Conrad Janis, Mork And Mindy And Cable Guy Actor, Dies At 94

Mork & Mindy star Conrad Janis has died at the age of 94. The New York Times confirmed this news after getting a statement from his business manager Dean A. Avedon. He passed away in Los Angeles, California on March 1. Audiences will recognize him from the the 70’s sitcom. Famously Janis starred alongside Robin Williams and Pam Dawber. Thought people might know his work through television, the actor was also an accomplished jazz trombonist and was the son of New York art gallerists Sidney and Harriet Janis. Starting out on Broadway with Dark Side of the Moon in 1945, the actor worked his way up until getting onto the silver screen two years later. 1946 saw him star alongside Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple. But the 1960s saw his profile explode with Get Smart and My Favorite Martian. He would find steady work throughout the following decade on a number of TV staples like Happy Days, The Waltons, The Jeffersons and Laverne & Shirley.

Years ago, he talked to The Spectrum about his career. He had nothing but high praise for his Mork & Mindy co-stars. Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams left quite a mark on the actor as he moved into the later part of his career.

“If Jonathan caught you off set, he would push you up against a wall and do two hours of comedy in your face,” Janis remembered “Robin had a photographic memory and could read a script once and know it. He would constantly adlib. If anyone in the cast made a mistake, Robin would run up into the audience and start doing his shtick.”

Another delightful development for the star and his family were young people being exposed to his work through new means. In the same interview, Janis told the story of one fan meeting them at a theater in Hollywood. He and his wife Maria were waiting to get into a movie when a Nick at Nite fan approached them.

“This kid standing near us was covered in tattoos and staring intensely at Conrad,” Maria told The Spectrum. “Then he put his hands out and gave the Mork ‘nanu nanu’ sign. When we asked how he knew that, he just said ‘Nick at Night, man, Nick at Night.’ It was wonderful!… Conrad truly is a man for all seasons.”

Janis reflected on his career in early television. The level of preparation for each individual show was quite different than the streaming era of today.

“It was an exciting time because everything was live,” he explained. “You had to memorize the entire show for the night of broadcast. We’d do 1-hour shows six or seven nights a week, with very little time for rehearsal. If people forgot their lines or a prop gun didn’t fire, you just had to adlib your way out of it.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Janis family at this time.