Gary Collins

• Name — Gary Collins • Birth Name — Gary Ennis Collins • Born — 30 April 1938 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 13 October 2012 • Place of death — Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. • Resting Place — * Parkway Memorial Cemetery • Ridgeland, Mississippi, U.S. • Education — Santa Monica College • Occupation — * Actor • television host • Years Active — 1962–2011 • Children — 3

Collins was born on April 30, 1938, in Los Angeles, and raised in the Venice neighborhood by a single mother, who was a waitress and factory worker. Collins attended Venice High School and graduated with the class of 1955. After attending Santa Monica Community College, he went into the United States Army.

Collins enlisted in the Army and served in Europe, where he was a radio and television performer for the Armed Forces Network. After his return, he performed at the Barter Theatre, a year-round repertory theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, whose director Robert Porterfield provided chances for many aspiring actors.

Collins was first married to Susan Peterson, with whom he had two children. They divorced. In 1967, Collins married Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America (1959). They had one child, a daughter. They separated in 2010, but reconciled soon after. He moved to her home state of Mississippi to be with her in 2012 while she battled breast cancer. Collins died around 1:00 am on October 13, 2012, at Biloxi Regional Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, of natural causes.

The final decade of Collins's life was marred by several run-ins with the law. In January 2008, Collins served four days in jail in Glendale, California, for his second DUI conviction. He was arrested a year later, on January 31, 2009, in Santa Barbara County, California, and pleaded no contest to driving a motor home while drunk. Collins was then sentenced to 120 days home detention, according to a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office spokesperson. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.29, more than three times the legal limit. In November 2010, Collins was charged with a misdemeanor for leaving the scene of an accident in Jackson, Mississippi, and fined $500. On January 5, 2011, Collins was charged with defrauding an innkeeper, a felony, in Harrison County, Mississippi, for allegedly failing to pay his bill at Jazzeppi's Restaurant, according to a statement released by the Biloxi Police Department. Collins said the restaurant was taking too long to deliver his dinner, so he left and refused to pay the bill. The restaurant owner later said the arrest was due to a misunderstanding, and the charges against Collins were dropped.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1962 — The Pigeon That Took Rome — Major Wolff • 1962 — King Kong vs. Godzilla — Submariner — Uncredited • 1962 — The Longest Day — Officer On Bridge — Uncredited • 1965 — Stranded — Bob • 1968 — Ironside — Captain Larkin — Return of the Hero • 1969 — Angel in My Pocket — Art Shields • 1970 — Quarantined — Dr. Larry Freeman — TV movie • 1970 — Airport — Cy Jordan • 1972 — Getting Away from It All — Mark Selby — TV movie • 1974 — Houston, We've Got a Problem — Tim Cordell — TV movie • 1977 — Roots — Grill — TV miniseries (Part III) • 1977 — The Night They Took Miss Beautiful — Paul Fabiani — TV movie • 1978 — The Young Runaways — Lt. Ray Phillips — TV movie • 1978 — Fantasy Island — Bill Jordan • 1979 — Killer Fish — Tom • 1979 — The Kid From Left Field — Pete Sloane — TV movie • 1980 — The Secret of Lost Valley — Ned Harkness — TV movie • 1980 — Hangar 18 — Steve Bancroft • 1981 — Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls — Kevin Gilmore — TV miniseries • 1986 — Gimme a Break! — Himself • 1992 — Secrets — Zack Taylor — TV movie • 1994 — Bandit Bandit — Governor Denton — TV movie • 1998 — Friends — Himself — Season 5, Episode 4 • 1998 — Watchers Reborn — Gus Brody • 1998 — The Jungle Book: Search for the Lost Treasure — Professor Warren Miller • 2000 — Beautiful — Miss American Miss Host