Kent McCord
Encyclopedia
Kent McCord is an American
actor best known for his role as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12
.
. Using the stage name
Kent McCord, he first appeared on television
in 1962 on ABC
's The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. He became a close friend of Ricky Nelson
and made a total of twelve appearances on the program over the next few years. He also landed small parts in three Elvis Presley
films.
After working in a variety of secondary roles, he got his big break in 1968 when he was given a lead role next to Martin Milner
as rookie LAPD
police officer James A. "Jim" Reed on Adam-12
, a police drama television series created by Jack Webb
. The popular show ran on NBC
from 1968 to 1975 and made McCord a household name. In Jack Webb's Dragnet 1967
, he made a guest appearance as a novice undercover officer Paul Culver.
In 1972, McCord was elected to the National Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild
and served on the Board for eleven years. He served as 1st National Vice President and served on the National Board of Directors
In 1980, McCord played the lead character Troy on the short-lived series Galactica 1980
. He was then pegged to play Jack Webb's partner (his Officer Jim Reed character from "Adam-12"), in another revival of Dragnet
, but the project ended with Webb's death in 1982. Also in 1982, McCord had a role as Dave Unger, a navigator on the "Lunar Shuttle" Mayflower in that year's big summer comedy Airplane II: The Sequel
, McCord's only known comedy role. McCord re-teamed with Martin Milner, his co-star in "Adam-12", in the cable TV-movie Nashville Beat (1990), originally shown on the now defunct The Nashville Network. In this story that Kent McCord partially wrote, McCord played an LAPD detective who teams up with his old partner (Martin Milner) in Nashville. In 1990 McCord also played a role as 'Captian B. Pilgrim' in the movie starring Danny Glover 'Predator 2'. From 1994 through 1995, McCord played the recurring role of Scott Keller on seaQuest DSV
.
In 1999 he was introduced to a new generation of fans as a semi-regular guest star on the science fiction television cult hit, Farscape
. He played two versions (one human and one alien appearing in the physical form of the human) of the same character, Jack Crichton. In 2003, he ran for President of the Screen Actors Guild but lost to Melissa Gilbert
by a margin of 42% to her 50%.
McCord regularly played a judge in the CBS
television military courtroom drama JAG
throughout most of its run.
McCord recently (Oct 2010) retired as a Reserve Police Officer from the Los Angeles School Police Department
. He had attained the rank of Lieutenant
before retiring.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor best known for his role as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
.
Biography
McCord was born Kent Franklin McWhirter in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Kent McCord, he first appeared on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in 1962 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. He became a close friend of Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
and made a total of twelve appearances on the program over the next few years. He also landed small parts in three Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
films.
After working in a variety of secondary roles, he got his big break in 1968 when he was given a lead role next to Martin Milner
Martin Milner
Martin Sam Milner is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66....
as rookie LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
police officer James A. "Jim" Reed on Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
, a police drama television series created by Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
. The popular show ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1968 to 1975 and made McCord a household name. In Jack Webb's Dragnet 1967
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, he made a guest appearance as a novice undercover officer Paul Culver.
In 1972, McCord was elected to the National Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
and served on the Board for eleven years. He served as 1st National Vice President and served on the National Board of Directors
In 1980, McCord played the lead character Troy on the short-lived series Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
. He was then pegged to play Jack Webb's partner (his Officer Jim Reed character from "Adam-12"), in another revival of Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, but the project ended with Webb's death in 1982. Also in 1982, McCord had a role as Dave Unger, a navigator on the "Lunar Shuttle" Mayflower in that year's big summer comedy Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane II: The Sequel is an American comedy sequel to the 1980 film Airplane!. First released on December 10, 1982, the film was written and directed by Ken Finkleman and stars Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Chad Everett, William Shatner, Rip Torn, and Sonny Bono.-Plot:In the near...
, McCord's only known comedy role. McCord re-teamed with Martin Milner, his co-star in "Adam-12", in the cable TV-movie Nashville Beat (1990), originally shown on the now defunct The Nashville Network. In this story that Kent McCord partially wrote, McCord played an LAPD detective who teams up with his old partner (Martin Milner) in Nashville. In 1990 McCord also played a role as 'Captian B. Pilgrim' in the movie starring Danny Glover 'Predator 2'. From 1994 through 1995, McCord played the recurring role of Scott Keller on seaQuest DSV
SeaQuest DSV
seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...
.
In 1999 he was introduced to a new generation of fans as a semi-regular guest star on the science fiction television cult hit, Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
. He played two versions (one human and one alien appearing in the physical form of the human) of the same character, Jack Crichton. In 2003, he ran for President of the Screen Actors Guild but lost to Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
by a margin of 42% to her 50%.
McCord regularly played a judge in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television military courtroom drama JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
throughout most of its run.
McCord recently (Oct 2010) retired as a Reserve Police Officer from the Los Angeles School Police Department
Los Angeles School Police Department
The Los Angeles School Police Department is a law enforcement agency in Los Angeles, California, whose duties are to provide police services to the Los Angeles Unified School District and to enforce state and city laws...
. He had attained the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
before retiring.