The only child of a stockbroker and well-to-do mother, Richard Jason described himself as "second-generation nouveau riche" and a born romantic. Friends say he was affable, charming, driven and a real Renaissance man. A good student, popular with classmates and teachers, Jason's hellish behavior got him expelled from eight prep schools before he managed to graduate from Rhodes School. His father bought him a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, but Rick sold the seat and enlisted in the Army Air Corps . After his retirement he kept busy doing voice-overs for commercials and ran the Wine Locker, a 4,000-square-foot facility used to store fine wines under optimal conditions. Sadly, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot in October 2000.
His ex-wife, Shirley, was the ex-wife of Johnny Johnston.
Had three different wives during the run of "Combat!" .
Spoke Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese.
Enjoyed flying, hunting, fishing and underwater swimming.
Played guitar.
Had to end his first TV series, "The Case of the Dangerous Robin" , because of injuring the sciatic nerve in his back while picking up something off the floor during a filming break.
