Jack Hogan Passes On

Jack Hogan, who played PFC Kirby on the TV show Combat! and Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller, died on December 6 2023 at the age of 94.

Jack Hogan was born Richard Benson Jr. on November 24 1929 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He received his pilots licence when he was 16. He joined the Air Force following his graduation. During the Korean War he served as a staff sergeant in Japan. Following his service he moved to Hollywood where he worked as a lifeguard and studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Jack Hogan made his film debut in an uncredited role in Man from Del Rio in 1956. He made his television debut in 1957 in a guest appearance on the TV series State Trooper. In the late Fifties he guest starred on the shows The Sheriff of Cochise, Meet McGraw, Official Detective, Dr. Christian, Harbor Command, Broken Arrow, Target, The Rough Riders, Steve Canyon, Have Gun--Will Travel, Men of Annapolis, Sea Hunt, Tombstone Territory, MacKenzie's Raiders, Mike Hammer, Laramie, Lock Up, Tightrope, Bat Masterson, The Rifleman, Lawman, Colt. 45, U.S. Marshal, The Rebel, Men into Space, The Deputy, Tate, and Riverboat. He appeared in the films The Bonnie Parker Story (1959), Paratroop Command, and The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959).

In the Sixties he was a regular on Combat! as PFC Kirby. He had a recurring role on Adam-12 as Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller and in a two-part episode Lt. Fred Benson. He guest starred on the shows The Best of the Post, Peter Gunn, The Tall Man, Bonanza, Bat Masterson, Cheyenne, Ben Casey, Bronco, Ripcord, Cain's Hundred, The Rifleman, Lawman, 87th Precinct, The New Breed, Death Valley Days, G.E. True, Hawaiian Eye, Custer, The Felony Squad, Garrison's Gorillas, Tarzan, Ironside, The Outsider, and The Name of the Game. He appeared in the movie The Cat Burglar (1961).

In the Seventies he was a regular on the TV series Sierra. He guest starred on the shows The Little People;Emergency!; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Chase; The Six Million Dollar Man; S.W.A.T.; Medical Center; Hawaii Five-O; The Quest; Insight; Switch; The Oregon Trail; Kojak; The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries; Project U.F.O.; and Quincy, M.E.

In the Eighties he worked on the casting department on Magnum, P.I. He had a recurring role on the TV series Berenger's and Jacke and the Fatman. He guest starred on the shows Scarecrow and Mrs. King; Matt Houston; Riptide; The A-Team; Airwolf; and Outlaws. In the Nineties he guest starred on the show Raven.

Jack Hogan was an actor of some versatility. On Combat! Kirby could be argumentative, was a bit of a womanizer, and had a tendency to make wise cracks and complain. On Adam-12 he played the much more serious Detective Sgt. Miller. In his guest appearances on various television shows, he could play a wide variety of characters. He was a Comanchero in the Bonanza episode "The Gift," on Bat Masterson he played everything from an outlaw to a marshal, and on Kojak he appeared as a corrupt Assistant District Attorney. While he will probably always be remembered as Kirby on Combat!, he could play a wide variety of roles.