Actor. Best remembered for playing the tall, ruggedly-handsome 'Joe Mannix' in the TV detective series "Mannix" (1967 to 1975). Born Kreker (some sources state spelling is Krekor) Ohanian, to parents of Armenian descent, he served with the United States Army Air Force during World War II. Following his return home, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles with the aid of the G.I. Bill and an athletic scholarship to play basketball. During a game, he caught the attention of director William A. Wellman, who was in attendance. Wellman persuaded him to try acting and Connors who was studying Law at the time turned his attention to the theater. Initially billed as 'Touch' Connors, he made his motion picture debut playing 'Junior Kearney' in the thriller "Sudden Fear" (1952), which starred Joan Crawford and Jack Palance. He steadily appeared in a wide range of films from the Roger Corman picture "Swamp Women" (1956) to the epic "The Ten Commandments" (1956), in which he played 'Amalekite Herder.' By the end of the 1950s, he was known as Mike Connors and in addition to films, he had accrued many television credits in such programs as "Have Gun – Will Travel," "M Squad," "Maverick" and "Perry Mason." In 1959, Connors was given his first TV series "Tightrope" (1959 to 1960) in which he played undercover cop 'Nick Stone.' During the run of the series "Mannix," Connors earned several Emmy Award nominations. He received a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1970, as well as further nominations. After the series ended in 1975, he continued to perform in films and TV programs. He played 'Agent Ben Slater' in the short-lived series "Today's F.B.I." (1981 to 1982) and had a recurring role as 'Colonel Harrison 'Hack' Peters' in the TV Mini-series " War and Remembrance" (1988 to 1989). Connors revised his 'Mannix' character for a 1997 episode of the TV series "Diagnosis: Murder" titled "Hard-Boiled Murder." He died from leukemia.