He is still known in Hollywood for the role that he played on the television show, but he is also known as a dedicated family man. After all, he has been married to Jo Ann Richards for almost 60 years.
Something that you may not know about their marriage is the fact that he proposed to her without a ring. Most people would never think about doing this but he decided it was the best choice. After all, he didn’t have enough money to buy a ring!
He also wasn’t successful from the first time he started in his career. At one point, he was taking any gig that would come his way, even if it only paid a very small amount. All he wanted to do was support his family and put groceries in the refrigerator.
One day, he decided that he was going to get a job so we went down to the Danby Thomas studio and hung out until somebody recognized him. As it turns out, they were filming The Dick Van Dyke Show, and he was able to secure a part.
He felt that he was doing better with his career and he got introduced to van Dyck in the process. As it turns out, they had grown up in the same small town so he was able to appear in the television show for four episodes.
One day, he decided that he would try to climb out from the bottom of the stack again and he did so by getting a part in The Greatest Story Ever Told. Although he was more of a comedian, and they wanted a serious actor, he stuck it out every day.
At one point, he was so angry that he went down to the Catholic Church and yelled at St. Jude. When he got home, he found out that he was going to be considered for the part.
Over time, he continued to become more and more famous and eventually, he got his part on M*A*S*H. Things finally paid off for him.
During that time, he also got married and he eventually was able to buy a ring. It’s a story that we can appreciate because it comes from the heart.
