Larry Wilcox
Encyclopedia
Larry Wilcox is an American
actor, best known for his role as Officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker in CHiPs
, an American television series.
rider, horseman, race car driver, and jet ski
er, Wilcox did many of his own stunts on the show. Unlike his co-star, Erik Estrada
(who played "Ponch"), Wilcox never suffered any major injuries. By the 1979–80 season, he made $25,000 per episode (the same amount as Estrada). During his time on CHiPs, Wilcox appeared on the cover of TV Guide
three times, along with Estrada.
Rumors of friction between the two had occurred late in the 1978–79 season, but it calmed down after Estrada's injury at the beginning of the 1979–80 season. Wilcox and Estrada were never the best of friends, and Wilcox confirmed that some of the rumors of on-set feuding were true. He added: "We're just two totally different people."
for five years. He also continued acting and directing. In the mid-1990s, Wilcox ran a company called Team Elite, which he described as "a multidivisional company selling liquid vitamin
s, wholesale travel and long-distance communications through network marketing".
Wilcox was executive producer
of the TV movie Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story
. The story had a deeper resonance for Wilcox, whose older sister was shot in front of her three children and her mother. The accused murderer, her husband, was later acquitted in a celebrated trial in Wyoming and subsequently killed in a barroom brawl, according to Wilcox.
Wilcox appeared in a 1985 made for TV movie sequel to The Dirty Dozen
, called The Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission. He played a convicted war prisoner recruited to help terminate a German general who is plotting to assassinate Hitler.
In January 2011, Wilcox was convicted of securities fraud after being arrested in an FBI sting operation, but avoided jail time by informing on others.
Wilcox was reunited briefly on-screen with his former co-star Estrada in National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, and then again in CHiPs 99. He also appeared in a cameo as "Officer Jon Baker" on the 2009 Christmas episode of 30 Rock
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, best known for his role as Officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker in CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, an American television series.
Military service
Wilcox joined the Marines in May 1967 and served 13 months in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1973. Before his big fame, Wilcox attended Cal State Northridge where he earned a degree.CHiPs
As an accomplished motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
rider, horseman, race car driver, and jet ski
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
er, Wilcox did many of his own stunts on the show. Unlike his co-star, Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...
(who played "Ponch"), Wilcox never suffered any major injuries. By the 1979–80 season, he made $25,000 per episode (the same amount as Estrada). During his time on CHiPs, Wilcox appeared on the cover of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
three times, along with Estrada.
Rumors of friction between the two had occurred late in the 1978–79 season, but it calmed down after Estrada's injury at the beginning of the 1979–80 season. Wilcox and Estrada were never the best of friends, and Wilcox confirmed that some of the rumors of on-set feuding were true. He added: "We're just two totally different people."
Post-CHiPs
In 1982, Wilcox left CHiPs and formed his own production company, Wilcox Productions, which produced The Ray Bradbury TheaterThe Ray Bradbury Theater
The Ray Bradbury Theater is an anthology series that ran for two seasons on HBO, three episodes per season from 1985 to 1986, and four additional seasons on USA Network from 1988 to 1992. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel...
for five years. He also continued acting and directing. In the mid-1990s, Wilcox ran a company called Team Elite, which he described as "a multidivisional company selling liquid vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s, wholesale travel and long-distance communications through network marketing".
Wilcox was executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of the TV movie Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story is a 1981 American Television film. It is a fictionalized dramatization of the life and the murder of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Two years later the same story was developed by director Bob Fosse in...
. The story had a deeper resonance for Wilcox, whose older sister was shot in front of her three children and her mother. The accused murderer, her husband, was later acquitted in a celebrated trial in Wyoming and subsequently killed in a barroom brawl, according to Wilcox.
Wilcox appeared in a 1985 made for TV movie sequel to The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
, called The Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission. He played a convicted war prisoner recruited to help terminate a German general who is plotting to assassinate Hitler.
In January 2011, Wilcox was convicted of securities fraud after being arrested in an FBI sting operation, but avoided jail time by informing on others.
Wilcox was reunited briefly on-screen with his former co-star Estrada in National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, and then again in CHiPs 99. He also appeared in a cameo as "Officer Jon Baker" on the 2009 Christmas episode of 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
.
Personal life
- Wilcox married his first wife, Judy Vagner, on March 29, 1969, and later divorced in 1978. They had two children together: Derek and Heidi.
- Wilcox's second marriage was to DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
native Hannie Strasser, a one time CHiPs assistant sound technician. The wedding took place on April 11, 1980. Their daughter, Wendy, was born in 1982.
- On March 22, 1986, Wilcox married his present wife, Marlene Harmon, a member of the 1980 Olympic1980 Summer OlympicsThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
HeptathlonHeptathlonA heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
Team. They live in the San Fernando Valley with their two sons.
- Today Wilcox spends his time on various philanthropic projects, raising his two teenage sons, and caring for his father-in-law, a stroke victim.