Kent Franklin McWhirter (born September 26, 1942), known by his stage name Kent McCord, is an American retired actor, best known for his roles as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12, Captain "Boxey" Troy on Galactica 1980, and IASA Colonel John Robert "Jack" Crichton / "Jack" the Ancient on Farscape.
Life and career McCord was born in Los Angeles, California to Bert and Laura McWhirter. First using his real name on television in 1962 in The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, he later adopted his stage name. He became a close friend of Rick Nelson and made 44 appearances on the program. He also landed small parts in five Elvis Presley films and (as Kent McWhirter) portrayed a motorcycle courier in McHale's Navy in the episode "Monkey Business 007". McCord also appeared in the first episode (September 14, 1967) of Raymond Burr's Ironside series, titled "Message from Beyond", as motorcycle cop Kellogg.
In the first season of Jack Webb's Dragnet 1967, he appeared three times. The first appearance was an extra as a patrol officer in the episode "The Big Explosion". He was credited under his legal name. In the third episode, "The Interrogation", McCord was credited under his stage name in the role of a police officer who has been accused of robbing a store while working an undercover narcotics detail fresh out of the police academy. McCord went on to appear five additional times in the second season, three times as unnamed officers and twice as his eventual Adam-12 character Jim Reed. He appeared once more on Dragnet as Reed before the character became exclusive to Adam-12.
McCord's big break came in 1968 when he was given a lead role next to Martin Milner as rookie police officer James A. "Jim" Reed on Adam-12, a police drama television series created by Jack Webb. The show ran on NBC from 1968 to 1975.
McCord was elected to the national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild in 1972 and was on the board for 11 years. He was the first national vice presidentScreen Actors Guild National Vice Presidents, sag.org; accessed July 17, 2015. while on the National Board of Directors.Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors official website, sag.org; accessed July 17, 2015.
McCord appeared as a downed fighter ace on the 1970s series Baa Baa Black Sheep. In 1980, he played Troy on the television series Galactica 1980. Two years later, Webb tapped him and former co-star Martin Milner for a new Dragnet series he was preparing, with McCord and Milner to reprise their characters from Adam-12, now promoted to detectives. Webb died in December 1982, however, before any of the episodes he wrote could be produced. In 1982, McCord played Mr. Unger on Airplane II: The Sequel. In 1989, he co-starred on the crime drama Unsub.
McCord re-teamed with Martin Milner in the cable TV-movie Nashville Beat (1990), originally shown on The Nashville Network. The story was co-written by McCord, who played an LAPD detective who works with his former partner, played by Milner, in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1990, McCord appeared in the film Predator 2 as Captain Pilgrim. Three years later he played John Reynolds in Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993).
From 1994 to 1995, McCord played the recurring role of Scott Keller on seaQuest DSV. He appeared in three episodes of JAG, and teamed with Martin Milner again in the Diagnosis: Murder episode "Murder Blues." More recently, McCord became a semi-regular guest star on Farscape, where he played two versions (one human and one alien appearing in the physical form of the human) of the same character, Jack Crichton from 1999 to 2003, appearing in all four seasons. He played Deputy U.S. Marshal Jack Hendricks on the series Renegade.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1964 Seven Days in May Presidential Aide Uncredited1964 Kissin' Cousins Extra Uncredited1964 Viva Las Vegas Casino Patron Uncredited1964 The Americanization of Emily Soldier Uncredited1964 Roustabout Carnival Worker Uncredited1964 The Disorderly Orderly Hospital Intern in Pre-Credits Sequence Uncredited1965 John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! Football Player Uncredited1965 Girl Happy Uncredited1965 Billie Student in Bleachers Uncredited1965 The War Lord Extra Uncredited1966 Frankie and Johnny Man in audience Uncredited1967 The Young Warriors Lieutenant 1967 The Outsider Officer Dutton 1968 Jigsaw 1968 Shadow Over Elveron Jessie's Boyfriend (as Kent McWhirter)1968 Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? 1969 Dragnet 1966 Brewster – Desk Clerk (uncredited) 1970 Breakout Hunter 1973 Beg, Borrow ... or Steal Lester Yates 1977 Telethon Tom Galvin 1977 Pine Canyon Is Burning Capt. William Stone, patrol 99 1979 Heaven Only Knows 1980 Conquest of the Earth Capt. Troy (archive footage) 1982 Airplane II: The Sequel Unger 1989 Nashville Beat Lieutenant Mike Delaney 1990 Predator 2 Captain Brent Pilgrim 1991 Out for Justice Jack 1992 Illicit Behavior Dr. Halperin 1993 Return of the Living Dead Part III Colonel John Reynolds 1994 Accidental Meeting Jack Parris 1995 With Criminal Intent 1997 Doomsday Rock 2000 Woman's Story Buckley Warner 2001 Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 2002 Run Ronnie Run! Rescue Show Announcer 2005 Phantom Below Vice Admiral Sommerville
Television Year Title Role Notes 1961–1965 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Kent 1966 McHale's Navy The Courier (as Kent McWhirter) Episode: Secret Chimp 007 1966 Pistols 'n' Petticoats Cousin Fred (as Kent McWhirter) Episode: Bitter Blossom O'Brian 1966 The Virginian (TV series) Hotel Clerk (as Kent McWhirter) Episode: A Bald-Faced Boy 1966–1967 Run for Your Life Mike Ramsey 2 episodes 1967 Ironside (1967 TV series) Patrolman Kellogg Episode: Message from Beyond 1967 Dragnet (1967 TV series) Officer (as Kent McWhirter) 3 episodes 1968 The Outsider (TV Series) Bill Elison Episode: The Land of the Fox 1968–1975 Adam-12 Officer James A. "Jim" Reed 174 episodes 1970 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson self Episode: September 28, 1970 1970 The Merv Griffin Show self Episode: December 23, 1970 1971 The D.A. (1971 TV series) Officer James A. "Jim" Reed Episode: The People vs. Saydo 1972 Emergency! Officer James A. "Jim" Reed Episode: The Wedsworth-Townsend Act 1972 The Merv Griffin Show self Episode: October 18, 1972 1972–1973 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In 3 episodes 1976 Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series) Captain Charles W. Dobson Episode: Presumed Dead 1980 Galactica 1980 Captain Troy 10 episodes 1980 The Love Boat Howard Samuels Episode: The Captain's Ne'er-Do-Well Brother/The Perfect Match/The Remake 1981 An Ozzie and Harriet Christmas Self TV special on KTLA in Los Angeles 1987 J.J. Starbuck Martin Episode: Incident at Sam September 1988 The Highwayman (TV series) Episode: Road Lord 1988 21 Jump Street Tom Hanson Sr. Episode: Chapel of Love 1989 Monsters (American TV series) Tom Solo Episode: Rain Dance 1989 UNSUB (TV series) Alan McWhirter 8 episodes 1990 MacGyver (1985 TV series) Novis Riley Episode: Squeeze Play 1991 Murder, She Wrote George Harris Episode: The Taxman Cometh 1992–1997 Renegade (TV series) Deputy U.S. Marshal Jack Hendricks 1993–1996 SeaQuest DSV Commander Scott Keller 5 episodes 1996–1998 Silk Stalkings D.A. Craig Alexander 5 episodes 1997 Diagnosis: Murder Detective Tony Stang Episode: "Murder Blues" 1997 Dark Skies Dick Loengard Episode: The Enemy Within 1997 Pacific Blue (TV series) Brolin Jorgenson Episode: Ties That Bind 1997 Mike Hammer, Private Eye Anthony Ropa (uncredited) Episode: A Penny Saved 1998 JAG (TV series) Rear Admiral Paul Whelan Episode: With Intent to Die 1999 Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction General Henry Lee Episode: The Burial 1999–2003 Farscape IASA Colonel John Robert "Jack" Crichton - "Jack" the Ancient 7 episodes – 4 episodes 2000 JAG (TV series) Capt. Henry Delario Episode: Drop Zone 2004 Hollywood Squares Himself Episode: February 25, 2004
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