Norman Jay Rambeau professionally known as Dack Rambo, was an American actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, most notable for appearing as Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...

's grandson Jeff in the ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 series The Guns of Will Sonnett

The Guns of Will Sonnett

The Guns of Will Sonnett is a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series was the first production collaboration between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, who would later go on to produce one of ABC's most-memorable hits, The Mod...

, as Steve Jacobi in All My Children

All My Children

All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

, as cousin Jack Ewing on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

's Dallas

Dallas (TV series)

Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...

, and as Grant Harrison on the NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Another World

Another World (TV series)

Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...

.

Early life and career

Born in Earlimart

Earlimart, California

Earlimart is a census-designated place in Tulare County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 8,537, up from 6,583 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Earlimart is located at ....

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Rambo had a twin brother, Orman Ray Rambeau, who would ultimately go professionally as Dirk Rambo. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s, both Dirk and Dack were discovered by actress Loretta Young

Loretta Young

Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...

 and cast in her CBS series, The New Loretta Young Show

The New Loretta Young Show

The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...

. In February 1967 Rambo's twin brother died in a road accident. Later that same year, Rambo landed the role of Jeff Sonnett on The Guns of Will Sonnett, and co-starred in the short-lived Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....

spin-off, Dirty Sally

Dirty Sally

Dirty Sally is a short-lived comedy-drama Western series which ran on CBS from January 11 until April 5, 1974. The program was a spin-off of a two-part 1971 episode of Gunsmoke in which Sally nursed a young gunfighter back to health.-Synopsis:...

, with Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan was an American radio, film and television actress. Nolan was nominated for four Emmy Awards.-Early life:...

. During the 1970s and 1980s he made guest appearances on Marcus Welby, M.D.

Marcus Welby, M.D.

Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...

, House Calls

House Calls (TV series)

House Calls is an American sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 feature film of the same name.-Scenario:...

, Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman (TV series)

Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....

, All My Children

All My Children

All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

, Fantasy Island

Fantasy Island

Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...

, The Love Boat

The Love Boat

The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...

, Hotel

Hotel (TV series)

Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....

, and Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

.

While working on the soap opera Another World in 1991, Rambo learned that he was infected with HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

. He quit the series shortly thereafter, and retired from acting. Rambo then publicly announced that he was HIV positive, and also revealed that he was bisexual.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962–1963	The New Loretta Young Show The New Loretta Young Show The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...	Peter Massey	26 episodes
1965	Never Too Young Never Too Young Never Too Young is an American teen soap opera that aired on ABC from September 27, 1965 to June 24, 1966 and was the first soap opera geared towards a teen audience.-Synopsis:...	Tim	Unknown episodes
1967	The Iron Horse	Lieutenant Shelby	Episode: "Sister Death" Credited as Norman Rambo
1967–1969	The Guns of Will Sonnett The Guns of Will Sonnett The Guns of Will Sonnett is a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series was the first production collaboration between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, who would later go on to produce one of ABC's most-memorable hits, The Mod...	Jeff Sonnett	50 episodes
1970	Which Way to the Front? Which Way to the Front? Which Way to the Front? is a 1970 film starring Jerry Lewis. It would be Lewis' last released film for eleven years , until 1981's Hardly Working. The unreleased The Day the Clown Cried was filmed in the years between...	Terry Love
1970–1971	Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....	Cyrus Pike	3 episodes
1971	The Man and the City The Man and the City The Man and the City was a dramatic television series which was aired on the ABC television network as part of its Fall 1971 lineup from September 15, 1971 to January 5, 1972....	Holland, Jr.	Episode: "Disaster on Turner Street"
1971	Cannon Cannon (TV series) Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....	Bryan Gibson	Episode: "Stone, Cold Dead"
1973	Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law is an American legal drama, jointly created by David Victor and former law professor Jerry McNeely, that starred actor Arthur Hill. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1971 to 1974...	Don	Episode: "Sweet Harvest"
1974	Dirty Sally Dirty Sally Dirty Sally is a short-lived comedy-drama Western series which ran on CBS from January 11 until April 5, 1974. The program was a spin-off of a two-part 1971 episode of Gunsmoke in which Sally nursed a young gunfighter back to health.-Synopsis:...	Cyrus Pike	13 episodes
1974	Nightmare Honeymoon	David Webb
1975	Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...		2 episodes
1975	The Rookies The Rookies The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...	Tommy Locke	Episode: "Angel:
1977	Good Against Evil	Andy Stuart	Television movie
1977	Wonder Woman Wonder Woman (TV series) Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....	Andros	2 episodes
1977	Tabitha Tabitha (TV series) Tabitha is an American fantasy sitcom that aired during the 1977-1978 season on ABC. It is a spin-off of Bewitched, which had ended its run several years earlier...	Ted	Episode: "Tabitha's Triangle"
1978	A Double Life	Jack Cole	Television movie
1978–1979	Sword of Justice Sword of Justice (TV series) Sword Of Justice is an American action-adventure television series that aired on NBC for one season during 1978 and 1979. The series was considered a mix of The Saint, It Takes a Thief, and The Rockford Files.-Synopsis:...	Jack Cole	10 episodes
1978–1986	Fantasy Island Fantasy Island Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...	Various	6 episodes
1979–1986	The Love Boat The Love Boat The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...	Various	3 episodes
1980	Waikiki	Ronnie	Television movie
1980	Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...	Steve	Episode: "Angel in Hiding"
1981	House Calls House Calls (TV series) House Calls is an American sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 feature film of the same name.-Scenario:...		Episode: "All About Adam"
1981	Rich and Famous Rich and Famous (1981 film) Rich and Famous is a 1981 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Gerald Ayres is based on the 1941 play Old Acquaintance by John Van Druten, which was filmed with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins in 1943 under its original title. Both film versions are now owned by Turner...	Kent	Uncredited
1982–1983	All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...	Steve Jacobi	7 episodes
1983–1987	Hotel Hotel (TV series) Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....	Various	3 episodes
1984	No Man's Land No Man's Land (1984 film) No Man's Land was a television pilot film made in 1984. The pilot featured Stella Stevens as the sheriff of a town in the Old West with three daughters. The youngest daughter was played by Melissa Michaelsen. Stella's two older daughters were played by Terri Garber and Donna Dixon....	Connell	Television movie
1984	Paper Dolls Paper Dolls Paper Dolls is an American prime time soap opera which aired for 14 episodes on ABC from September 23, 1984 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York's fashion industry, the show centered around top modeling agency owner Racine , her conflicts with the family of cosmetics tycoon Grant Harper , and the...	Wesley Harper	13 episodes
1984–1990	Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...	Various	3 episodes
1985–1987	Dallas Dallas (TV series) Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...	Jack Ewing	51 episodes
1987	Shades of Love: Lilac Dream	Matt	Direct-to-video release
1988	Lonely Knights	Brad Moore	Television movie
1988	Hunter	Deputy D.A. Jason Leffler	Episode: "Presumed Guilty"
1989	The Spring The Spring The Spring is a 1989 independent movie, not available in video, about archaeologists Andy and Matty who discover a diary written by a member of Ponce de León's exploration party, which they believe can lead them to the Fountain of Youth...	Andy
1989	Highway to Heaven Highway to Heaven Highway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.- Season 1 :- Season 2 :- Season 3 :- Season 4 :- Season 5 :...	Larry Nichols	Episode: "The Source"
1990	Ultra Warrior Ultra Warrior Ultra Warrior, also known as Welcome to Oblivion, is a post-apocalyptic 1990 film directed by Augusto Tamayo San Román and Kevin Tent. Set in a post-World War III era, a nuclear holocaust creates mutants who inhabit the radioactive areas and battle with the few remaining humans. One man emerges as...	Kenner	Alternative title: Welcome to Oblivion
1990–1991	Another World Another World (TV series) Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...	Grant Harrison	9 episodes

External links