A virile, beefcake blond of the late 1960s and 1970s small screen,
Dennis Cole certainly had it all going for him, but tragic
circumstances prevented an all-out successful career. A rugged TV
version of Robert Redford, his
tan, chiseled, surfer-fit looks were ideally suited for crime action
and adventure stories and he gained ground by appearing everywhere --
daytime soaps, prime-time series, mini-movies -- you name it.
The Detroit-born and -raised stunner was the son of Joseph C. Cole, a
musician during the 1940s and 1950s. His parents, both alcoholics,
divorced when he was young (his father later committed suicide). Dennis
was first noticed on the pages of physique magazines serving the likes
of Robert Henry Mizer (aka Bob Mizer)
and his Athletic Models Guild as well as other photographers. Paying
his dues as a motion picture and television stuntman, Cole also
appeared in an occasional bit part and in the background of a few movie
musicals. His photogenic appeal could not be denied for long and
eventually he took a front-and-center position, launching his acting
career on the short-lived daytime soap
Paradise Bay (1965) as a spoiled
rich boy who causes tongues to wag after falling for a Mexican girl.
However, it was the subsequent nighttime police series
Gefährlicher Alltag (1966) alongside
veterans Howard Duff and
Ben Alexander (of
Dragnet (1951) fame) that set Cole's
TV career in high gear. As hunky rookie detective Jim Briggs, Dennis
was able to ride high on the fame his two-and-a-half season series
offered.
With this success came two very short-lived series: the glossy ensemble
drama Bracken's World (1969)
and opposite Rod Taylor as a
trouble-prone stud in the more adventurous
Ohne Furcht und Sattel (1971). Females couldn't
get enough of Cole and his athletic skills had males idolizing from
afar. Guest appearances on
Medical Center (1969),
Barnaby Jones (1973),
Police Story - Immer im Einsatz (1973),
Wo die Liebe hinfällt (1969),
Love Boat (1977),
Die Strassen von San Francisco (1972)
and Make-Up und Pistolen (1974) kept him
highly visible in between series runs. During this career peak, he made
his Broadway debut in "All the Girls Came Out to Play" in 1972. He also
decided to tap into his musical side and dabbled in his own musical
revue, which showcased on the Sunset Strip and in Las Vegas. A guest TV
appearance on
Drei Engel für Charlie (1976) led
to his meeting and, in 1978, marrying "Angel"
Jaclyn Smith. As one of Hollywood's
more beautiful couples, they kept cameras flashing for a number of
years until their breakup and divorce in 1981.
The early 1980s started off well for Cole as replacement "Lance
Prentiss" in the soap-opera
Schatten der Leidenschaft (1973)
in 1981. Very much a product of TV, he was unable to permanently
transition into films; he appeared occasionally in dismissible
low-budget action fare such as
Amateur Night (1986),
State Prison (1988),
Die Bikinifalle (1987),
Fighting Warriors (1988) and
Blutiges Erbe (1990). He
continued showing up on all the popular series of the day, including
Palm Beach-Duo (1991),
Mord ist ihr Hobby (1984),
Pacific Blue - Die Strandpolizei (1996) and
Baywatch Nights (1995), among
others, while appearing in such legit stage plays as "The Tender Trap",
"Lovers and Other Strangers", "The Boys in the Band", and the British
farces "Run for You Life" and "Out of Order". Very much involved with
charity work, his endeavors over the years have included an
over-two-decade involvement with the Cancer Society (Honorary
Chairman), as well as the Arthritis and Cystic Fibrosis foundations.
Dennis' later personal and professional lives suffered as a result of a
chronic alcohol problem, but an even greater setback occurred when his
only child, Joey (whom he named after his father), was murdered during
a 1991 robbery attempt in Venice, California. He continued to perform
on TV and stage (as the "Narrator" in a production of "Blood Brothers"
and the James Garner "King Marchan" role in
the first national tour of the musical "Victor/Victoria"). Severe
injuries suffered while performing in the latter show led to multiple
surgeries, a three-year convalescence and a new direction.
Dennis returned to school and started up his own real estate company,
setting up an office in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Married for several years
to his third wife Marjorie ("Ree"), Dennis filed for divorce in May of
2007, which became final on April 21, 2008. He died at age 69 on
November 15, 2009, in a Fort Lauderdale hospital of liver failure.
