On this date in history: December 30th The kid from Brooklyn, born in New York on December 30, 1920, made it big ... so big that he spent the better part of his life living in luxury among the rich and famous in the Kahala area of Honolulu, Hawaii. John Joseph Patrick Ryan, known to most as actor Jack Lord, was even better known throughout the world as Steve McGarrett. Tough cop McGarrett (Hawaii Five-O) came into our homes on our TV screens once a week for 12 years (1968-1980). His chiseled handsome face; windblown hair; set jaw; the image of the man standing at the top of the Ilikai Hotel at the gateway to Waikiki; was so familiar that audiences equated Jack Lord with Steve McGarrett. They were one and the same. However, Jack Lord was also an accomplished artist (before he became an actor). In fact, he was barely twenty years old when two of his paintings were acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the British Museum of Modern Art. Painting was his first love, a talent he continued to hone for the rest of his life. He majored in art at New York University. the university he attended on a football scholarship. Jack Lord also starred in several movies, performed on Broadway, and later, produced and directed several episodes of Hawaii Five-O. He was an accomplished photographer, tried his hand at writing TV scripts, and was always the consummate professional. Critics referred to Lord as a tyrant on the set, a loner, a snob. Others, including his wife of 43+ years, Marie, knew him as a sensitive man who would often read poetry aloud on the set. The world said “aloha” to Jack Lord on January 21, 1998. But, he remains forevermore in our memories ... wearing his plantation hat, and scarf wrapped jauntily around his neck, while Steve McGarrett continues to bring evildoers to justice, repeating his famous line, “Book ’em Danno.”
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:56:44 +0000
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