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Jon-Erik Hexum
Born Jon Eric Hexum
November 5, 1957(1957-11-05)
Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S.
Died October 18, 1984 (aged 26)
Century City, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, model
Years active 1982–1984

Jon-Erik Hexum (November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American actor and model who died accidentally shortly after a firearms incident on the set of Cover Up, a television series in which he was a central cast member.

Born to Norwegian immigrant parents, he was the star of the science fiction series Voyagers!, which aired on NBC during the 1982–83 television season. He also appeared in made for television movies The Bear and Making of a Male Model, co-starring Joan Collins and Roxie Roker,[1] and in an episode of Hotel, before being cast in the action series Cover Up.

Contents

Early life and career

Hexum was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Gretha and Thorleif Hexum. He and his elder brother, Gunnar, were raised in Tenafly by their mother after their parents divorced when Hexum was four.[2] After graduating from high school, Hexum went on to the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in order to study biomedical engineering. However, he soon gave it up and switched to the Michigan State University in East Lansing. During that time, he worked as a radio disc jockey, played football, and acted in minor stage roles.[3]

Only a few days after graduation, he moved to New York in 1980 in order to pursue his acting career. While working cleaning venetian blinds in offices, he met Bob LeMond of LeMond/Zetter Management, the manager of John Travolta, who saw great potential in Hexum.[1] LeMond asked him to move to Los Angeles in 1981 in order to audition for a movie called Summer Lovers, directed by Randal Kleiser. Even though Hexum lost the part to Peter Gallagher, he was soon cast as the lead in the upcoming NBC TV show Voyagers!

Voyagers! saw two time travelers, Hexum and the young Jeffrey Jones—played by child actor Meeno Peluce—fixing history when problems arose. The stories involved figures like Spartacus, Harriet Tubman, Charles Lindbergh, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Dickens, Joe Louis, and others as the pair tried to put history back on track. The program was a form of edutainment and was sponsored by Scholastic magazine. The series only lasted one season, mainly because it was shown during the same time-slot as the popular television show 60 Minutes.[1]

During his time in L.A., Hexum worked as a nightclub door man, cab driver and carpet cleaner to pay the bills. After a promotion tour which he financed himself, Hexum was cast for the movie Making of a Male Model with Joan Collins in 1983. He played a ranchhand who is invited by a modeling agent (Collins) to move to New York and pursue a modeling career. The film was Hexum’s breakthrough, but it also labeled him as a hunk and sex symbol, much to his dismay. After being considered for various television projects he eventually accepted a leading role in the television show Cover Up, where he played a former model turned weapons expert and undercover CIA agent. During the weekends, he was promoting the movie The Bear about college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, in which he had a short, but well reviewed, part.

Personal life

Hexum dated actresses Heather Thomas and Emma Samms. At the time of his death, he was dating actress and singer E.G. Daily.[4]

Death

On October 12, 1984, in between filming scenes on the set of Cover Up, Hexum was critically wounded after he placed a .44 Magnum prop gun loaded with blanks to his temple and pulled the trigger.[5] The accident happened during the filming of a scene where Hexum’s character (Mac Harper) was supposed to unload a handgun and replace the bullets with blanks—as the script required. However, the shooting was delayed due to a technical difficulty and Hexum fell asleep on the set. Hexum awoke approximately fifteen minutes later and, realizing the scene was still not ready to be shot, began playing with the gun. He eventually placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.[6]

Hexum was apparently not aware that blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the shell, and that this wadding is propelled out of the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired within a few inches of the body, especially if pointed at a particularly vulnerable spot, such as the temple or the eye. Although the paper wadding in the blank that Hexum discharged did not penetrate his skull, the wad struck him in the temple with enough blunt force trauma to shatter a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propel the pieces into his brain causing massive hemorrhaging.[2][7]

Hexum was rushed to the Beverly Hills Medical Center where he underwent five hours of surgery to repair his wounds.[7] On October 18, six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain dead. Hexum's mother Greta allowed his body, still connected to life support, to be flown to San Francisco for organ transplants.[3] Hexum's heart was then implanted into a 36-year old Las Vegas escort service owner who was awaiting a heart transplant.[8] Hexum's kidneys and corneas were also harvested and placed in organ transplant banks before his body was flown back to Los Angeles for autopsy and burial.[3]

Hexum's death was ruled accidental.[9] Hexum's mother later received an out of court settlement from Twentieth Century Fox Television and Glenn Larson Productions, the production team behind Cover Up.[2]

Four weeks after Hexum's death, Cover Up resumed airing without Hexum's character, Mac Harper, who was killed in action. The return episode also featured a tribute to Hexum.[10] Actor Antony Hamilton eventually replaced Hexum,[11] but Cover Up was canceled after one season due to low ratings.[12]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1982 Voyager from the Unknown Phineas Bogg
1984 The Bear Pat Trammell
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982-1983 Voyagers! Phineas Bogg 20 episodes
1983 Making of a Male Model Tyler Burnett Television movie
1984 Hotel Prince Erik 1 episode
Cover Up Mac Harper 7 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c Wallace, David (1983-10-11). "On and Off Camera, Joan Collins Helps in the Making of Male Model Jon-Erik Hexum". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20086114,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  2. ^ a b c "Jon-Erik Hexum's Fatal Joke". ew.com. 1994-10-14. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304026,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  3. ^ a b c Parish, James Robert (2001). The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More Than 125 American Movie and TV Idols. Contemporary Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-809-22227-2.  
  4. ^ "Celebrity Suicides". cbs5.com. http://cbs5.com/slideshows/celebrity.suicides.deaths.20.722953.html?rid=31. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  5. ^ Donnelley, Paul (2003-06-01). Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries (2 ed.). Omnibus Press. pp. 483. ISBN 0-711-99512-5.  
  6. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 88-89. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.  
  7. ^ a b "Actor Wounds Himself On Set of TV Series". The New York Times. 1984-10-14. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E4DF1739F937A25753C1A962948260.  
  8. ^ "Las Vegas Escort Operator Is Given Heart of TV Actor". The New York Times. 1984-10-23. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A0DE7DF1539F930A15753C1A962948260. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  9. ^ "Wounding of Actor on Coast Is Laid to Russian Roulette". The New York Times. 1984-10-18. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7D71739F93BA25753C1A962948260. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  10. ^ Meisler, Andy (1992-11-08). "TELEVISION; When a Series Loses One of Its Own". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D91E3AF93BA35752C1A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-08-16.  
  11. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 294. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.  
  12. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.  

External links


Jon-Erik Hexum
File:Jon-Erik
Born Jon Eric Hexum
November 5, 1957(1957-11-05)
Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S.
Died October 18, 1984 (aged 26)
Century City, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, model
Years active 1982–1984

Jon-Erik Hexum (November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American model and actor. He died as a result of a firearms accident on the set of television series Cover Up, on which he was the male lead.

Contents

Early life and career

Hexum was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Norwegian immigrants Gretha and Thorleif Hexum. He and his elder brother, Gunnar, were raised in Tenafly by their mother after their parents divorced when Hexum was four.[1] After graduating from high school, Hexum went on to the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in order to study biomedical engineering. However, he soon gave it up and transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing. During that time, he worked as a radio disc jockey, played football, and acted in minor stage roles.[2]

Only a few days after graduation, he moved to New York in 1980 in order to pursue his acting career. While working as a cleaner he met Bob LeMond of LeMond/Zetter Management and the manager of John Travolta, who saw great potential in Hexum.[3] LeMond asked him to move to Los Angeles in 1981 in order to audition for a movie called Summer Lovers, which would be directed by Randal Kleiser, but Hexum lost the part to Peter Gallagher.

After only four months in Los Angeles, during which time he worked odd jobs to support himself, Hexum was cast as the lead in the series Voyagers! after acting out the lead in Voyager From The Unknown, the pilot film for that series. Voyagers! aired on NBC during the 1982–83 television season, and the role earned Hexum $10,000 a week. The series was cancelled after one season, after which Hexum was cast in the made for television movie The Making Of A Male Model, which also starred Joan Collins and Roxie Roker.[3]

In 1984 he had a small but well-received role in the feature film The Bear, about college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, whom Gary Busey impersonated in that film. He also appeared in an episode of Hotel.

The Cover Up series began production in 1984. In the series Hexum played the male lead, a former model turned weapons expert and undercover CIA agent.

Personal life

At the time of his death, Hexum was dating actress and singer Elizabeth "E. G." Daily.[4]

Death

On October 12, 1984, between filming scenes on the set of Cover Up, Hexum was critically wounded after he placed a .44 Magnum prop gun loaded with blanks to his temple and pulled the trigger.[5] The accident happened during the filming of a scene where Hexum’s character (Mac Harper) was supposed to unload a handgun and replace the bullets with blanks—as the script required. The shooting was, however, delayed due to a technical difficulty and Hexum fell asleep on the set. Hexum awoke approximately fifteen minutes later and, realizing the scene was still not ready to be shot, began playing with the gun. Police later reported that Hexum had been playing Russian roulette, having loaded three empty cartridges and two blanks into the cylinder. He eventually placed the gun to his head and, after saying, "Let's see if I've got one for me!" pulled the trigger.[6][7]

Hexum was apparently not aware that blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the shell, and that this wadding is propelled from the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired within a few inches of the body, especially if pointed at a particularly vulnerable spot, such as the temple or the eye. Although the paper wadding in the blank that Hexum discharged did not penetrate his skull, the wad struck him in the temple with enough blunt force trauma to shatter a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propel the pieces into his brain, causing massive hemorrhaging.[1][8]

Hexum was rushed to the Beverly Hills Medical Center, where he underwent five hours of surgery to repair his wounds.[8] On October 18, six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain dead. Hexum's mother Greta allowed his body, still connected to life support, to be flown to San Francisco for organ transplants.[2] Hexum's heart was then implanted into a 36-year old Las Vegas escort service owner who was awaiting a heart transplant.[9] Hexum's kidneys and corneas were also harvested and placed in organ transplant banks before his body was flown back to Los Angeles for autopsy and burial.[2]

Hexum's death was ruled accidental.[10] Hexum's mother later received an out-of-court settlement from Twentieth Century Fox Television and Glen A. Larson Productions, the production team behind Cover Up.[1]

Four weeks after Hexum's death, Cover Up resumed airing without Hexum's character, Mac Harper, who was killed in action. The return episode also featured a tribute to Hexum.[11] Antony Hamilton replaced Hexum as the show's new male lead.[12] Cover Up was canceled after its first season due to low ratings.[13]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1982 Voyager from the Unknown Phineas Bogg
1984 The Bear Pat Trammell
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982–1983 Voyagers! Phineas Bogg 20 episodes
1983 Making of a Male Model Tyler Burnett Television movie
1984 Hotel Prince Erik 1 episode
Cover Up Mac Harper 7 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jon-Erik Hexum's Fatal Joke". ew.com. 1994-10-14. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304026,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  2. ^ a b c Parish, James Robert (2001). The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More Than 125 American Movie and TV Idols. Contemporary Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-809-22227-2. 
  3. ^ a b Wallace, David (1983-10-11). "On and Off Camera, Joan Collins Helps in the Making of Male Model Jon-Erik Hexum". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20086114,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  4. ^ "Celebrity Suicides". cbs5.com. http://cbs5.com/slideshows/celebrity.suicides.deaths.20.722953.html?rid=31. Retrieved 2008-08-16. [dead link]
  5. ^ Donnelley, Paul (2003-06-01). Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries (2 ed.). Omnibus Press. pp. 483. ISBN 0-711-99512-5. 
  6. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0. 
  7. ^ "Wounding of Actor on Coast is Laid to Russian Roulette". The New York Times. 1984-10-17. http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/18/us/wounding-of-actor-on-coast-is-laid-to-russian-roulette.html. 
  8. ^ a b "Actor Wounds Himself On Set of TV Series". The New York Times. 1984-10-14. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E4DF1739F937A25753C1A962948260. 
  9. ^ "Las Vegas Escort Operator Is Given Heart of TV Actor". The New York Times. 1984-10-23. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A0DE7DF1539F930A15753C1A962948260. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  10. ^ "Wounding of Actor on Coast Is Laid to Russian Roulette". The New York Times. 1984-10-18. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7D71739F93BA25753C1A962948260. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  11. ^ Meisler, Andy (1992-11-08). "TELEVISION; When a Series Loses One of Its Own". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D91E3AF93BA35752C1A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  12. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 294. ISBN 0-345-49773-2. 
  13. ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0. 

External links

Retrieved from "http://yak.rapint.com/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum"







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