Who is Jack Lord?
Jack Lord will probably be best remembered as Steve McGarrett in the long running television series Hawaii Five-O (1968), but he was much more than that however. He starred in several movies, directed several episodes of his show, was in several Broadway productions, and was an accomplished artist. Two of his paintings were acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum of Modern Art by the time he was twenty. Lord was also known for being a very cultured man who loved reading poetry out loud on the set of his TV show and as being somewhat reclusive at his Honolulu home.
Overview
- Nicknames
- Jack Ryan
Trivia
- Was the first actor to play CIA Agent Felix Leiter in the official James Bond films, beginning with Dr. No (1962). Both characters first appeared on film opposite Sean Connery.
- Was considered for the part of Captain Kirk in Star Trek (1966), for Gene Roddenberry and Desilu Studios but turned it down because he didn't like the role. According to William Shatner, Jack tried on the Captain Kirk uniform, looked at himself in a three-way mirror, and said, "There is no way I'm playing this (expletive) role," and walked out.
- His estate donated $40 million to the Hawaii Community Foundation.
- Would get up every morning at three a.m. when he was working on Hawaii Five-O.
- Originally wanted to be billed as "Jack Ryan," but discovered that another actor had already registered that name with Actor's Equity. He wanted a short name, so he chose "Jack Lord" instead.