Donald Robert Charles Quine (born September 11, 1938) is an American author, actor, and sports promoter. He is known for his television roles playing Joe Chernak and Stacey Grainger in '' Peyton Place'' and '' The Virginian''. Quine also was the president of the Professional Karate Association (PKA) whose Kick of the 80’s weekly fight series on ESPN ran for close to a decade. He wrote ''
American Karate
American Karate was first introduced to American service men after World War II by Japanese and Okinawan karate masters.
Many of these US servicemen took their newfound skills to the United States and established their own dojos. Many Japanese ...
'', a book on self-defense.
Early life
Quine was born on September 11, 1938, in Fennville, Michigan, to Irene Elizabeth Quine (1916-2008) and Robert Corkill Quine (1895-1943).
After his father, a medical surgeon and major in the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
, was killed in the crash of a B-24 Liberator bomber near
Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gunnison County, Colorado. The city population was 6,560 at the 2020 United States Census. Gunnison was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a Un ...
, on July 19, 1943, his mother entrusted Quine and his younger sister, Janis, into the care of Alec Dahlke, a carpenter, and his wife Evelyn, a schoolteacher, in
Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
. Their daughters, Phyllis and Patty babysat the two siblings, giving Don's mother the opportunity to continue working as a dental assistant while staying at the home of a friend to save up money for a place to live with her two children.
Several years later, Quine's mother remarried, and he and his sister moved to northern California with their stepfather, James Gores, who was a steeplejack. Quine was valedictorian of his sixth grade class at Santa Fe Elementary in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, a sergeant in the school Traffic Patrol and had two paper routes as a delivery boy for ''The
Oakland Tribune
The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group.
Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...
''. He bought the first TV set in his neighborhood, a 10" RCA, and charged kids a nickel a peek to watch
Howdy Doody
''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F Campbell
and
Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
, until his stepfather put an end to the operation and explained to Don that capitalism has its limits.
His teenage years were troubled and Don spent several months at a juvenile detention center in
Martinez, California
Martinez (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Martínez'') is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Located on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait, t ...
, for burglary. After his mother divorced Gores and married an officer in the Coast Guard, Nathan Vanger, Don moved to
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
and graduated from
New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School, commonly referred to as New Dorp or NDHS, is a public school in New Dorp on the East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island in the New Dorp neighborhood. The school is administered by the New York City Departme ...
in 1957.
Acting career
After a semester of pre-medical studies at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
, Don realized he did not want to be a doctor. While at Wagner College back in Staten Island, Don became involved in the Theatre Arts program. This led him to New York City where he studied at the
American Theatre Wing
The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...
with
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the liter ...
Torch Song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affecte ...
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to:
* ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series
* ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...
'' (1970) as Don Miles
*'' Medical Center'' (1969) as Tim Martin
*''
Lancer
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...
'' (1968) as Corey
*''
Insight
Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings:
*a piece of information
*the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intu ...
'' (1968) as Mike
*'' The Virginian'' (1966–68) as Stacy Granger (55 episodes)
*'' Peyton Place'' (1965–66) as Joe Chernak (16 episodes)
*'' Sullivan's Empire'' (1967) as Kevin Sullivan (Movie)
*''
The F.B.I.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
'' (1966) as Frank Collins
*'' 12 O'Clock High'' (1965–66) as Lt. Thourneau and Sergeant Hanson
*'' The Fugitive'' (1964–66) as Joe