Jack Webb

Birth Name:

John Randolph Webb

Birth Place:

Santa Monica, California, United States

Profession

Producer, Actor, Director, Writer

Honored with a U․S․ postage stamp in 2009 featuring his "Dragnet" character
Often leant his time and effort to numerous non-profit organizations aimed at helping the widows and orphans of fallen police officers
Unexpectedly died from a heart attack at the age of 62 while planning to revive "Dragnet" with writing partner and co-star, Kent McCord
Enlisted in the U․S․ Air Force during WWII, but was eventually forced to file for a hardship discharge, as he was the primary caregiver for his mother and grandmother
Best known for his role of Sgt․ Joe Friday on NBC's "Dragnet" after first portraying the role in the 1948 film, "He Walked By Night"
Founded his own production company, Mark VII Limited, in 1951
Landed his own radio show in San Francisco during WWII before eventually riding his success on to the silver screen
A lifelong fan of jazz music, he would end up with over 6,000 jazz albums by the time of his death
An avid baseball fan, he chose Joe Friday's badge number of 714 after the number of home runs hit by Babe Ruth
Following his death, the Los Angeles Police Department officially retired his badge number of 714

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