THE HAT SQUAD: JEFF MacKAY

Another actor who recently died too soon was Jeff MacKay, who passed away of liver failure in Tulsa at the age of 59. The cousin of Robert Redford, he got his start with a role in "All The President's Men", but made his mark playing easy-going rogues in Toobworld.

From a Toobworld vantage point, his most interesting character would have been Lt. MacReynolds on 'Magnum, P.I.' Mac was a Naval intelligence officer who loved his doughnuts, and would occasionally help Magnum out as an old Navy buddy with some information. However, in 1982, Mac was killed... or so Magnum thought until he ran into a con man named Jim Bonnick (but could also be spelled as Bonig; I've found both online and in my source books). Bonnick was Mac's exact double and actually was passing himself off as the Navy lieutenant when Magnum first met him. (In two episodes, Jeff MacKay played both roles, so I guess Mac had to be a flashback/dream sequence.)

At Toobworld Central, we're also making a theoretical link of "relateeveety" with the claim that Corky of 'Tales Of The Gold Monkey' was the older - and identical! - cousin of Lt. Don French who served in the 'Black Sheep Squadron'.

Here are Jeff MacKay's contributions to the Toobworld citizenry:

STARRING ROLES
"Berlin Break" (1993) TV series .... Mitch

"Magnum, P.I." (1980-1987) .... Lieutenant 'Mac' MacReynolds, USN
"Magnum, P.I." (1987-1988) .... Jim Bonnick

"Tales of the Gold Monkey" (1983-1984) .... Corky

"Baa Baa Black Sheep"/"Black Sheep Squadron" (1976-1977) .... Lt. Don French

"The Krofft Supershow" (1976) .... Gordon 'Gordie' Masterson (in 'Dr. Shrinker')

RECURRING ROLES
"JAG" (2000-2005) .... Big Bud Roberts

"Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979) .... Cpl Komma

TV PILOTS
Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982) (TV) .... Corky

Baa Baa, Black Sheep (1976) (TV) .... Lt. Donald French

TV SEQUELS
"Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" .... Doc Kline

- May I Talk with You (1997)

The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979) (TV) .... Hugo Kaufman

MINI-SERIES

"Oklahoma Passage" (1989) TV mini-series .... Wiley Post

THE TOONIVESE
"Transformers" (1984) TV series .... Fireflight

GUEST STARRING ROLES
"Diagnosis Murder" .... Paul Pishny

- Frontier Dad (2000)

"Outlaws"

- Madril (1987)

"Hardcastle and McCormick" .... Nick Farrell

- The Game You Learn from Your Father (1985)

"Airwolf"

- Sweet Britches (1984) TV episode .... Buddy

- To Snare a Wolf (1984) TV episode .... Sgt. Willie Nash

"The Rousters" .... Gandy

- Everybody Loves a Clown (1983)

"The Greatest American Hero"

- The Beast in the Black (1981) TV episode .... Doctor Weinstein

- The Greatest American Hero (1981) TV episode .... Officer Cowan

"The Duke"

- Nothing 'Cept Noise (1979)

TV MOVIES

Trials of Life (1997) (TV) .... The Hobo

Midnight Offerings (1981) (TV) .... Herb Nemenz

May God bless, as Mr. Skelton would say.....

BCnU....
Toby O'B