Ron Masak

Ron Masak
	;
Name:	Ronald Alan Masak
Born:	July 1, 1936
Birth Hometown:	Chicago, Illinois
Died:	October 20, 2022 (age 86)
Place of death:	Thousand Oaks, California
Occupation:	Actor
Years active:	1959-2022

Ronald Alan Masak (born July 1, 1936 - death October 20, 2022) was an American actor. He began as a stage performer, and much of his work was in Theater until he transitioned to film and television where he became a familiar character actor. From 1988 to 1996, Masak played the recurring role Sheriff Mort Metzger in the CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury who predeceased him by only nine days.

Masak's early television appearances including roles on The Twilight Zone, Get Smart, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. From 1970 to 1973, he appeared om the ABC anthology comedy series Love, American Style. He then starred in another ABC series, Love Thy Neighbor (1973) He then roles in the NBC crime series Police Story (1975-1978) and in the ABC sitcom Webster (1983-1989).

From 1988 to 1996, Masak portrayed the recurring role of Sheriff Mort Metzger of Cabot Cove in Murder, She Wrote, taking over Tom Bosley's Sheriff Amos Tupper. During this time, he also guest starred on various shows such as The Rockford Files, Quincy M.E., Magnum P.I. (1980 version) and Diff'rent Strokes. He's also known for his film roles in Ice Station Zebra (1968), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and Harper Valley PTA (1978).

Early Life[]

Masak was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Floyd Louis Masak and Mildred Alice (Rudy) Masak. His mother was of Irish descent and his father of Czech Bohemian descent. His paternal great-grandfather, Karl Masak (1861-1899) was an immigrant from Zverkovice near Tyn nad Vltavou.

Career[]

Film[]

The Army provided Masak with a platform from which to display his all-around talents for performing. writing and directing. In 1960-61, he toured the world doing vocal impressions in the all-Army show entitled "Rolling Along".

In 1968, he appeared alongside Vince Lombardi in the short film, Second Effort. That same year, he also appeared in a supporting role in the submarine action film Ice Station Zebra.

In addition to two guest appearance on the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, he also had a role in the pilot film for Jeannie star Barbara Eden's subsequent series Harper Valley PTA and worked again with Jeannie's co-star Larry Hagman in an episode of the crime series The Rockford Files.

Television[]

Masak's first screen role was as the Harmonica man in "The Purple Testament", an episode of The Twillight Zone in 1960. Masak appeared as "Mike the boxer" on The Flying Nun, season 1, episode 26 ("Where There's a Will"), which first aired on March 13, 1968. Masak appeared as "Officer #2" on Bewitched. Season 7, Episode 4 ("Samantha's Hot Bedwarmer"), first aired on October 15, 1970, he also appeared in season 5 episode 25 as an ice cream shop manager which aired in 1969, ("Samantha's Power Failure") and in "Irving Bates. Sr." in season 6, episode 23 ("Just a Kid Again").

Masak had a guest appearance as Beauregard Jackson in the episode "Hurricane" on Land of the Lost (1974 version). He appeared in the second season of Barney Miller episode of "The House Thief" as officer Shriker and was a guest star in the "Welcome Home, Vince" episode of The Feather and Father Gang in 1977 and in the episode "The Two-Million-Dollar Stowaway" of The Eddie Capra Mysteries in 1978. In 1981, he guest starred on Magnum P.I. (1980 version) episode "Skin Deep". He also guest starred on an episode of Quincy M.E..

Masak was perhaps best known for a recurring role on Murder, She Wrote as the Cadillac convertible-driving Sheriff, Mort Metzger of Cabot Cove, a role which he played from 1988 to 1996. Masak did appearances as two other characters in the series, in "Footnote to Murder" as Lt. Lyle Meyer and in "No Accounting for Murder" as Marty Giles. By coincidence, he died just nine days after the passing of the show's main star Angela Lansbury.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, he was dubbed "The King of Commercials" for his many commercials, including voice-over work, most notably for a Vlastic pickles ad. From 1982 to 1983, he voiced Meatballs on the short-lived Saturday Morning CBS cartoon series Meatballs & Spaghetti. He did voice for Veteran Holt in the video game Medal of Honor: European Assault.

In 1990. Masak was a panelist on the revival of the television game show To Tell the Truth and appeared on several other game shows as a panelist including Match Game, Password Plus and Super Password. Masak appeared as Eddie Fenelle, a taxi driver, in the Columbo episode "Ashes to Ashes" (1998).

Personal Life and Death[]

Masak married Kay Knebes in September 1961; together they had six children. He was also the first cousin of actor Michael Gross of Family Ties and former Saturday Night Live/SNL cast member Mary Gross.

Masak was honorary sheriff of Tarzana, California for 35 years.

On October 20, 2022; Masak died in Thousand Oaks, California at the age of 86.