Photo: CBS Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jack Lord is forever Steve McGarrett to me, the rock-solid lead of Hawaii Five-O across an astonishing twelve-year run from 1968 to 1980. Born John Joseph Patrick Ryan in Brooklyn, he reinvented himself with a stage name and trained as an actor, director, and producer, even picking up a Theatre World Award back in 1955 for his Broadway work. What I find admirable is the longevity and the control he exercised over his signature show. Plenty of actors get one iconic role, but few hold it that long with that much authority. He set a template for the steady, no-nonsense television lead that others have chased ever since.
Overview
John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television program Hawaii Five-O, which ran from 1968 to 1980.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jack Lord
- Name (Japanese)
- ジャック・ロード
- Reading
- じゃっく・ろーど
- Born
- December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Monkey
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / film producer / stage actor / film actor / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- John Adams High School
- University
- New York University
Awards & achievements
- 1955 Theatre World Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.