Dennis Cole

About Dennis Cole

Who is it?: Actor
Birth Day: July 19, 1940
Birth Place:  Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died On: November 15, 2009(2009-11-15) (aged 69)\nFort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Birth Sign: Leo
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1961–2006
Spouse(s): Sally Bergeron (1960–1965; divorced); 1 child Jaclyn Smith (1978–1981; divorced) Marjorie Fritz (2004–2009; divorced)
Children: Joe Cole (1961-1991) deceased

Dennis Cole Net Worth

Dennis Cole was born on July 19, 1940 in  Detroit, Michigan, United States, is Actor. A virile, beefcake blond of the late 1960s and 1970s small screen, Dennis Cole certainly had it all going for him, but tragic circumstances prevented an all-out successful career. A rugged TV version of Robert Redford, his tan, chiseled, surfer-fit looks were ideally suited for crime action and adventure stories and he gained ground by appearing everywhere -- daytime soaps, prime-time series, mini-movies -- you name it.The Detroit-born and -raised stunner was the son of Joseph C. Cole, a musician during the 1940s and 1950s. His parents, both alcoholics, divorced when he was young (his father later committed suicide). Dennis was first noticed on the pages of physique magazines serving the likes of Robert Henry Mizer (aka Bob Mizer) and his Athletic Models Guild as well as other photographers. Paying his dues as a motion picture and television stuntman, Cole also appeared in an occasional bit part and in the background of a few movie musicals. His photogenic appeal could not be denied for long and eventually he took a front-and-center position, launching his acting career on the short-lived daytime soap Paradise Bay (1965) as a spoiled rich boy who causes tongues to wag after falling for a Mexican girl. However, it was the subsequent nighttime police series The Felony Squad (1966) alongside veterans Howard Duff and Ben Alexander (of Dragnet (1951) fame) that set Cole's TV career in high gear. As hunky rookie detective Jim Briggs, Dennis was able to ride high on the fame his two-and-a-half season series offered.With this success came two very short-lived series: the glossy ensemble drama Bracken's World (1969) and opposite Rod Taylor as a trouble-prone stud in the more adventurous Bearcats! (1971). Females couldn't get enough of Cole and his athletic skills had males idolizing from afar. Guest appearances on Medical Center (1969), Barnaby Jones (1973), Police Story (1973), Love, American Style (1969), The Love Boat (1977), The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Police Woman (1974) kept him highly visible in between series runs. During this career peak, he made his Broadway debut in "All the Girls Came Out to Play" in 1972. He also decided to tap into his musical side and dabbled in his own musical revue, which showcased on the Sunset Strip and in Las Vegas. A guest TV appearance on Charlie's Angels (1976) led to his meeting and, in 1978, marrying "Angel" Jaclyn Smith. As one of Hollywood's more beautiful couples, they kept cameras flashing for a number of years until their breakup and divorce in 1981.The early 1980s started off well for Cole as replacement "Lance Prentiss" in the soap-opera The Young and the Restless (1973) in 1981. Very much a product of TV, he was unable to permanently transition into films; he appeared occasionally in dismissible low-budget action fare such as Amateur Night (1986), Death House (1988), Pretty Smart (1987), Dead End City (1988) and Fatal Encounter (1990). He continued showing up on all the popular series of the day, including Silk Stalkings (1991), Murder, She Wrote (1984), Pacific Blue (1996) and Baywatch Nights (1995), among others, while appearing in such legit stage plays as "The Tender Trap", "Lovers and Other Strangers", "The Boys in the Band", and the British farces "Run for You Life" and "Out of Order". Very much involved with charity work, his endeavors over the years have included an over-two-decade involvement with the Cancer Society (Honorary Chairman), as well as the Arthritis and Cystic Fibrosis foundations.Dennis' later personal and professional lives suffered as a result of a chronic alcohol problem, but an even greater setback occurred when his only child, Joey (whom he named after his father), was murdered during a 1991 robbery attempt in Venice, California. He continued to perform on TV and stage (as the "Narrator" in a production of "Blood Brothers" and the James Garner "King Marchan" role in the first national tour of the musical "Victor/Victoria"). Severe injuries suffered while performing in the latter show led to multiple surgeries, a three-year convalescence and a new direction.Dennis returned to school and started up his own real estate company, setting up an office in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Married for several years to his third wife Marjorie ("Ree"), Dennis filed for divorce in May of 2007, which became final on April 21, 2008. He died at age 69 on November 15, 2009, in a Fort Lauderdale hospital of liver failure.
Dennis Cole is a member of Actor

💰 Net worth: Under Review

Some Dennis Cole images

Biography/Timeline

1960

The ruggedly handsome Cole began performing in his native Detroit and moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s. His blond, athletic look of a quintessential California Surfer, earned him the attention of physique magazines. He worked as a model and stuntman before making the transition to acting. His first big acting break came when he landed a starring role in the ABC police drama Felony Squad, which ran from 1966 to 1969. He appeared for one season (1969–1970) as stuntman Davey Evans in Bracken's World. He then co-starred with Rod Taylor in the TV series Bearcats! (1971). He then played Lance Prentiss on the TV soap series The Young and the Restless (1981–82).

1976

All three of Cole's marriages ended in divorce. In 1976, when Cole guest starred on the set of Charlie's Angels, he met his second wife Actress Jaclyn Smith. After a 19-month courtship the couple wed. His marriage to Smith lasted from 1978 to 1981.

1983

Cole continued to make guest appearances in numerous television series, such as Medical Center, Police Story, Charlie's Angels, Vega$, The Feather and Father Gang, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Three's Company and Murder, She Wrote. Cole's feature film career included roles in Cave-In! (1983), Wheels of Fire (1985), Pretty Smart (1987), and the horror film Zombie Death House (1987), directed by John Saxon. Cole's last television appearance was a 1998 episode of Pacific Blue.

1991

After the 1991 death of his son, Cole became an Actor-turned-Activist, speaking against violence on television. He worked with the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation to raise awareness for victims of crime, as well as with the Cancer Society, the Arthritis and Cystic Fibrosis foundations and other charitable organizations.

2008

Cole remarried and relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he returned to school, became a real-estate broker and opened up his own real estate company with his third wife, Marjorie Cole. The couple owned and operated Celebrity Realty, Inc. The couple amicably divorced in 2008.

2009

Cole died at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 15, 2009, aged 69, from renal failure, and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.