Known For
Acting
Known Credits
38
Gender
Male
Birthday
April 2, 1920 (106 years old)
Place of Birth
Santa Monica, California, USA
John Randolph 'Jack' Webb (also known by the pen name John Randolph; April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited.
Born in Santa Monica, California, Webb grew up in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles as the child of a single mother after his father left home before he was born. During World War II, Webb enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, but he "washed out" of flight training and was granted a hardship discharge to care for his family. Following his discharge, he moved to San Francisco, where a wartime shortage of announcers led to a temporary appointment to his own half-hour comedy radio show on ABC's KGO Radio in 1946. By 1949 he had abandoned comedy for drama, and starred in numerous radio shows until finding success in film and television in the late 1950s.
Webb had a featured role as a crime lab technician in the 1948 film He Walked by Night, a thinly-fictionalized recounting of the 1946 Walker crime spree. This experience gave Webb the idea for Dragnet: a recurring series based on real cases from LAPD police files, featuring authentic depictions of the modern police detective, including methods, mannerisms, and technical language. Following the success of Dragnet, Webb appeared in numerous television shows and specials, including the well-known 1972 series Emergency!
During his work on a revival of Dragnet in 1982, Webb suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 62. His funeral was given full police honors, and then LAPD Chief Daryl Gates retired the badge number 714 used by Webb's Joe Friday of Dragnet fame.
| 2016 | O.J.: Made in Americaas Sgt. Joe Friday (archive footage) | |
| 2013 | Greenboy: Prescription for Deathas Joe Friday (archive footage) | |
| 1971 | The Partnersas | |
| 1971 | O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobraas Narrator | |
| 1971 | The Selling of the Pentagonas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1970 | Your Tour In Vietnamas Narrator | |
| 1969 | Dragnetas Joe Friday | |
| 1968 | Star Spangled Salesmanas Security Man | |
| 1967 | Greyhounds of the Seaas Narrator | |
| 1967 | Dragnetas Joe Friday | |
| 1967 | A Day in Vietnamas Narrator | |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonas Self | |
| 1962 | General Electric Trueas Self - host | |
| 1962 | Red Nightmareas On-Camera Narrator | |
| 1962 | The John Glenn Storyas Narrator | |
| 1961 | The Last Time I Saw Archieas William 'Bill' Bowers | |
| 1961 | A Force in Readinessas | |
| 1959 | -30-as Sam Gatlin | |
| 1957 | Tonight Starring Jack Paaras Self | |
| 1957 | The D.I.as Gunnery Sgt. Jim Moore | |
| 1955 | 24 Hour Alertas Himself | |
| 1955 | Pete Kelly's Bluesas Pete Kelly | |
| 1954 | Dragnetas Sergeant Joe Friday | |
| 1953 | The Oscarsas Self | |
| 1952 | This Is Your Lifeas Self | |
| 1951 | Dragnetas Joe Friday | |
| 1951 | You're in the Navy Nowas Ens. Anthony 'Tony' Barbo | |
| 1951 | Halls of Montezumaas Correspondent Dickerman | |
| 1950 | The Jack Benny Programas Jack Webb | |
| 1950 | Dark Cityas Augie | |
| 1950 | The Colgate Comedy Houras Self | |
| 1950 | The Menas Norm | |
| 1950 | Sunset Boulevardas Artie Green | |
| 1950 | Appointment with Dangeras Joe Regas | |
| 1949 | He Walked by Nightas Lee Whitey | |
| 1948 | Hollow Triumphas Bullseye (uncredited) | |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Showas Self | |
| 1932 | Three on a Matchas Boy in Schoolyard (uncredited) |
| 2003 | L.A. Dragnet...Creator | |
| 1990 | The New Adam-12...Creator | |
| 1989 | The New Dragnet...Creator | |
| 1978 | Little Mo...Executive Producer | |
| 1978 | Sam...Producer | |
| 1978 | Project U.F.O....Creator | |
| 1978 | Project U.F.O....Producer | |
| 1975 | Mobile One...Producer | |
| 1975 | Mobile Two...Executive Producer | |
| 1975 | The Log of the Black Pearl...Executive Producer | |
| 1974 | Sierra...Creator | |
| 1974 | Sierra...Producer | |
| 1973 | Chase...Producer | |
| 1973 | Chase...Director | |
| 1973 | Chase...Producer | |
| 1973 | Escape...Creator | |
| 1973 | Escape...Producer | |
| 1972 | The Century Turns...Executive Producer | |
| 1972 | Hec Ramsey...Producer | |
| 1972 | Emergency!...Creator | |
| 1972 | Emergency!...Director | |
| 1972 | Emergency!...Producer | |
| 1972 | Emergency!...Director | |
| 1972 | Emergency!...Executive Producer | |
| 1971 | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury...Creator | |
| 1971 | The D.A....Producer | |
| 1971 | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury...Producer | |
| 1971 | O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra...Director | |
| 1971 | The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill...Executive Producer | |
| 1969 | The D.A.: Murder One...Executive Producer | |
| 1969 | Dragnet...Director | |
| 1969 | Dragnet...Producer | |
| 1968 | Adam-12...Creator | |
| 1968 | Adam-12...Director | |
| 1968 | Adam-12...Producer | |
| 1968 | Adam-12...Executive Producer | |
| 1967 | Dragnet...Creator | |
| 1967 | Dragnet...Director | |
| 1967 | Dragnet...Writer | |
| 1963 | The Man from Galveston...Executive Producer | |
| 1963 | Temple Houston...Creator | |
| 1962 | General Electric True...Creator | |
| 1962 | General Electric True...Director | |
| 1962 | General Electric True...Producer | |
| 1961 | The Last Time I Saw Archie...Director | |
| 1959 | -30-...Director | |
| 1959 | -30-...Producer | |
| 1959 | Pete Kelly's Blues...Producer | |
| 1959 | The D.A.'s Man...Creator | |
| 1959 | The D.A.'s Man...Producer | |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip...Producer | |
| 1957 | The D.I....Director | |
| 1955 | Pete Kelly's Blues...Director | |
| 1955 | Pete Kelly's Blues...Producer | |
| 1954 | Dragnet...Director | |
| 1952 | The Ford Television Theatre...Story | |
| 1951 | Dragnet...Creator | |
| 1951 | Dragnet...Director | |
| 1951 | Dragnet...Producer |