Ron Masak was born on July 1 1936 in Chicago. He was 16 years old when he was scouted by baseball manager Rogers Hornsby, and the Chicago White Sox even offered him a contract for $8,500. He refused it. Ron Masak graduated from Kelly High School in Chicago. He attended Chicago Community College where he became interested in acting. Ron Masak served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman. While in the Army he also had a chance to display his talent as a performer.
Following his service, Ron Masak moved to Los Angeles and began appearing on television. He made his television debut in 1947 on an episode of The Spade Cooley Show. In the late Fifties he guest starred on the shows Police Station and The Twilight Zone.
In the Sixties Ron Masak guest starred on The Monkees, The Second Hundred Years, The Flying Nun, Premiere, Get Smart, The Good Guys, I Dream of Jeannie, Mayberry R.F.D., Nanny and the Professor, Arnie,. Bewitched, and Nancy. He made his movie debut in Ice Station Zebra in 1968. In the late Sixties he also appeared in the movies Second Effort (1968), Daddy Gone A-Hunting (1969), A Time for Dying (1969), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).
In the Seventies Ron Masak starred on the short-lived TV series Love Thy Neighbor. He also starred on the short-lived show The Law. He guest starred on the shows The Young Lawyers; Ironside; Marcus Welby, M.D.; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Funny Face; McMillan & Wife; Insight; Mission: Impossible; Mannix; Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law; Longstreet; The Delphi Bureau; The Bob Newhart Show; Medical Center; Love, American Style; Good Times; Emergency!; Land of the Lost; Police Woman; Barney Miller; Good Heavens; Barnaby Jones; The Feather and Father Gang; The Rockford Files; Alice; Police Story; Wonder Woman; Supertrain; and Eischied. He appeared in the mini-series McNaughton's Daughter and Once an Eagle. He appeared in the movies Evel Knievel (1971), The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), The Man from Clover Grove (1974), Laserblast (1978), and Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978).
In the Eighties Ron Masak began playing Sheriff Mort Metzger. He first appeared in the show's fifth season and remained with it for the rest of its run. He guest starred on the shows Quincy, M.E.; Magnum, P.I.; Jessica Novack; Private Benjamin; Meatballs and Spaghetti; Goodnight, Beantown; The Yellow Rose; Masquerade; Jennifer Slept Here; E/R; The Fisher Family; Diff'rent Strokes; Falcon Crest; Remington Steele; New Love, American Style; Starman; The Law and Harry McGraw; Bustin' Loose; She's the Sheriff; and Webster. He was a guest voice on the animated shows The Real Ghost Busters and Superman. He appeared in the movies Heart Like a Wheel (1983) and Listen to Me (198\9).
In the Nineties he continued to appear on Murder, She Wrote. He guest starred on Columbo. He appeared in the movies Cops n Roberts (1995), No Code of Conduct (1998), and The Thundering 8th (2000). In the Naughts he guest starred on Cold Case. He appeared in the movies The Stoneman (2002) and The Benchwarmers (2006). In the Teens he guest starred on The Bold and Beautiful. He appeared in the movie My Trip Back to the Dark Side (2014), Angels on Tap (2018), and The Last Page of Summer (2020).
Ron Masak was a very prolific actor whose career lasted over 60 years. The reason was that he was simply very talented. I suspect he will always be best remembered as Sheriff Mort Metzger on Murder, She Wrote, but he played many others in his career. In the Monkees episode "Monstrous Monkees Mash" he played the Count, a vampire who wants to turn Davy into one as well. In the Get Smart episode "The Worst Best Man," he played "Tiger" Schlermer, a CONTROL agent whose cover is that of a professional boxer. While Ron Masak may have been best known for his comedic or humorous roles, he also appeared in dramas, including Mission: Impossible; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law; Ironside; and others. He was certainly versatile, and he always gave good performances.
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