the time I don't even realize it is him unless I catch the credits. Sometimes even years later when reading about the cast.
Five_Point_Five_Six
03-08-19, 15:33
I just watched The Mechanic again the other night. Such potential.
ramairthree
03-08-19, 16:37
He’s always been a minor deja vu glitch in the Mandela effect. Everyone I know swears they thought they heard he died and then were surprised to hear about him in the news later.
Doc Safari
03-08-19, 16:52
He was the dude back in the Hooper days. HBO ran that movie 4 times a week, I probably saw it 50 times.
Great movie. It and Smokey and the Bandit make me not want to kill Hal Needham for the other shitty movies he did.
Will never understand successful famous people who once they are "winning" decide "hey let me f it all up with drugs."
There's an old saying, "No matter where you go, there you are." If you had issues before you became famous, then money and fame will do nothing but make you more able to drown your sorrows with powerful and expensive substances.
Used to watch "Airwolf" pretty faithfully back in the 1980's. Had no idea then that he was so into drugs and alcohol. That cost him many acting jobs and eventually, his career.
Great movie. It and Smokey and the Bandit make me not want to kill Hal Needham for the other shitty movies he did.
Another great one was Defiance (1980) which was yet another vigilante film set in NY about a Navy guy who decides to take on the local gang element where he lives. The gang leader carries a German Luger which was kinda cool. It was another HBO staple film that I probably watched a couple dozen times.
Pretty interesting, and sad, commentary related to the film.
John Flynn later said working with Jan Michael Vincent was difficult:
Jan was a drinker even then. He had Heinekens for breakfast. There was a night scene where we literally had to prop him up. Poor Jan. He latched onto Danny Aiello. Jan loved Danny and tried to give him more of his own lines in the picture. I told Jan he couldn’t mess with the script like that. But Jan was a sweet guy. He never believed that he was an actor, though. He was embarrassed to be an actor. He always thought he was doing an awful job and that people were laughing at him. You had to keep telling him he was wonderful and he would do whatever you wanted him to do. Jan was like a little kid, but he just didn’t believe in himself. Talk about actors’ egos. He was the opposite. This was an actor with a non-ego.
Doc Safari
03-08-19, 17:50
Another great one was Defiance (1980) which was yet another vigilante film set in NY about a Navy guy who decides to take on the local gang element where he lives. The gang leader carries a German Luger which was kinda cool. It was another HBO staple film that I probably watched a couple dozen times.
Pretty interesting, and sad, commentary related to the film.
John Flynn later said working with Jan Michael Vincent was difficult:
Jan was a drinker even then. He had Heinekens for breakfast. There was a night scene where we literally had to prop him up. Poor Jan. He latched onto Danny Aiello. Jan loved Danny and tried to give him more of his own lines in the picture. I told Jan he couldn’t mess with the script like that. But Jan was a sweet guy. He never believed that he was an actor, though. He was embarrassed to be an actor. He always thought he was doing an awful job and that people were laughing at him. You had to keep telling him he was wonderful and he would do whatever you wanted him to do. Jan was like a little kid, but he just didn’t believe in himself. Talk about actors’ egos. He was the opposite. This was an actor with a non-ego.
As I suspected. Being a horrible person that becomes famous only turns you into a more horrible person.
As I suspected. Being a horrible person that becomes famous only turns you into a more horrible person.
Doesn't sound like he was a horrible person, kinda the opposite. Bad judgement regarding drinking and such, but I don't think that makes him a horrible person. Probably would have had the same health problem even if he never made a movie.
One of his TV roles was on the old "Police Story" show as a SWAT officer:
https://i.imgur.com/WbS80kYl.jpg
Can't forget "World's Greatest Athlete" with Tim Conway, 1973.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070928/
One film was his starring role in 1975's "White Line Fever", co-starring Kay Lenz, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones and R.G. Armstrong, filmed in and around Tucson, Arizona:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073896/
A notable part of the film was the opening credit music sequence, performed by the late singer-songwriter, Valerie Carter: Drifting & Dreaming of You:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aepR6BmYelU
militarymoron
03-09-19, 23:11
There's an old saying, "No matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai, 1984.
RIP Jan Michael Vincent. Another one from my teenage years is gone.
Not a starring role, but he played a cowboy punk who wised up in 1975's "Bite the Bullet", with Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, James Coburn and Ben Johnson.
Jan-Michael Vincent proved to be a versatile actor in varying roles. He was never really typecast. Too bad things worked out the way they did for him in life.
I only remember him from the mini series The Winds of War. He was pretty young...RIP
First thing I remember seeing him in was Damnation Alley. Really liked the movie Hooper also. I always liked him as an actor. RIP Jan
I only remember him from the mini series The Winds of War. He was pretty young...RIP
Forgot about that one. Was actually watchable once I got older.
Air wolf and the Mechanic with Charles Bronson. 2 of my favorites. Very sad.
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