Biography
Scion of a wealthy New York City family, Rick Jason managed to get himself expelled from eight different prep schools before finally graduating with acceptable grades from the Rhodes School. Following World War II service, Jason attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on the GI Bill. He was discovered for the theatre by actor/director
Hume Cronyn, who cast Jason as an Ecuadorian Indian in the brief Broadway production Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. After making his movie bow in 1952's
Sombrero, Jason could be seen in lightweight second-lead roles in such films as
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1955) and
The Wayward Bus (1957). In 1960, he was cast as a tuxedoed secret agent on the syndicated TV series
The Case of the Dangerous Robin. Two years later, he signed up for a five-season hitch as Lt. Gil Hanley on the popular TV war drama
Combat. For the first time in his life, Jason found himself subjected to the fan-magazine publicity glare, raising eyebrows by marrying three women during a period of 19 months! Rick Jason's post-
Combat career hasn't been quite so remarkable, with appearances in such second-echelon features as
Color Me Dead (1969) and
The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide