John Randolph "Jack" Webb

 John Randolph "Jack" Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982)

Webb is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series, Dragnet. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited. Webb's radio shows included Johnny Modero, Pier 23; Jeff Regan, Investigator; Murder and Mr. Malone; Pete Kelly's Blues and One Out of Seven. Webb provided all of the voices on One Out of Seven, often vigorously attacking racial prejudice. His most famous motion picture role was as the combat-hardened Marine Corps drill instructor at Parris Island in the 1957 film The D.I., with Don Dubbins as a callow Marine private. Webb's hard-nosed approach to this role, that of Drill Instructor Technical Sergeant James Moore, would be reflected in much of his later acting. Webb was approached to play the role of Dean Wormer, the dean of Faber College, in National Lampoon's Animal House, but he turned it down as crazy. Webb had a featured role as a crime lab technician in the 1948 film He Walked by Night, based on the real-life murder of a California Highway Patrolman by Erwin Walker. The film was produced in semidocumentary style with technical assistance provided by Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He Walked By Night's thinly veiled fictionalized recounting of the 1946 Walker crime spree gave Webb the idea for Dragnet: a recurring series based on real cases from LAPD police files, featuring authentic depictions of the modern police detective, including methods, mannerisms, and technical language. With much assistance from Sgt. Marty Wynn and legendary LAPD chief William H. Parker, Dragnet premiered on NBC Radio in 1949 and ran till 1957. Webb was a stickler for attention to detail. He believed viewers wanted "realism" and tried to give it to them. Beginning in early 1967, Webb produced and starred in a new color version of Dragnet for NBC, this time for Universal Television, which packaged all but one of his subsequent shows. Harry Morgan co-starred as Officer Bill Gannon.

In 1968, in concert with Robert A. Cinader, Webb produced NBC's popular Adam-12, which ran until 1975. In the 1970s, Webb began to expand his Mark VII Limited into other shows. The most successful of his 1970s efforts was Emergency!, which portrayed the fledgling paramedic program of the L.A. County Fire Department. He cast his ex-wife Julie London, and her second husband Bobby Troup. Jack Webb began working on scripts for a revival of Dragnet with Kent McCord as his partner, but before production could begin, he died of a heart attack on December 23, 1982 at the age of 62. Jack Webb is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills.