Matthew Gunner Ohanion: Everything About Mike Connors’ Son

Celebrity kids ride on the fame of their parents. They became famous and gain attention because of their parents. This is the case of Matthew Gunner Ohanion as he is a celebrity child. Matthew Gunner Ohanion is the son of Mike Connors. Mike Connors is a famous American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975.

Matthew Gunner Ohanion: Bio Summary

Who Is Mike Connors’ Son?

Matthew Gunner Ohanion was born in November 1958. He was born in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, USA. He has a sister named Dana Lee Connors, born in July 1960. He is the son of actors Mike Connors and Marylou Connors.

Matthew’s mother, Marylou Connors was born on December 22, 1926, in Utica, Indiana, USA. She is known for It Takes Two (1968) and The 29th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1972). Matthew’s parents got married on September 10, 1949, when they were both UCLA students.

Matthew’s parents remained together as a couple till death separated them. In a 1978 profile presented by The San Francisco Examiner, it was noted that Mike when they were students, he was studying law on an athletic scholarship while Mary Lou was studying education.

Said Mike, “I told her along the way that I was very much in love with her, and wanted to get married. But she kept stalling, saying she didn’t think she was ready. By this time, she had dropped her college courses and was at home in Laguna Beach, where I was installing sprinkler systems and selling brushes and vacuum cleaners door to door so I could be near her.

Finally, I told her to make up her mind, that either we got married or we called off the romance. I left Laguna and went back to school.” A couple of weeks later, she said yes.

Matthew was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 15. He predeceased his father, dying of heart failure in 2007.

Mike Connors, Father Of Matthew Gunner Ohanion

The father of Matthew Gunner Ohanion, Mike Connors was born Krekor Ohanian on August 15, 1925, in Fresno, California. His parents are Krekor Ohanian, Sr., and Alice (née Surabian).

They married in 1915 and had six children: Paul I, Paul II, Dorothy M., Arpesri A., Krekor, and Eugene. His father was an attorney and represented many Armenians who had little money and could not speak English.

Mike Connors was an American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBStelevision series Mannix from 1967 to 1975, a role which earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1970, the first of six straight nominations, as well as four consecutive Emmy nominations from 1970 to 1973.

Mike Connors’ agent Henry Willson thought the name “Ohanian” was too similar to the actor George O’Hanlon and gave him the stage name “Touch Connors” based on his basketball nickname. Willson considered “Connors” to be a “good all-American name.” Mike Connors later revealed that he hated the name “from day one”.

Mike Connors considered not using his real name the only big regret of his career. After getting the starring role in Tightrope!, He wanted to be credited as Ohanian, but Columbia Pictures told him that he had already done too much work as Connors, though he was allowed to change his first name to Mike.

Mike Connors’ film career started in the early 1950s. He made his acting debut in a supporting role opposite Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in the thriller Sudden Fear (1952). He starred in the short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) and Today’s FBI (1981–1982).

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Mike Connors’ acting career spanned six decades. In addition to his work on television, he appeared in numerous films, including Sudden Fear (1952), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Situation Hopeless… But Not Serious (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), and Too Scared to Scream (1985), which he also produced.

Mike Connors was active in charitable organizations for mental-disorder patients following his son Matthew’s diagnosis. He was a spokesperson for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In 1998, the UC Irvine College of Medicine’s Brain Imaging Center Committee awarded Connors the Silver Ribbon Award for his contributions.

Mike Connors did a public-service announcement for the Armenian Eye Care Project. He was a Republican. He endorsed Ronald Reagan for President in 1980 and 1984 and endorsed George Deukmejian for Governor of California in 1982 and 1986.

Matthew Gunner Ohanion’s Father Dies

Matthew Gunner Ohanion’s Father, Mike Connors died in Tarzana, California, at the age of 91 on January 26, 2017, a week after being diagnosed with leukemia.