Gary Collins (actor) - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Collins was born in Los Angeles neighborhood Venice, California, and raised there by a single mother, who was a waitress and factory worker. Gary attended Venice High School and graduated with the Class of 1955. After attending Santa Monica City College, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Europe, where he was a radio and television performer for the Armed Forces Network. He co-starred, with Jack Warden and Mark Slade, in the 1965 series The Wackiest Ship in the Army. He co-starred, with Dale Robertson and Robert Random, in the 1966-68 series The Iron Horse. He starred in the 1972 television series Sixth Sense, in syndication part of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, as parapsychologist and ESP-gifted Dr. Michael Rhodes, and in the 1974 series Born Free, based on Kenya wildlife conservationist George Adamson, best known for his work with lions and immortalized with Adamson's wife Joy and lioness cub Elsa in the hit 1966 feature film of the same name.

He guest-starred on dozens of television shows since the 1960s, including Perry Mason, The Virginian, Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man, Alf, The Love Boat, Charlie's Angels, Friends, JAG, and most recently Dirty Sexy Money. He had roles in the 1969 Andy Griffith film Angel in My Pocket, and in the 1970 film Airport. He played the heroic co-pilot in the 1977 film The Night They Took Miss Beautiful.

Collins hosted the television talk show Hour Magazine from 1980-88, and co-hosted the ABC television series The Home Show from 1989-94. He was the host of the Miss America Pageant from 1982-90.