Mork & Mindy star Conrad Janis dies at 94
Mork & Mindy star Conrad Janis has died at the age of 94.
Dean A. Avedon, his business manager, confirmed his death to The New York Times.
Janice appeared alongside Robin Williams on the sitcom Mork & Mindy, playing Fred McConnell, the father of Mindy McConnell (played by Pam Dawber).
Janice played the character in 70 episodes from 1978 to 1982.
Mork & Mindy star Conrad Janis dies at 94 Conrad pictured far L
According to Deadline, the actor was born on February 11, 1928 to Sidney and Harriet Janis, well-known art collectors and gallery owners in New York.
Janis’ acting career began in the mid-1940s when he landed a role in the 1945 production of The Dark Side of the Moon. This will be the first of 12 Broadway shows he will appear in during his career.
He also starred in the 1945 war comedy Snafu, followed by roles in Margie, Brasher Doubloon, The Girl from Hagen, and Beyond Glory.
In addition to his work as an actor, Janis was also an accomplished jazz trombonist who performed with the unregistered Beverly Hills jazz band, even at the height of his Mork & Mindy fame, according to Deadline.
Janice appeared alongside Robin Williams on the sitcom Mork & Mindy, playing Fred McConnell, the father of Mindy McConnell (played by Pam Dawber).
Janice played the character in 70 episodes from 1978 to 1982.
According to the New York Post, Janis was a voracious listener of trombonist Kid Ory and his jazz band in New Orleans in the 1940s, which led to his lifelong passion for music.
“For eight or nine months, listening to him every night, I inadvertently memorized every single of his solos,” he said in a 2012 interview with film historian Alan K. Rod.
“When I finally got my hands on a trombone [sometime later]I started playing and could play – very badly and stumbling – but I had it in my ear.”
In addition to his acting career, Conrad was also an accomplished jazz trombonist.