Misplaced Pages

Ken Wahl: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 03:01, 8 February 2017 editRms125a@hotmail.com (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users266,337 edits c/e← Previous edit Latest revision as of 09:06, 14 January 2025 edit undo173.174.131.166 (talk) →Awards: Ken Wahl won the Golden Globe in 1990.Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit 
(283 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American actor (born 1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = Ken Wahl | name = Ken Wahl
| image = Ken Wahl at the 41st Emmy Awards.jpg | image = Ken Wahl at the 41st Emmy Awards.jpg
| imagesize = | imagesize =
| caption = | caption = Wahl at the 41st Emmy Awards,<br>September 1989
| birth_name = Anthony Calzaretta {{cn}} | birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1957|02|14}}<ref name= NEA/> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|<!--Do NOT change birth date without further discussion.-->2|14}}
| birth_place = ], U.S. | birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date = | death_date =
| death_place = | death_place =
| othername = | occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1979&ndash;1996 | yearsactive = 1979–1996
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = ] (1984–1991; divorced)<br> Lorrie Vidal (1993–1997; divorced)<br> ] (1997–present)
*{{Marriage|]|1983|1991|reason=divorced}}
⚫ | children = 3
*{{Marriage|]|1997}}
}}
⚫ | children = 1
}} }}


'''Ken Wahl''' (born February 14, 1957)<ref>Other dates of birth -- such as February 14, 1953, February 14, 1956, October 31, 1954, October 31, 1957, and October 31, 1959 -- have been proferred over the years.</ref> is an ] film and television actor, popular in the 1980s and 1990s, best known for the ] television crime drama '']''. A severe injury in 1992 effectively ended his acting career. He is divorced from ], and after a brief second marriage, he married ], in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-k-smith/from-killer-looks-to-noki_b_5733538.html |title=From Killer Looks to No-Kill to Nabbing a Kitten Killer: The Barbi Twins Connect the Dots to Save Animals |publisher=The Huffington Post |date= |accessdate=2017-02-07}}</ref> The two later became advocates against animal abuse and for veteran's rights. '''Ken Wahl''' (born <!--Do NOT change.-->February 14<!--Discuss on the talk page before changing.-->, 1957)<ref name= NEA/>{{dubious|date=December 2021}}<ref>Other dates of birth -- such as February 14, 1953, February 14, 1956, October 31, 1954, October 31, 1957, and October 31, 1959 -- have been proffered over the years.</ref> is an American retired actor. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in the ] television crime drama '']''.


==Early life and career== ==Early life and career==
A ] syndicated article in 1988, citing records checked by the CBS publicist for Wahl's television series '']'', gave February 14, 1957, a date that corresponded with that of his high school graduation: "A call to ] in the Chicago suburb of ] reveals Wahl graduated from there in June 1975, presumably at age 18."<ref name= NEA>{{cite news|title='I must be doin<nowiki>'</nowiki> somethin<nowiki>'</nowiki> right', says 'Wiseguy'<nowiki>'</nowiki>s elusive star Ken Wahl, 'because I'm still around'|authorlink=Frank Lovece|first=Frank|last=Lovece|publisher=]|date=December 4, 1988|accessdate=May 4, 2013|url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/146230663/Ken-Wahl-interview|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6IHSozgLo|archivedate=July 21, 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref> Wahl, who was born in Chicago, Illinois,<ref name=ewp>{{cite magazine|first= Dalton| last=Ross|title=Ken Wahl Comes Tumbling Down|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/07/23/why-sexiest-man-tv-went-hiding/|magazine=]|pages=1–4|date=July 23, 2004|issue=776|access-date=August 5, 2012| archive-date= March 31, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331004907/http://www.ew.com/article/2004/07/23/why-sexiest-man-tv-went-hiding| url-status=live}} Note: Only page 1 of article appears online. Full text appears in print edition.</ref> is elusive about his personal life, and has given more than one birthdate. A ] syndicated article in 1988, citing records checked by the CBS publicist for Wahl's television series '']'', gives February 14, 1957, a date that corresponds with the year of his high school graduation: "A call to ] in the ] suburb of ] reveals Wahl graduated from there in June 1975, presumably at age 18."<ref name=NEA>{{cite news|title='I must be doin somethin right,' says 'Wiseguy's elusive star Ken Wahl, 'because I'm still around'|author-link=Frank Lovece|first=Frank|last=Lovece|publisher=]|date=4 December 1988|access-date= May 4, 2013|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/146230663/Ken-Wahl-interview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721154702/http://www.scribd.com/doc/146230663/Ken-Wahl-interview|archive-date=July 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, '']'' noted the confusion surrounding Wahl's date of birth and added that "Ken Wahl is not actually Ken Wahl. At least he wasn't when he was born. While he declines to disclose his birth name, he does say that the moniker he's gone by for the past 25 years is the name of the person who saved his father's life in the Korean War".<ref name=ewp />

Wahl himself is elusive about his personal life. '']'' wrote in 2004:{{quote|The mystery surrounding Wahl goes all the way back to the beginning. Ken Wahl was born in ] on... well, no one quite knows when Wahl was born. Some reports say Halloween 1954, others say Valentine's Day 1956, but these reports seem to be attempts by the actor to stymie curiosity seekers. "There's a reason for that", Wahl states cryptically, "but I'm not gonna get into why." Oh, one other thing: Ken Wahl is not actually Ken Wahl. At least he wasn't when he was born. While he declines to disclose his birth name, he does say that the moniker he's gone by for the past 25 years is the name of the person who saved his father's life in the Korean War.<ref name=ewp>{{cite web|first= Dalton| last=Ross|title=Ken Wahl Comes Tumbling Down|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,671081,00.html|work=]|pages=1-4|date=July 23, 2004|issue=776|accessdate=August 5, 2012}}</ref>}}

According to his official biography, he was born "in a tiny apartment on the south side of Chicago, in the late fifties, when a young couple welcomed ... their third child, Kenny."<ref name=officialbio>{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialkenwahl.com/kwbiography.pdf|title=Biography|publisher=The Official Ken Wahl website|accessdate=August 5, 2012|archivedate=December 16, 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216075231/http://theofficialkenwahl.com/kwbiography.pdf|deadurl=no}}</ref>


In the late 1960s, it continues, his "family of 8" moved to the ] borough of ], where he attended junior high and, for a time, high school.<ref name=officialbio/> The NEA article, however, says Wahl was the ninth of 11 children from a blue-collar German/Italian family and "attended different high schools as the family moved to the suburbs of Midlothian and ]."<ref name=NEA/> According to '']'', Wahl played baseball, as a ], in unspecified venues that might have included youth leagues and high school teams, before crashing a motorcycle and hurting his knee at age 16.<ref name=ewp/> His official biography says he then worked as a janitor while in high school and as a gas-station attendant at his family's service station.<ref name=officialbio/> After either graduating from Midlothian's Bremen High in 1975<ref name= NEA/> or dropping out of high school,<ref name=ewp/> he left home, his bio says, "at the age of 18 ... in his ‘69 Dodge Dart"<ref name=officialbio/> and crossed the United States working odd jobs. Eventually living in ], he worked as an ] on movies including '']'' (1978).<ref name=ewp/> According to Wahl, he was born "in a tiny apartment on the south side of Chicago, in the late Fifties".<ref name=officialbio>{{cite web|url= http://www.theofficialkenwahl.com/kwbiography.pdf|title=Biography|publisher=The Official Ken Wahl website| access-date=August 5, 2012|archive-date=December 16, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111216075231/http://theofficialkenwahl.com/kwbiography.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{better source|date=December 2021}} The 1988 NEA article states that Wahl was the ninth of 11 children from a blue-collar German/Italian family and "attended different high schools as the family moved to the suburbs of Midlothian and ]."<ref name=NEA/> According to '']'', Wahl played baseball, as a ], in unspecified venues that might have included youth leagues and high school teams, before crashing a motorcycle and hurting his knee at age 16.<ref name=ewp/> After moving to ], he worked as an ] on movies including '']'' (1978).<ref name=ewp/>


By 1981, Wahl's father had remarried, and, in-between acting jobs, Wahl stayed in Chicago with his father and stepmother or with his sister.<ref name=nytimes1981>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/04/movies/at-the-movies-ken-wahl-chuckles-at-hollywood.html?pagewanted=all|title=At the Movies: Ken Wahl chuckles at Hollywood|first=Chris|last=Chase|date=December 4, 1981|work=]|accessdate= August 6, 2012}}</ref> By 1981, Wahl's father had remarried. Between acting jobs, Wahl stayed in Chicago with his father and stepmother or with his sister.<ref name=nytimes1981>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/04/movies/at-the-movies-ken-wahl-chuckles-at-hollywood.html?pagewanted=all|title=At the Movies: Ken Wahl chuckles at Hollywood|first=Chris|last=Chase|date=4 December 1981|work=]|access-date= August 6, 2012}}</ref>


==Acting career==
Wahl first gained recognition in 1979 when he was cast in the leading role of director ]'s film '']''.<ref name=BHT2009>{{cite news|page=19|url=http://www.beverlyhillstimesmagazine.com/2009/04/01/behind-the-wahl-exclusive-interview-with-ken-wahl|title=Behind the Wahl with Ken Wahl|date=June 2009|work=Beverly Hills Times|first=Robin|last=Torme|accessdate=May 4, 2013|archivedate=April 27, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427194631/http://www.beverlyhillstimesmagazine.com/2009/04/01/behind-the-wahl-exclusive-interview-with-ken-wahl|deadurl=no}}</ref> Wahl first gained recognition in 1979 when he was cast in the leading role of director ]'s film '']'' (1979).<ref name=BHT2009>{{cite news|page=19|url=http://www.beverlyhillstimesmagazine.com/2009/04/01/behind-the-wahl-exclusive-interview-with-ken-wahl|title=Behind the Wahl with Ken Wahl|date=June 2009|work=Beverly Hills Times|first=Robin|last=Torme|access-date= May 4, 2013|archive-date=April 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427194631/http://www.beverlyhillstimesmagazine.com/2009/04/01/behind-the-wahl-exclusive-interview-with-ken-wahl|url-status=live}}</ref> He was subsequently cast opposite ] in '']'' (1981), and went on to play the lead in movies including '']'' (1981), '']'' (1982), '']'' (1982), '']'' (1984) and other films. In 1984, he then suffered another motorcycle crash, while on his way to meet with ] about the role that eventually went to ] in the film '']''. Not wearing a helmet, Wahl was injured badly enough to require 89 stitches in his scalp.<ref name=ewp/>


⚫ After appearing in the ensemble of the ] '']'' (1985) and co-starring with ] in the six-episode TV series '']'',<ref name=NEA/> Wahl was cast in the lead role of Vinnie Terranova in the television series '']'' in 1987. Wahl said the following year, "The feature market dried up for me. When 'Wiseguy' came along I was hesitant to do it, but I thought the quality was good. I had to
He was subsequently cast opposite ] in '']'' (1981), and went on to play the lead in movies including '']'' (1981), '']'' (1982), '']'' (1982), '']'' (1984) and other films. In 1984, he then suffered another motorcycle crash, while on his way to meet with ] about the role that eventually went to ] in the film '']''. Not wearing a helmet, Wahl was injured badly enough to require 89 stitches in his scalp.<ref name=ewp/>
⚫ make a living, so I decided to do it. I didn't have to audition or anything."<ref name=NEA/> The show ran until 1990 and brought Wahl a ], as well as an ] nomination. Wahl wrote an episode of '']'' in 1989 and directed an episode in 1990.{{Citation needed|date=February 2017}}


⚫ During the second season, he injured himself again, on an episode directed by ]. As Wahl recalled in 2004, "She had me walking into my own POV shot, and ... I was stepping up, and the wheel caught my right heel and it just ripped out the ]. ... But she wanted to do it again, so I said, 'Okay, you're the boss.{{'"}}<ref name=ewp/> Series creator ] said the camera ran over Wahl a second time, leaving him in such pain Cannell replaced him for three episodes while Wahl healed.<ref name=ewp/>
==''Wiseguy''==
⚫ After appearing in the ensemble of the ] '']'' (1985) and co-starring with ] in the six-episode TV series '']'',<ref name=NEA/> Wahl was cast in the lead role of Vinnie Terranova in the television series '']'' in 1987. Wahl said the following year, "The feature market dried up for me. When 'Wiseguy' came along I was hesitant to do it, but I thought the quality was good. I had to
⚫ make a living, so I decided to do it. I didn't have to audition or anything."<ref name=NEA/> The show ran until 1990 and brought Wahl a ], as well as an ] nomination. Wahl wrote an episode of '']'' in 1989 and directed an episode in 1990.{{cn|date=February 2017}}


⚫ Wahl went on to star in '']'' (1991) and '']'' (1994), as well as a ''Wiseguy'' reunion ] in 1996.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/02/arts/television-review-a-return-to-wiseguy-with-the-original-guy.html|title=Television Review: A Return to 'Wiseguy', With the Original Guy|first=John J.|last=O'Connor|date= May 2, 1996|work=]|access-date= August 6, 2012}}</ref>
⚫ During the second season, he injured himself again, on an episode directed by ]. As Wahl recalled in 2004, "She had me walking into my own POV shot, and ... I was stepping up, and the wheel caught my right heel and it just ripped out the ]. ... But she wanted to do it again, so I said, 'Okay, you're the boss.'"<ref name=ewp/> Series creator ] said the camera ran over Wahl a second time, leaving him in such pain Cannell replaced him for three episodes while Wahl healed.<ref name=ewp/>


Wahl retired from acting in 1996.
⚫ He went on to star in '']'' (1991) and '']'' (1994), as well as a ''Wiseguy'' reunion ] in 1996,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/02/arts/television-review-a-return-to-wiseguy-with-the-original-guy.html|title=Television Review: A Return to 'Wiseguy', With the Original Guy|first=John J.|last=O'Connor|date=May 2, 1996|work=]|accessdate=August 6, 2012}}</ref> his final screen performance.


==Injury== ==Injury==
Wahl's acting career was derailed by a broken neck. He claimed that in 1992 he had endured another motorcycle crash, but eventually confessed to having fallen down a flight of stairs at the home of comedian ]'s girlfriend and eventual wife, Joan Child. "We were dating casually ... I stayed over at her house one night, fell down these stairs, and she begged me not to say that in the press", Wahl said in 2004.<ref name=ewp/> Wahl's acting career was derailed by a broken neck. He initially said that in 1992 he had endured another motorcycle crash, but later said he had fallen down a flight of stairs at the home of comedian ]'s girlfriend and eventual wife, Joan Child. "We were dating casually ... I stayed over at her house one night, fell down these stairs, and she begged me not to say that in the press", Wahl said in 2004.<ref name=ewp/>


As his official biography describes the incident:{{quote|n August of 1992 ... Ken accidentally fell down some slippery marble stairs at a friend’s home, causing his neck to break and his spinal column to be injured. Because his friend was in the public eye, she asked Ken not to say where the accident occurred. So, later on, when the media inquired about the scar on his neck, Ken simply offered the explanation that he had broken his neck in a motorcycle accident, in a sincere effort to protect the privacy of his friend.<ref name=officialbio/>}} As his official biography describes the incident:{{quote| August of 1992 ... Ken accidentally fell down some slippery marble stairs at a friend's home, causing his neck to break and his spinal column to be injured. Because his friend was in the public eye, she asked Ken not to say where the accident occurred. So, later on, when the media inquired about the scar on his neck, Ken simply offered the explanation that he had broken his neck in a motorcycle accident, in a sincere effort to protect the privacy of his friend.<ref name=officialbio/>{{better source|date=December 2021}}}}


⚫ Blaming a "botched" undisclosed surgery and the refusal of doctors to prescribe pain medication, Wahl said in an interview that he told himself, "Okay, I can't get a prescription, so I'll get a bottle of vodka. I was in such chronic, agonizing pain 24 hours a day that I started drinking to kill the pain." After gaining weight through lack of exercise, and with a growing alcohol problem, he worked 16 days on the ''Wiseguy'' reunion movie "and barely got through it. That's when I knew I couldn't do it anymore."<ref name=ewp/>
In an interview, Wahl said it took him 2 1/2 years to learn how to walk again.<ref name="Daily Mail">{{cite web|last1=Martosko|first1=David|title=Congressman Heartthrob? Ken Wahl, 1980s star of WISEGUY and one-time 'sexiest man on television', may run for Congress supported by Playboy 'Barbi Twins' centerfolds|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305618/1980s-WISEGUY-star-Ken-Wahl-entertains-run-Congress-supported-wife-half-Playboys-legendary-Barbi-Twins.html|work=]|location=UK|accessdate=December 7, 2014}}</ref>

⚫ Blaming a "botched" undisclosed surgery and the refusal of doctors to prescribe pain medication, Wahl in a different interview said he told himself, "Okay, I can't get a prescription, so I'll get a bottle of vodka. I was in such chronic, agonizing pain 24 hours a day that I started drinking to kill the pain." After gaining weight through lack of exercise, and with a growing alcohol problem, he worked 16 days on the reunion movie "and barely got through it. That's when I knew I couldn't do it anymore."<ref name=ewp/>


==Personal life== ==Personal life==
Wahl married his first wife, former '']'' ] ], in 1983<ref name=yahoobio/> or 1984,<ref name=cosmo7-91>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hm9NAQAAIAAJ&q=Corinne+Alphen+ken+wahl&dq=Corinne+Alphen+ken+wahl&source=bl&ots=8OsHFDOdXc&sig=t0-OS2_RwAxpqEfxq48qkNpikt0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=71EgUOP7B_GM6QGj_IGoBw&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ|work=]|date=July 1991|page=67|accessdate=August 6, 2012|title=Ken Wahl}}</ref> (sources differ), divorcing in 1991. They have one child, Raymond.<ref name=officialbio/><ref name=cosmo7-91/> Wahl married his second wife, Lorrie Vidal, in 1993 and divorced in 1997. They had one daughter and one son.<ref name=yahoobio/> Wahl said he met ] (twin sister of ], ] known as the ]) at a grocery store in 1996, and they married on September 17, 1997. They renewed their wedding vows in 2008.<ref name=officialbio/> Wahl married his first wife, former '']'' Pet of the Year ], in 1983. With Alphen, he had a son, Raymond, and a step-son, Louis, from Alphen's previous marriage.<ref name=yahoobio/><ref name=cosmo7-91>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hm9NAQAAIAAJ&q=Corinne+Alphen+ken+wahl|work=]|date=July 1991|page=67|access-date= August 6, 2012|title=|quote=Together, they had a son, Raymond, and a step-son, Louis, from Alphen's previous marriage.}}</ref> They divorced in 1991.<ref name=officialbio /><ref name=cosmo7-91 />


] revealed in her autobiography, '']'', that she had a brief affair with Wahl in 1988 after she had a guest appearance on his TV series. Lords said of Wahl that he "was tall, dark, and brooding with a mischievous smile. He took me to dinner that night at a down-home Italian joint near my hotel. It had a low-key vibe and sensational food. He was a star with simple tastes, which impressed me. He was kind to people and bantered easily with the staff as he leaned back in his chair… He was one sexy man."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lords |first=Traci |title=Traci Lords: Underneath It All |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2003 |isbn=9780062217233 |edition=Kindle |pages=115–118}}</ref> She further added that he "was the first civilian I'd made love to post-porn"<ref name=":0" /> and that he made her think differently about relationships.
⚫ In 1995, Wahl was charged with disturbing the peace and arrested on an outstanding warrant for a drunken-driving charge, eventually pleaded ] to both charges and receiving probation. A year later, he was arrested for allegedly threatening a bartender with a hunting knife for refusing to serve him alcohol. He pleaded nolo contendre again and was ordered to enter a live-in alcohol rehabilitation program.<ref name=ewp/> Wahl says he and Barbi married after attending ] together.<ref name=officialbio/>


⚫ In 1995, Wahl was charged with disturbing the peace and arrested on an outstanding warrant for a drunken-driving charge, eventually pleaded ] to both charges and receiving probation. A year later, he was arrested for allegedly threatening a bartender with a hunting knife for refusing to serve him alcohol. He pleaded no contest again and was ordered to enter a live-in alcohol rehabilitation program.<ref name=ewp/>
⚫ In 2009, Wahl sued his former business manager, Henry Levine, alleging Levine conspired with Wahl's ex-wife Corinne Alphen, to defraud him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/107004/wiseguy-s-ken-wahl-in-the-poor-house|title=Wiseguy's Ken Wahl in the Poor House|first=Josh|last=Grosberg|date=March 31, 2009|publisher=]|accessdate=2014-03-23}}</ref>


Wahl married his second wife, ] ], in 1997.{{cn|date=December 2021}} Wahl says he and Barbi married after attending ] together.<ref name=officialbio/>{{better source|date=December 2021}}
⚫ ==Animal and disabled veterans activism==
⚫ Wahl and his wife Shane Barbi are supporters of animal rights and of disabled United States military veterans.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ken Wahl Offers Golden Globe To Catch Cat Killer|url=http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/01/exclusive-ken-wahl-offers-golden-globe-catch-cat-killer|publisher=]|date=January 19, 2010|accessdate=October 24, 2012|archivedate=April 15, 2012|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415100400/http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/01/exclusive-ken-wahl-offers-golden-globe-catch-cat-killer}}</ref>


⚫ In 2009, Wahl sued his former business manager, Henry Levine, alleging that Levine conspired with Wahl's first wife, Corinne Alphen, to defraud him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/107004/wiseguy-s-ken-wahl-in-the-poor-house|title=Wiseguy's Ken Wahl in the Poor House|first=Josh|last=Grosberg|date=31 March 2009|publisher=]|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=August 30, 2014|archive-url= https://archive.today/20140830175704/http://www.eonline.com/news/107004/wiseguy-s-ken-wahl-in-the-poor-house|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- RESULTS OF LAWSUIT?? -->
⚫ On January 19, 2010, he offered his ] as part of a reward then being assembled by the Second Chance Rescue Center in ], to help find and convict the person who glued a 7-month-old orange tabby to Minnesota State Highway 60, where travelers found it on December 18, 2009; the cat, whom rescuers called Timothy, died days later.<ref name=goldenglobe>{{cite news|title='Wiseguy' Ken Wahl helping out in case of cat glued to Minnesota highway|publisher=Associated Press via '']''|date=January 19, 2010|accessdate=May 4, 2013}}</ref>


⚫ ===Animal and disabled veterans activism===
⚫ In 2012, Wahl stood against the Hayden Law Repeal, which would have revoked the Hayden Law for shelter pets in California, which had extended the number of days owners had to find their lost pets or for injured animals to receive donations or to be adopted.<ref>The Stars Give Back {{cite web|title=Ken and Barbis Ask Your Help for Animal Shelters|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/02/29/ken-and-barbis-ask-your-help-for-animal-shelters/?fb_ref=.T26L2GfjEyU.like&fb_source=profile_oneline|work=]|date=February 29, 2012|accessdate=October 24, 2012}}</ref>
⚫ With his career tanked because of injury, Wahl and his wife Barbi, turned their attention to supporting animal rights and disabled United States military veterans.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ken Wahl Offers Golden Globe To Catch Cat Killer|url=http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/01/exclusive-ken-wahl-offers-golden-globe-catch-cat-killer|publisher=]|date=January 19, 2010|access-date=October 24, 2012|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415100400/http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/01/exclusive-ken-wahl-offers-golden-globe-catch-cat-killer}}</ref>


⚫ On 19 January 2010, he offered his ] as part of a reward then being assembled by the Second Chance Rescue Center in ], to help find and convict the person who glued a 7-month-old orange tabby to Minnesota State Highway 60, where travelers found it on 18 December 2009; the cat, which rescuers called Timothy, died days later.<ref name=goldenglobe>{{cite news|title='Wiseguy' Ken Wahl helping out in case of cat glued to Minnesota highway|publisher=Associated Press via ]|date=19 January 2010}}</ref>
For Memorial Day 2012, Wahl sent a message saluting the military, alongside the group Pets for Patriots, supporting adoption of pets for veterans.<ref>The Stars Give Back {{cite web|title=Barbi Twins Send a Special Memorial Day Message|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/05/28/barbi-twins-send-a-special-memorial-day-message|work=]|date=May 28, 2012|accessdate=October 24, 2012}}</ref>


⚫ In 2012, Wahl stood against the Hayden Law Repeal, which would have revoked the Hayden Law for shelter pets in California, which had extended the number of days owners had to find their lost pets or for injured animals to receive donations or to be adopted.<ref>The Stars Give Back {{cite web|title=Ken and Barbis Ask Your Help for Animal Shelters|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/02/29/ken-and-barbis-ask-your-help-for-animal-shelters/?fb_ref=.T26L2GfjEyU.like&fb_source=profile_oneline|work=]|date=February 29, 2012| access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref>
⚫ Later in the year he took part in the documentary ''Saving America's Horses'', about both wild and domestic horses and the issues that plague them.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Barbi Twins and Ken Wahl Are 'Saving America's Horse'|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/09/12/the-barbi-twins-and-ken-wahl-are-saving-americas-horse|work=]|date=September 12, 2012|accessdate=October 24, 2012}}</ref> In December 2012 he reiterated the need to support wounded veterans, and help reduce suicide rates, by pairing rescued animals with veterans.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Wiseguy 'Gets' Animals: An Interview With Ken Wahl|url=http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/05/the-wiseguy-gets-animals-interview-with-ken-wahl|work=]|date=December 5, 2012|accessdate=December 18, 2012|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6IHTzJEbN|archivedate=July 21, 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref> He has said of ], "e should defend them at all costs. They're the only democracy in the Middle East." <ref name="Daily Mail"/>

⚫ For Memorial Day 2012, Wahl sent a message saluting the military, alongside the group Pets for Patriots, supporting adoption of pets for veterans.<ref>The Stars Give Back {{cite web|title=Barbi Twins Send a Special Memorial Day Message|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/05/28/barbi-twins-send-a-special-memorial-day-message|work=]|date=28 May 2012|access-date=24 October 2012}}</ref> Later that year, he took part in the documentary ''Saving America's Horses'', about both wild and domestic horses and the issues that plague them.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Barbi Twins and Ken Wahl Are 'Saving America's Horse'|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/09/12/the-barbi-twins-and-ken-wahl-are-saving-americas-horse|work=]|date=September 12, 2012|access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref> In December 2012, he reiterated the need to support wounded veterans, and help reduce suicide rates, by pairing rescued animals with veterans.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Wiseguy 'Gets' Animals: An Interview With Ken Wahl|url=http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/05/the-wiseguy-gets-animals-interview-with-ken-wahl |work=]|date= December 5, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721160538/http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/05/the-wiseguy-gets-animals-interview-with-ken-wahl/ |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Awards== ==Awards==
{{Awards table}}
⚫ * 1989: Nomination, ], ], as Vinnie Terranova in '']''<ref>, Emmys.com; accessed February 7, 2017.</ref>
|-
⚫ * 1989: Nomination, ], Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for ''Wiseguy''<ref name=gg>, GoldenGlobes.org; accessed February 7, 2017.</ref>
| 1989
⚫ * 1990: ], Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for ''Wiseguy''<ref name=gg/>
⚫ | ] for Vinnie Terranova in '']''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/ken-wahl|title= Ken Wahl|publisher=]|access-date= February 7, 2017|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190526135632/https://www.emmys.com/bios/ken-wahl|url-status=live}}</ref>
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1989
⚫ | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for ''Wiseguy''<ref name=gg>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=/member/29438|title= Ken Wahl profile|publisher=Golden Globe Awards|access-date= February 7, 2017}}</ref>
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
⚫ | 1990
⚫ | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for ''Wiseguy''<ref name=gg/>
| ]
| {{won}}
|}


==Filmography== ==Filmography==
Line 90: Line 105:
| |
|- |-
| 1981 | rowspan="2"|1981
| '']'' | '']''
| Corelli | Corelli
| |
|- |-
| 1981
|'']'' |'']''
|Barney Whitaker |Barney Whitaker
| |
|- |-
| 1982 | rowspan="2"|1982
| '']'' | '']''
| The Soldier | The Soldier
| |
|- |-
| 1982
| '']'' | '']''
| Willie Brodax | Willie Brodax
Line 111: Line 124:
|- |-
| 1984 | 1984
| '']'' | '']''
| Don Jardian | Don Jardian
| |
|- |-
| 1985 | rowspan="2"|1985
| '']'' | '']''
| Louis Valentine | Louis Valentine
| February 4, 1985 TV-movie | 4 February 1985 TV-movie
|- |-
⚫ | '']''
| 1985
⚫ | '']''
| Ken Sisko<ref name= yahoobio/> | Ken Sisko<ref name= yahoobio/>
| 6 episodes<br>TV series also starring ] | 6 episodes<br>TV series also starring ]
Line 133: Line 145:
|'']''<ref name=NEA/> a.k.a. ''Omega 7'' |'']''<ref name=NEA/> a.k.a. ''Omega 7''
| Jack Corbett | Jack Corbett
|
|- |-
| 1987–1990
⚫ | 1987-1990
| '']'' | '']''
| Vinnie Terranova | Vinnie Terranova
| 75 episodes
| 65 episodes<br>]<br>Nominated—]<br>Nominated—]
|-
|1990
|'']''
| Angelo friend
|
|- |-
| 1991 | 1991
Line 144: Line 162:
| |
|- |-
| 1994 | rowspan="2"|1994
| '']'' | '']''
| Tom Andrews | Tom Andrews
| filmed in 1990<ref name=yahoobio/> | filmed in 1990<ref name=yahoobio/>
|- |-
⚫ | '']''<ref name=yahoobio>{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/ken-wahl/biography.html |title=Ken Wahl - Biography |publisher=] |access-date=May 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721155116/http://movies.yahoo.com/person/ken-wahl/biography.html |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 1994
⚫ | ''Search for Grace''<ref name=yahoobio>{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/ken-wahl/biography.html|title=Ken Wahl - Biography|publisher=]|accessdate=May 16, 2013|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6IHT39pqL|archivedate= July 21, 2013}}</ref>
| John "Johnny" Danielli/Jake | John "Johnny" Danielli/Jake
| CBS TV-movie | CBS TV-movie
Line 166: Line 183:
==External links== ==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0906261}} *{{IMDb name|0906261}}
*{{tcmdb name}}
*{{TV Guide person}}


{{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVDrama 1969-1989}} {{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVDrama 1969-1989}}
Line 173: Line 192:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahl, Ken}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wahl, Ken}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 09:06, 14 January 2025

American actor (born 1957)

Ken Wahl
Wahl at the 41st Emmy Awards,
September 1989
Born (1957-02-14) February 14, 1957 (age 67)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1979–1996
Spouses
Corinne Alphen ​ ​(m. 1983; div. 1991)​
Shane Barbi ​(m. 1997)​
Children1

Ken Wahl (born February 14, 1957) is an American retired actor. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in the CBS television crime drama Wiseguy.

Early life and career

Wahl, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, is elusive about his personal life, and has given more than one birthdate. A Newspaper Enterprise Association syndicated article in 1988, citing records checked by the CBS publicist for Wahl's television series Wiseguy, gives February 14, 1957, a date that corresponds with the year of his high school graduation: "A call to Bremen High School in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian reveals Wahl graduated from there in June 1975, presumably at age 18." In 2004, Entertainment Weekly noted the confusion surrounding Wahl's date of birth and added that "Ken Wahl is not actually Ken Wahl. At least he wasn't when he was born. While he declines to disclose his birth name, he does say that the moniker he's gone by for the past 25 years is the name of the person who saved his father's life in the Korean War".

According to Wahl, he was born "in a tiny apartment on the south side of Chicago, in the late Fifties". The 1988 NEA article states that Wahl was the ninth of 11 children from a blue-collar German/Italian family and "attended different high schools as the family moved to the suburbs of Midlothian and Worth." According to Entertainment Weekly, Wahl played baseball, as a shortstop, in unspecified venues that might have included youth leagues and high school teams, before crashing a motorcycle and hurting his knee at age 16. After moving to Los Angeles, he worked as an extra on movies including The Buddy Holly Story (1978).

By 1981, Wahl's father had remarried. Between acting jobs, Wahl stayed in Chicago with his father and stepmother or with his sister.

Acting career

Wahl first gained recognition in 1979 when he was cast in the leading role of director Philip Kaufman's film The Wanderers (1979). He was subsequently cast opposite Paul Newman in Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981), and went on to play the lead in movies including Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981), The Soldier (1982), Jinxed! (1982), Purple Hearts (1984) and other films. In 1984, he then suffered another motorcycle crash, while on his way to meet with Diane Keaton about the role that eventually went to Mel Gibson in the film Mrs. Soffel. Not wearing a helmet, Wahl was injured badly enough to require 89 stitches in his scalp.

After appearing in the ensemble of the TV-movie The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (1985) and co-starring with Billy Dee Williams in the six-episode TV series Double Dare, Wahl was cast in the lead role of Vinnie Terranova in the television series Wiseguy in 1987. Wahl said the following year, "The feature market dried up for me. When 'Wiseguy' came along I was hesitant to do it, but I thought the quality was good. I had to make a living, so I decided to do it. I didn't have to audition or anything." The show ran until 1990 and brought Wahl a Golden Globe Award, as well as an Emmy Award nomination. Wahl wrote an episode of Wiseguy in 1989 and directed an episode in 1990.

During the second season, he injured himself again, on an episode directed by Jan Eliasberg. As Wahl recalled in 2004, "She had me walking into my own POV shot, and ... I was stepping up, and the wheel caught my right heel and it just ripped out the Achilles tendon. ... But she wanted to do it again, so I said, 'Okay, you're the boss.'" Series creator Steven J. Cannell said the camera ran over Wahl a second time, leaving him in such pain Cannell replaced him for three episodes while Wahl healed.

Wahl went on to star in The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991) and The Favor (1994), as well as a Wiseguy reunion TV-movie in 1996.

Wahl retired from acting in 1996.

Injury

Wahl's acting career was derailed by a broken neck. He initially said that in 1992 he had endured another motorcycle crash, but later said he had fallen down a flight of stairs at the home of comedian Rodney Dangerfield's girlfriend and eventual wife, Joan Child. "We were dating casually ... I stayed over at her house one night, fell down these stairs, and she begged me not to say that in the press", Wahl said in 2004.

As his official biography describes the incident:

August of 1992 ... Ken accidentally fell down some slippery marble stairs at a friend's home, causing his neck to break and his spinal column to be injured. Because his friend was in the public eye, she asked Ken not to say where the accident occurred. So, later on, when the media inquired about the scar on his neck, Ken simply offered the explanation that he had broken his neck in a motorcycle accident, in a sincere effort to protect the privacy of his friend.

Blaming a "botched" undisclosed surgery and the refusal of doctors to prescribe pain medication, Wahl said in an interview that he told himself, "Okay, I can't get a prescription, so I'll get a bottle of vodka. I was in such chronic, agonizing pain 24 hours a day that I started drinking to kill the pain." After gaining weight through lack of exercise, and with a growing alcohol problem, he worked 16 days on the Wiseguy reunion movie "and barely got through it. That's when I knew I couldn't do it anymore."

Personal life

Wahl married his first wife, former Penthouse Pet of the Year Corinne Alphen, in 1983. With Alphen, he had a son, Raymond, and a step-son, Louis, from Alphen's previous marriage. They divorced in 1991.

Traci Lords revealed in her autobiography, Traci Lords: Underneath It All, that she had a brief affair with Wahl in 1988 after she had a guest appearance on his TV series. Lords said of Wahl that he "was tall, dark, and brooding with a mischievous smile. He took me to dinner that night at a down-home Italian joint near my hotel. It had a low-key vibe and sensational food. He was a star with simple tastes, which impressed me. He was kind to people and bantered easily with the staff as he leaned back in his chair… He was one sexy man." She further added that he "was the first civilian I'd made love to post-porn" and that he made her think differently about relationships.

In 1995, Wahl was charged with disturbing the peace and arrested on an outstanding warrant for a drunken-driving charge, eventually pleaded no contest to both charges and receiving probation. A year later, he was arrested for allegedly threatening a bartender with a hunting knife for refusing to serve him alcohol. He pleaded no contest again and was ordered to enter a live-in alcohol rehabilitation program.

Wahl married his second wife, glamour model Shane Barbi, in 1997. Wahl says he and Barbi married after attending twelve-step meetings together.

In 2009, Wahl sued his former business manager, Henry Levine, alleging that Levine conspired with Wahl's first wife, Corinne Alphen, to defraud him.

Animal and disabled veterans activism

With his career tanked because of injury, Wahl and his wife Barbi, turned their attention to supporting animal rights and disabled United States military veterans.

On 19 January 2010, he offered his Golden Globe Award as part of a reward then being assembled by the Second Chance Rescue Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to help find and convict the person who glued a 7-month-old orange tabby to Minnesota State Highway 60, where travelers found it on 18 December 2009; the cat, which rescuers called Timothy, died days later.

In 2012, Wahl stood against the Hayden Law Repeal, which would have revoked the Hayden Law for shelter pets in California, which had extended the number of days owners had to find their lost pets or for injured animals to receive donations or to be adopted.

For Memorial Day 2012, Wahl sent a message saluting the military, alongside the group Pets for Patriots, supporting adoption of pets for veterans. Later that year, he took part in the documentary Saving America's Horses, about both wild and domestic horses and the issues that plague them. In December 2012, he reiterated the need to support wounded veterans, and help reduce suicide rates, by pairing rescued animals with veterans.

Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1989 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Vinnie Terranova in Wiseguy Emmy Award Nominated
1989 Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for Wiseguy Golden Globe Award Nominated
1990 Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, for Wiseguy Golden Globe Award Won

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1979 The Wanderers Richie
1980 Running Scared Chas McClain
1981 Fort Apache, The Bronx Corelli
Race for the Yankee Zephyr Barney Whitaker
1982 The Soldier The Soldier
Jinxed! Willie Brodax
1984 Purple Hearts Don Jardian
1985 The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission Louis Valentine 4 February 1985 TV-movie
Double Dare Ken Sisko 6 episodes
TV series also starring Billy Dee Williams
1986 The Gladiator Rick Benton TV-movie
1987 Omega Syndrome a.k.a. Omega 7 Jack Corbett
1987–1990 Wiseguy Vinnie Terranova 75 episodes
1990 Book of Love Angelo friend
1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Boomer Hayes
1994 The Favor Tom Andrews filmed in 1990
Search for Grace John "Johnny" Danielli/Jake CBS TV-movie
1996 Wiseguy Vinnie Terranova TV movie

References

  1. ^ Lovece, Frank (December 4, 1988). "'I must be doin somethin right,' says 'Wiseguy's elusive star Ken Wahl, 'because I'm still around'". Newspaper Enterprise Association. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  2. Other dates of birth -- such as February 14, 1953, February 14, 1956, October 31, 1954, October 31, 1957, and October 31, 1959 -- have been proffered over the years.
  3. ^ Ross, Dalton (July 23, 2004). "Ken Wahl Comes Tumbling Down". Entertainment Weekly. No. 776. pp. 1–4. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2012. Note: Only page 1 of article appears online. Full text appears in print edition.
  4. ^ "Biography" (PDF). The Official Ken Wahl website. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  5. Chase, Chris (December 4, 1981). "At the Movies: Ken Wahl chuckles at Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  6. Torme, Robin (June 2009). "Behind the Wahl with Ken Wahl". Beverly Hills Times. p. 19. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  7. O'Connor, John J. (May 2, 1996). "Television Review: A Return to 'Wiseguy', With the Original Guy". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  8. ^ "Ken Wahl - Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  9. ^ "[title unavailable]". Cosmopolitan. July 1991. p. 67. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Together, they had a son, Raymond, and a step-son, Louis, from Alphen's previous marriage.
  10. ^ Lords, Traci (2003). Traci Lords: Underneath It All (Kindle ed.). HarperCollins. pp. 115–118. ISBN 9780062217233.
  11. Grosberg, Josh (March 31, 2009). "Wiseguy's Ken Wahl in the Poor House". E! News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  12. "Ken Wahl Offers Golden Globe To Catch Cat Killer". Radar Online. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  13. "'Wiseguy' Ken Wahl helping out in case of cat glued to Minnesota highway". Associated Press via St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 19, 2010.
  14. The Stars Give Back "Ken and Barbis Ask Your Help for Animal Shelters". Extra. February 29, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  15. The Stars Give Back "Barbi Twins Send a Special Memorial Day Message". Extra. May 28, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  16. "The Barbi Twins and Ken Wahl Are 'Saving America's Horse'". Extra. September 12, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  17. "The Wiseguy 'Gets' Animals: An Interview With Ken Wahl". National Geographic. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  18. "Ken Wahl". Television Academy. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  19. ^ "Ken Wahl profile". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

External links

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Categories:
Ken Wahl: Difference between revisions Add topic