Jon-Erik Hexum
| Jon-Erik Hexum | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Jon Eric Hexum November 5, 1957 Englewood, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | October 18, 1984 (aged 26) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Accidental self-inflicted gunshot injury |
| Occupation | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1982–1984 |
Jon-Erik Hexum (November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American model and actor. He died as a result of an accidental self-inflicted blank cartridge gunshot round to the head on the set of the CBS television series Cover Up, in which he played the male lead.
Hexum was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Gretha and Thorleif Hexum, who were of Norwegian descent. He and his elder brother, Gunnar, were raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, by their mother after their parents divorced when Hexum was four. After graduating from high school, Hexum went on to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to study biomedical engineering. He soon left that university, however, and transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. During that time, he worked as a radio disc jockey, played football on the 1978 squad, and acted in minor stage roles.
A few days after graduation, he moved to New York in 1980 to pursue his acting career. While working as an apartment cleaner, he met Bob LeMond of LeMond/Zetter Management, the manager of John Travolta. LeMond saw great potential in Hexum. At LeMond's urging, Hexum relocated to Los Angeles in September 1981 to audition for a movie called Summer Lovers, which was to be directed by Randal Kleiser. Though he lost the part to Peter Gallagher, Hexum attracted the notice of Hollywood powerbrokers, and in short time was cast in the lead role of Phineas Bogg in the NBC series Voyagers!.Voyagers! aired during the 1982–83 television season, with Hexum's role earning him $10,000 a week. Unable to sustain itself against CBS' newsmagazine, 60 Minutes, Voyagers! was canceled after one season. Hexum's good looks and charm kept him marketable, however, and he was cast opposite Joan Collins in the made-for-television movie Making of a Male Model, also starring Jeff Conaway and Roxie Roker.
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