Jon-Erik Hexum (1957-1984)

Actor and model.[72]

What is Jon-Erik Hexum (1957-1984) known for?

Jon-Erik Hexum was a renowned American actor and model born on November 5, 1957, in Englewood, New Jersey. Known for his lead roles in the TV series Voyagers! and Cover Up, Hexum's promising career was cut short when he tragically died at the age of 26 due to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound on the set of Cover Up in 1984.

Born to Norwegian immigrants, Hexum was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, by his mother following his parents' divorce when he was just four years old. After graduating from Tenafly High School, Hexum went on to study biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, later transferring to Michigan State University in East Lansing. Throughout his college years, Hexum participated in a variety of activities including working as a radio disc jockey, playing football for the Spartans, and acting in minor stage roles.

Following his graduation, Hexum moved to New York in 1980 to pursue his acting career. He landed his breakthrough role in the 1982-1983 NBC TV series Voyagers! as Phineas Bogg, a former pirate turned time traveler. Further cementing his acting career, Hexum starred in the made-for-television movie Making of a Male Model, opposite Joan Collins, and in the CBS primetime series Cover Up, where he played an undercover CIA operative posing as a model. In 1984, Hexum played a small role as the terminally ill quarterback Pat Trammell in the feature film, The Bear, a tribute to University of Alabama's football coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Hexum's life tragically ended on October 12, 1984, while on the set of the series Cover Up. Due to a delay in filming, an impatient Hexum began playing with a functional .44 Magnum handgun loaded with blank cartridges. Simulating Russian roulette, he put the revolver to his temple and pulled the trigger, unaware of the danger. The resulting muzzle blast caused lethal blunt force trauma. Hexum's short-lived but impactful career left an indelible mark in the entertainment industry.