Jan-Michael Vincent greeted the television screen as early as in the 60s; built an admirable career and maintained it at a good pace throughout his heydays. The retired American actor caught the hearts of prominent stakeholders in the industry in his beginning days and this saw to his fast rise to popularity in the 70s and 80s.
Vincent is best known for his role in the series Airwolf as Stringfellow Hawke, a helicopter pilot, he is also notable for his role in the late 70s movie Big Wednesday. The actor retired rather too early from acting, and you’re about to find out why. First off here is everything you need to know about him.
Jan-Michael Vincent Bio, Age
He was born on July 15, 1944, to Doris Vincent (mother) and Lloyd Vincent (father). Vincent may not have had the big dream of being in the Hollywood scenes but a talent scout who spotted him while he was with the California Army National Guard saw great potential in him. Jan-Michael Vincent’s looks and aura were all he needed to get the scout’s attention and the rest became history. He soon appeared in The Bandits (1967) and also got some other small movie roles.
Sooner than later, he was signed to Universal Studios with the influence of casting agent Dick Clayton. He then got a starring role in the soap opera The Survivors which was however later canceled. Also in the late 60s, Jan-Michael appeared in Journey to Shiloh and also in Danger Island, and the then-popular Hanna-Barbera TV show, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The actor was seen in The Undefeated alongside other notable actors like Lee Meriwether, the late Merlin Olsen, and John Wayne.
Jan-Michael Vincent got busier in the 70s with remarkable roles in prominent movies. He was best known for his role in the made-for-TV film Tribes. Vincent starred as Buster Lane in the 1974 movie Buster and Billie and drew lots of attention with the showcase of his frontal nudes in the movie. He was notable for his appearance in the movie, Big Wednesday where he starred alongside William Katt and Gary Busey.
Jan-Michael starred in the 80s Defiance alongside Danny Aiello, made an appearance in the science fiction The Return, and also starred in the action film Last Plane Out (1983). Jan-Michael Vincent became a cast of the notable action series Airwolf which aired from 1984 to 1987. He played the remarkable role of Stringfellow Hawke which remains his best till date. The 90s and 2000s were however not very busy for Vincent although he made appearances in a lot of low-budget films.
He starred in Raw Nerve in 1991 and also appeared in the comedy-horror Ice Cream Man (1996) along with Clint Howard. The actor ended his acting stint with the independent film White Boy which was released in 2003.
Jan-Michael Vincent Net Worth
Not much is known about Jan-Michael Vincent’s financial status seeing as he retired from the acting business a long time ago. Though many figures have popped up on different platforms, none of them is accurate as the actor has not been so loud about his endeavors in recent times. But we cannot forget the fact that Vincent earned lots of money during his active days.
A good way to estimate how rich Jan-Michael Vincent was in his heydays is when we put into perspective his publicized salary of $200,000 per episode when he played the role of Stringfellow Hawke on the action series Airwolf. It was indeed a lot of money at the time and Vincent was regarded as the highest-paid actor at the time.
Jan-Michael Vincent’s Personal Life – Spouse & Kids
Jan-Michael Vincent may be retired but this does not stop the media from sniffing into his life for juicy stories. The actor has been in a series of relationships most of which did not end well. He was married in 1968 to Bonnie Poorman. The couple welcomed a daughter, Amber Vincent in 1972. However, five years after their daughter’s birth they split in 1977.
Vincent then got married to Joanne Robinson in 1986. But in 1998 it was revealed that Robinson filed a restraining order against him, citing abuse. These unfortunate events must have been a result of the actor’s alcoholism/alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug abuse which kept Jan-Michael Vincent in trouble with the law for many years.
Where is He Now?
Jan-Michael Vincent is no longer seen in movies or television series as he long left the big screens. It appears the actor saw to his own early exit from the screens, all thanks to his self-destructive behaviors which include drug abuse and a series of assault charges by women.
The actor had his right leg amputated in 2012 after complications from peripheral artery disease caused it to be greatly infected. He now has a prosthetic right limb and sometimes uses a wheelchair.
