Conrad Janis was an actor and jazz musician known for roles including Fred McConnell, Mindy’s father, on the TV sitcom “Mork & Mindy.”
- Died: March 1, 2022 (Who else died on March 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles at the age of 94.
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Acting and music
Janis began his acting career in his teens, working on the radio and in stage productions, including a role on Broadway in “The Dark of the Moon.” He made his movie debut in 1945’s “Snafu” and went on to become a pioneer of early television. He played roles on anthology series of the early 1950s including “Actor’s Studio,” “Starlight Theatre,” and “The Philco Television Playhouse.” As his career grew, Janis had notable guest spots on “Get Smart” and “My Favorite Martian” and a small role in “Airport 1975.”
Janis was part of the “Mork & Mindy” cast for the show’s entire four seasons, playing a music store owner and the father of Pam Dawber’s character, Mindy. Later, he had roles in movies including “Oh God! Book II” and “The Cable Guy” as well as making guest spots on “St. Elsewhere,” “The Golden Girls,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Frasier,” and many other TV shows. Alongside his acting career, Janis was a jazz trombonist. He formed bands including the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, which was featured several times on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and regularly played at the Beverly Hills nightclub the Ginger Man during the years when he was starring in “Mork & Mindy.”
Janis on working in early television
“It was an exciting time because everything was live. You had to memorize the entire show for the night of broadcast. We’d do 1-hour shows six or seven nights a week, with very little time for rehearsal. If people forgot their lines or a prop gun didn’t fire, you just had to adlib your way out of it.” —from a 2015 interview for the Spectrum
Tributes to Conrad Janis
Full obituary: The New York Times
