Richard Jaeckel, a renowned character actor, was born on October 10, 1926, in Long Island, New York, to a family that relocated to Los Angeles when he was still a teenager. After graduating from Hollywood High School, Jaeckel's life took an unexpected turn when he was discovered by a casting director while working as a mailboy for 20th Century-Fox.
Initially hesitant to pursue an acting career, Jaeckel accepted a key role in the war epic Guadalcanal Diary (1943) and went on to remain in films for over five decades. Throughout his extensive career, Jaeckel effortlessly transitioned from playing baby-faced teenagers to playing gunfighters and hired killers with ease.
From 1944 to 1948, Jaeckel served in the US Navy, and after his discharge, he co-starred in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) alongside the legendary John Wayne. Jaeckel's notable roles in films include a standout performance as one of a trio of GIs accused of raping a German girl in Town Without Pity (1961) and his portrayal of tough MPSgt. Clyde Bowren in The Dirty Dozen (1967),a role he reprised in a made-for-TV sequel in 1985.
Jaeckel's impressive performance in Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Despite appearing in over 70 films, Jaeckel was also very active in television series such as Frontier Circus (1961),Banyon (1971),Firehouse (1974),Salvage 1 (1979),At Ease (1983),Spenser: For Hire (1985),and Supercarrier (1988).
In his later years, Jaeckel played the role of Lt. Ben Edwards on the hit series Baywatch (1989) from 1991 to 1994. Tragically, Jaeckel passed away on June 14, 1997, after a three-year battle with melanoma cancer at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 70.
