Jan-Michael Vincent

Virile, handsome and square-jawed youthful star of the 1970s and 1980s who showed early potential at super-stardom, 'Jan-Michael Vincent' (qv) originally made a name for himself portraying rebellious young men bucking the system, as in _The Tribe (1970)_ (qv), _White Line Fever (1975)_ (qv) and _Baby Blue Marine (1976)_ (qv) or as a man of action on either side of the law, as in _The Mechanic (1972)_ (qv), _Vigilante Force (1976)_ (qv) and _The Winds of War (1983)_ (qv).He was born in July 1944 in Denver, Colorado, and was finishing a stint in the National Guard when a talent scout was struck by his all-American looks. He made his first appearance on-screen in _The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967)_ (qv), before appearing in _Journey to Shiloh (1968)_ (qv) and in "Danger Island" on the Hanna-Barbera kids TV show _The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968)_ (qv). He remained very busy during the 1970s, appearing in high-profile productions alongside such stars as 'John Wayne' (qv), 'Rock Hudson' (qv), 'Charles Bronson' (qv), 'Slim Pickens' (qv) and 'Robert Mitchum' (qv).In 1984, Vincent was cast as Stringfellow Hawke in the helicopter action series _Airwolf (1984)_ (qv), co-starring 'Ernest Borgnine' (qv). The show wrapped after three seasons and from then on he was primarily appearing in low-budget, B-grade action and sci-fi films, including _Alienator (1990)_ (qv), _The Divine Enforcer (1992)_ (qv), _Deadly Heroes (1993)_ (qv) and _Lethal Orbit (1996)_ (qv). His last film was the woeful gang movie _White Boy (2002)_ (qv), and ongoing health issues and personal problems seemed to preclude his return to the screen.Vincent will be best remembered by film fans as a smirking, apprentice hit man to 'Charles Bronson' (qv) in _The Mechanic (1972)_ (qv), as feisty "Matt" in the superb surf movie _Big Wednesday (1978)_ (qv) with 'Gary Busey' (qv) and 'William Katt' (qv), or as rebel trucker Carol Jo Hummer battling corruption in _White Line Fever (1975)_ (qv).::[email protected]