Jan-Michael Vincent was an American actor who garnered fame for portraying helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke in the television series ‘Airwolf’ and the protagonist Matt Johnson, in the 1978 film ‘Big Wednesday’. He is also known for his performance as Byron Henry in ‘The Winds of War’. A native of Colorado, Vincent served in the California Army National Guard for a period. He began his acting career in 1967, in the Mexican-American film ‘The Bandits’. However, his first released project was the telefilm ‘The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk’. Over the course of his 38-year-long career, Vincent accumulated over 80 film and TV credits. The son of an alcoholic father, Vincent was a heavy drinker as well and had several run-ins with the law. In February 2019, he passed away at the age of 73 after suffering a cardiac arrest. His final outing as an actor was in the 2003 drama film ‘White Boy’.
