# Mike Connors
**Mike Connors** (born Krekor Ohanian; August 15, 1925 – January 2017) was an American actor of Armenian descent best known for playing the private detective Joe Mannix on the CBS crime series *Mannix* from 1967 to 1975.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mannix) He was also a producer, and his screen career stretched from the 1952 film *Sudden Fear* to a 2007 guest role on *Two and a Half Men*.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-connors-who-played-hard-hitting-private-eye-mannix-dies-at-91/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Krekor Ohanian, August 15, 1925, Fresno, California, of Armenian descent[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) |
| Died | January 2017, age 91, of complications of leukemia diagnosed a week earlier; sources give January 26 (CBS News, TV Insider, The Washington Post) or January 27 (Television Academy)[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-connors-who-played-hard-hitting-private-eye-mannix-dies-at-91/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) |
| Signature role | Joe Mannix in *Mannix* (CBS, 1967–75), one of the longest-running police crime dramas in TV history and the first to feature an Armenian male lead[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) |
| Other series leads | Nick in *Tightrope* (CBS, 1959–60); Ben Slater in *Today's F.B.I.* (ABC, 1981–82)[5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors) |
| Awards | Golden Globe, Best TV Actor – Drama, 1970; four consecutive Emmy nominations for *Mannix*, 1970–1973[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mike-connors/bio/3000020665/) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) |
| Salary | $40,000 per episode of *Mannix*, making him one of TV's highest-paid actors of the time[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) |
| Family | Married Mary Lou Willey from September 10, 1949; two children, Matthew Gunner Ohanian (born 1958) and Dana Lee Connors (born 1960)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) |
## Early life and name
Connors was born Krekor Ohanian in [Fresno, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/fresno-california), and grew up facing the discrimination directed at the city's Armenian community.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) He served in the [United States Army Air Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-army-air-forces) during World War II and then attended the [University of California, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-los-angeles) on a basketball scholarship.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mike-connors/bio/3000020665/) • [5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors) His agility on the court earned him the nickname "Touch".[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors)
**Discovery by William Wellman.** While playing in a basketball game, Connors was noticed by the film director William A. Wellman, who saw his expressive face and encouraged him to pursue acting.[5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors) He adopted "Touch Connors" as a stage name, on the advice of the agent [Henry Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-wilson), and later billed himself as Michael Connors and then Mike Connors.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) • [5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors)
## Film and early television work
Connors made his feature film debut in the RKO release *Sudden Fear* (1952), which starred [Joan Crawford](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-crawford), and spent several years in supporting parts and occasional leads.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) His early credits, mostly under the Touch Connors name, included *The 49th Man* and *Sky Commando* (both 1953), *Day the World Ended* (1955), and *The Ten Commandments* (1956), in which he played an Amalekite herder.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) He was also a member of [John Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wayne)'s downed transport crew in *[Island in the Sky](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-in-the-sky-1953-film)* (1953).[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/)
His first television lead came in *Tightrope* (CBS, 1959–60), in which he played an undercover agent, sometimes called Nick, assigned to infiltrate organized crime.[5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors) In a 1970 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Connors explained his move from film to television: "No. 1, I wasn't getting the kind of parts I wanted in the kind of pictures I wanted."[8](https://www.metv.com/stories/why-mike-connors-moved-from-film-to-tv)
## Mannix
*Mannix* was created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller; its title character, Joe Mannix, is an Armenian-American private investigator played by Connors, an actor of the same heritage.[2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mannix) In the first season Mannix worked for the computerized Los Angeles agency Intertect, ignoring the computers' solutions and doing things his own way; Desilu head [Lucille Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucille-ball) judged the computers too high-tech for viewers and had them removed.[2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mannix)
**A near cancellation and a retooling.** The show was nearly canceled after its low-rated debut season, but Lucille Ball, whose Desilu Productions developed it, persuaded CBS executives to keep it on the air.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) From the second season, Mannix worked solo with his secretary Peggy Fair, played by [Gail Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/gail-fisher), one of the first African-American actresses to hold a regular series role; the Television Academy notes that *Mannix* was among the first shows to feature an African-American actress on a weekly basis, and that [Nichelle Nichols](https://www.edgepedia.org/nichelle-nichols) had auditioned for the part.[2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mannix) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors)
The series ran eight seasons and 194 episodes, often considered one of the most violent detective shows in TV history: its hero crashed through windows, was chased by helicopters, and, by one count, was shot 17 times and sustained 55 concussions over the run.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) Connors did many of the stunts himself and sustained a broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder during production.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) The show carried a driving theme by [Lalo Schifrin](https://www.edgepedia.org/lalo-schifrin), and Connors spoke a few lines of Armenian dialogue in some episodes.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html) • [9](https://calandrainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hagopian-from-IAR_6.2.pdf)
## Recognition
For *Mannix*, Connors received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973, and won the 1970 Golden Globe for Best TV Actor in a Drama.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mike-connors/bio/3000020665/) He also received a Golden Laurel Award nomination for male new face from the Producers Guild of America in 1965, and Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a television drama annually from 1971 to 1975.[10](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/connors-mike-1925-touch-conners-michael-connors-touch-connors)
## Later career
After *Mannix* ended in 1975, Connors appeared in television movies such as *The Killer Wouldn't Die* (1976), *Long Journey Back* (1978), and *Casino* (1980), then played agent Ben Slater for one season of ABC's *Today's F.B.I.* (1981–82).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [5](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors) Later credits included the mini-series *War and Remembrance* (1988–89), *Burke's Law* (1994), *The Commish* (1993), *Walker, Texas Ranger* (1998), and a recurring role as Chipacles in the syndicated *[Hercules](https://www.edgepedia.org/hercules-1998-tv-series)* series (1998–99).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors)
He reprised Joe Mannix twice: in a 1997 episode of CBS's *Diagnosis: Murder*, starring his friend [Dick Van Dyke](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-van-dyke), and in the 2004 film comedy *Nobody Knows Anything*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) His last on-screen performance was as Hugo in the 2007 *Two and a Half Men* episode "Prostitutes and Gelato".[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors)
## Personal life and death
Connors married Mary Lou Willey on September 10, 1949, and the marriage produced two children, Matthew Gunner Ohanian (born 1958) and Dana Lee Connors (born 1960).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) He died in January 2017 at a Los Angeles hospital from complications of leukemia that had been diagnosed a week earlier, surrounded by family, according to his son-in-law Mike Condon; he was 91.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-connors-who-played-hard-hitting-private-eye-mannix-dies-at-91/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i) The Television Academy gives the date of passing as January 27, 2017, while [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news), TV Insider, and The Washington Post report January 26, 2017.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-connors-who-played-hard-hitting-private-eye-mannix-dies-at-91/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html)
## Portrait
[Norman Rockwell](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-rockwell) painted Connors in oil on canvas in 1966; the painting, on a stretcher measuring 51 cm by 40.5 cm, is held by the Norman Rockwell Museum and recorded in the Smithsonian's Catalog of American Portraits.[11](https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_P160?destination=edan-search%2Fcatalog_of_america%3Fedan_fq%255B0%255D%3Ddate%253A%25221960s%2522%26edan_fq%255B1%255D%3Dname%253A%2522Rockwell%252C%2520Norman%2522%26edan_fq%255B2%255D%3Dobject_type%253A%2522Paintings%2522%26edan_q%3D)
## References
1. [Mike Connors, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/mike-connors)
2. [Mannix, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mannix)
3. [Mike Connors, who played hard-hitting private eye "Mannix," dies at 91, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-connors-who-played-hard-hitting-private-eye-mannix-dies-at-91/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i)
4. [Mike Connors, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mike-connors/)
5. [Mike Connors, Classic TV Database](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/cast-bios/mike-connors)
6. [Mike Connors Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mike-connors/bio/3000020665/)
7. [Mike Connors, brawny star of 'Mannix' TV detective series, dies at 91, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/mike-connors-brawny-star-of-mannix-tv-detective-series-dies-at-91/2017/01/27/50e8feee-e4a2-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html)
8. [Why Mike Connors moved from film to TV, MeTV](https://www.metv.com/stories/why-mike-connors-moved-from-film-to-tv)
9. [Hagopian, Studies in Armenian Research, Calandra Institute](https://calandrainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hagopian-from-IAR_6.2.pdf)
10. [Connors, Mike 1925-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/connors-mike-1925-touch-conners-michael-connors-touch-connors)
11. [Mike Connors, National Portrait Gallery, Catalog of American Portraits](https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_P160?destination=edan-search%2Fcatalog_of_america%3Fedan_fq%255B0%255D%3Ddate%253A%25221960s%2522%26edan_fq%255B1%255D%3Dname%253A%2522Rockwell%252C%2520Norman%2522%26edan_fq%255B2%255D%3Dobject_type%253A%2522Paintings%2522%26edan_q%3D)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames Br to C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license