Hollywood Loved Jack Cassidy Until the Truth Came Out

Hollywood Loved Jack Cassidy Until the Truth Came Out

In 1974, Jack Cassidy’s neighbors were shocked when he went out in the yard and began watering the lawn without a stitch of clothing on. Something had gone very, very wrong. The aftermath was brutal, but Cassidy’s dark fate was even more horrifying. Jack Cassidy was a Broadway actor, singer, and director whose erratic personal life nearly overshadowed his staggering stage accomplishments. Despite being married twice and fathering two teen idols, he managed to keep a secret from his whole family until it went all up in flames. John Joseph Edward Cassidy burst through the curtains on March 5th, 1927, not actually far from Broadway in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York City. The youngest of five in a big Irish-German household, Cassidy grew up in the hum of city life. Though, it would take years before the world learned his name. Cassidy’s father, William, earned his keep as a Long Island Railroad engineer. His mother, Charlotte, had immigrated to the United States from Hamburg, Germany, and together they tried to build a home that would serve as a solid foundation for their young brood. Like countless other Depression-era kids, Cassidy’s childhood came with calluses from hard work. Instead of playing hopscotch, he spent his boyhood hustling odd jobs to help keep the family afloat. But, it wasn’t all bad. He learned the rhythm of hard work long before he learned the rhythm of applause, and he really understood hard work. Before his name ever graced a marquee, Jack Cassidy had just about every job imaginable, but his early credits were not exactly glamorous

. To help his family, he worked as a bellhop, counterman, dishwasher, chauffeur, building salesman, postal clerk, hotel clerk, stable boy, you name it. His true calling, however, could not be ignored. Cassidy’s first foray into showbiz came from the unlikeliest of places, the circus. His ex-vaudevillian contortionist uncle, appropriately named Ben Dover, saw something in the eager teen. Dover arranged auditions for the young Cassidy knowing that he would become a star. By 15, Cassidy’s passion for showbiz burned brighter than his report cards. Determined to pursue a life in entertainment, he left school behind trading textbooks for show tunes. Under the guidance of voice coach Paul Robertson, he trained his baritone until it was Broadway ready, and it wouldn’t be long before he used it. Cassidy was clearly a natural. At just 16, he landed his first Broadway gig, but it wasn’t in the spotlight. Instead, he joined the chorus of Cole Porter’s Something for the Boys at the Alvin Theater. Decades later, his association with Porter, more than 30 years his senior, would become scandalous. Jack Cassidy, just a regular kid from Queens, quickly became a Broadway regular. From Sadie Thompson in 1944 to Around the World in 1946 and Music in My Heart in 1947, Cassidy built his career one chorus line at a time. But something and someone was about to change that. While performing in The Firebrand of Florence, Cassidy met the actress and dancer Evelyn Ward. She was sophisticated, talented, and had the kind of sparkle that rivaled his own. Their chemistry wasn’t just theatrical. It was electric. On June 28th, 1948, Jack Cassidy and Ward tied the knot in a Broadway wedding worthy of an encore. Surrounded by theater royalty, the couple began their own show-stopping act, welcoming son David Bruce Cassidy just a few years later. The family that acted together, stayed together. By 1952, Cassidy’s Broadway resume and fame was growing faster than his family.

He joined the cast of South Pacific at the Majestic Theater, stepping into the role of Richard West. He proved that he was ready for bigger things and much brighter spotlights. Later that same year, Cassidy snagged his first lead role in Wish You Were Here at the Imperial Theater. As Chick Miller, he charmed audiences in what would become a Tony winning musical and critics took notice. Broadway had just found its newest golden boy. Jack Cassidy followed up his spotlight debut with the role of Johnny O’Sullivan in Sandhog. The story about Irish immigrants building New York’s tunnels hit close to home for the Irish-German New Yorker and his heartfelt performance earned rave reviews. It also revealed his most personal side yet. In 1955, Jack Cassidy stepped away from Broadway and took his voice overseas on a State Department tour of Oklahoma, taking the lead role as Curly. The trip introduced him to more than just different cultures. It was while touring with Oklahoma that Cassidy met a stunning young actress named Shirley Jones. And then everything changed. Cassidy and Jones didn’t just share a stage while touring through Europe. They shared sparks. Their chemistry on the set of Oklahoma and off of it was impossible to ignore. By the time the final curtain fell, they were more than just co-stars. They were falling in love and fast. Cassidy’s connection with Jones was undeniable, but there was one obstacle in the way, his wife, Evelyn Ward. Feeling his heart pulled away towards his Oklahoma co-star, Cassidy filed for divorce from Ward. And he didn’t waste any time getting back into the character of the doting husband. After divorcing Ward, Cassidy wasted no time making his grand romantic gesture. During a 1956 production of The Beggar’s Opera, he asked Shirley Jones to marry him before the final curtain call. In between acts, Cassidy got down on one knee and popped the question. Of course, she said yes, and on August 5th, 1956, they became Broadway’s golden couple. A second marriage didn’t slow Jack Cassidy down. It only brightened his spotlight. From Shangri-La in 1956 to Wonderful Town in 1958, he performed everywhere from New York City to the Brussels World’s Fair.

He was starting an acting and entertainment dynasty of his own. In 1958, Cassidy and Jones welcomed their first son, Shaun, who later become a teen idol with even more fans than his father. Not to be outdone, 4 years later came Patrick, born while Jones filmed The Music Man. During one scene, an in utero Patrick embraced his family’s flair for the dramatic, kicking his mother’s co-star mid-embrace. Cassidy, it seemed, was the very image of wholesomeness. Cassidy’s talents went far beyond the Broadway stage. In fact, he was a pioneer in other forms of entertainment. In 1962, he voiced Bob Crachit in Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, the first ever animated holiday TV special. His warm, resonant voice gave the beloved character a touch of theatrical magic. Still, Broadway was where he shone brightest. Cassidy reached his theatrical peak in 1963’s She Loves Me, playing the slick Steven Kodaly. His performance earned him both a Tony Award and a Grammy for the show’s cast album in 1964. The awards practically made him Broadway royalty, but he wasn’t done yet. By the early 1960s, Jack Cassidy had achieved what most performers only dreamt about. A Tony, a Grammy, a beautiful wife, and a growing family of sons who were already showing signs of inheriting his star power. From the outside, it looked like a life perfectly written. Kind of story that ends with a standing ovation and a graceful exit into legend. But the stage, as Cassidy knew better than anyone, is a place of illusion. What audiences saw was a polished performance. What they couldn’t see was the man offstage. Jack Cassidy proved his staying power with Fade Out Fade In in 1964, dazzling audiences as Byron Prong. The following year, his sharp comedic timing and musical magnetism earned him yet another Tony nomination. For Cassidy, Broadway’s spotlight seemed endless. In 1966, Cassidy showed audiences his bad side, taking the role of Max Mencken in It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman. Cassidy portrayed a character driven to evil by his jealousy of Superman. But clearly, he was good at being bad. Cassidy’s turn in the production scored him a Tony nod for best leading actor. Suddenly, the stage felt too small for him. Following his string of Broadway successes for nearly 2 years, Jack Cassidy traded footlights for floodlights in the CBS sitcom He and She. As a pompous, buffoonish Oscar North, he became a parody of every overblown leading man he’d ever played and earned an Emmy nomination for the privilege. Hollywood couldn’t resist him. By 1970, Cassidy was blazing across screens big and small.

After impressing in The Andersonville Trial, he turned villainous once again in an episode of Columbo, Murder by the Book, playing the evildoer Ken Franklin. Directed by an as yet unknown 24-year-old Steven Spielberg, it became one of TV’s most celebrated debuts. His critics took note. With a string of Tony Awards and nominations, Cassidy had conquered the stage and the TV was next. For his transformative performance in The Andersonville Trial, Cassidy earned an Emmy nomination, making him one of the rare stars to successfully cross from the stage to the screen. By the mid-1970s, he had developed a niche unlike any other. Whether on Broadway or television, Cassidy carved out an on-screen persona that few could hope to match. With his patented expressions and body language, he made arrogance look charming. His trademark style, urbane, confident, and delightfully egotistical, was so polished that it landed him the role of John Barrymore in W.C. Fields and Me in 1976. At this point, he was utterly irreplaceable. One of Cassidy’s more memorable characters was of Hal Baxter, the brother of Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. His one-episode appearance showed just how effortlessly he could hog the spotlight and leave audiences yearning for more, even when playing second fiddle. Still, the role was something of a consolation prize. Ironically, Cassidy could have had the spotlight of The Mary Tyler Moore Show all to himself. The showrunners had actually created the character of Ted Baxter specifically for Cassidy. In a rare misstep, Cassidy turned down the role, thinking that it wasn’t the right fit. Still, there was a show he was perfect for. Cassidy couldn’t resist revisiting his dark side. So, in 1974, he reprised his role as the ne’er-do-well in the Columbo series. This time, portraying the role of publisher Riley Greenleaf in the episode Publish or Perish, Cassidy once again proved that he was very much in touch with his dark side. Too in touch, perhaps. David Cassidy, Jack Cassidy’s son, made a shocking revelation in his 1994 autobiography, C’mon, Get Happy. In his reflections, the younger Cassidy revealed how much of his father’s behavior haunted him, saying that his moods had grown erratic and unpredictable. The truth is that the real drama was unfolding offstage. By the mid-1970s, Cassidy’s mental health had begun to deteriorate.

In fact, his behavior had become so erratic that doctors diagnosed him with bipolar disorder. To make his situation worse, unbeknownst to many, Cassidy struggled with addiction to the bottle. There were, however, clear signs that he wasn’t all there. One afternoon in 1974, Cassidy put on a show for his Los Angeles neighbors, though not quite the show they were accustomed to. In broad daylight, Cassidy stepped out of his home and began watering his front lawn in his birthday suit. The sight made headlines and confirmed what insiders already feared. Something inside Jack Cassidy had snapped. Years later, Cassidy’s wife, Jones, described similarly odd scenes at home. Once, she found Cassidy sitting in a corner, calmly reading a book without any clothes. The most shocking thing is that that episode wasn’t even the most troubling in the drama of Cassidy’s unfolding personal life. During one of Cassidy’s more confusing manic episodes, Jones tried to coax him into getting ready for a show. Cassidy, serene as ever, looked up from his book and replied, “I know now that I’m Christ.” It was the chilling moment Jones realized how far gone he truly was, and that she couldn’t help him alone. By late 1974, Cassidy’s mental collapse had reached a breaking point. After another alarming episode, he was admitted to a psychiatric facility for 2 days. It was only then that Jones learned the full truth of her husband’s bipolar disorder diagnosis. That may have been the moment she knew that she couldn’t help him. Cassidy’s mental health struggles were more than Jones could bear. By May 1975, the couple decided that the best thing for both of them was to go their separate ways. Their divorce marked the end of Broadway’s golden couple and the beginning of a dangerous chapter for Cassidy. Even as his private life crumbled, Cassidy kept working. It might have been the only thing keeping him sane, and he had almost never been better. Shortly after his divorce, he co-starred in Clint Eastwood’s thriller, The Eiger Sanction, playing a sly informer named Miles Milo. The role suited him, a charming deceiver with too many secrets of his own. In 1976, Cassidy returned to Columbo for a third time. This time as the Great Santini in Now You See Him. His malicious magician character dazzled fans and put him among an elite few actors who played multiple evildoers on the celebrated series. No matter how bright his spotlight, however, he kept something hidden in the dark. After his passing, Cassidy’s son, David Cassidy, revealed that his father had been hiding a big secret. Jack Cassidy, the beloved theater and TV star, he claimed, was bisexual. The stories of Cassidy’s affairs had, until then, only been whispered about in showbiz circles. But to his children, it was news from beyond the grave. And there was more to it.

In her 2013 memoir, Shirley Jones on Jones confirmed what Cassidy’s son had stated, that her husband had had numerous affairs. The most scandalous, however, was the revelation that Cassidy had allegedly had an affair with the composer Cole Porter, a man almost 40 years his senior. It was still slightly more complicated than that. Jones went on to explain her late husband’s romantic life, saying, “Well, Jack was he did it with men and women. He had an affair with Cole Porter, and he told me about all this. I was very aware of it, but he loved women.” For all his contradictions, Cassidy had no illusions about who he was. Following his second divorce, Cassidy was living alone. He occupied a Hollywood penthouse that spanned the entire top floor of the building, ringed with balconies overlooking the city that made him famous. But isolation and excess rarely mix well. On December 11th, 1976, Cassidy phoned his ex-wife, Shirley Jones, to invite her over for drinks. It’s not clear what his intentions were because Jones declined the offer, thinking little of it, but that small, seemingly harmless decision would haunt her for the rest of her life. That evening, instead of reminiscing with his ex-wife, Cassidy dined at a local Italian restaurant before bar hopping across West Hollywood. By the time he returned to his penthouse, he was alone and not exactly sober. No one could have known it would be his last night. Alone in his penthouse, Cassidy reclined into his couch and lit a smoke to take the edge off. Sadly, it worked too well. Between the hooch and the smoke, Cassidy drifted off to sleep, letting the coffin nail slip from his hand. In an instant, his sofa was engulfed in flames and moments later, so was his apartment. By early dawn the following morning, Cassidy’s apartment was a raging inferno.

The conflagration caught the attention of Deputy Sheriff John De Matteo, who immediately began evacuating the building’s other residents to safety. There was just one person unaccounted for, Jack Cassidy. Authorities discovered a charred body, burned beyond recognition, right near the doorway. However, Cassidy’s car was missing, so his friends and family assumed, or desperately hoped, that he had simply absconded to Palm Springs as he had been planning. When authorities learned that a friend had borrowed Cassidy’s car, they feared the worst. The badly burned body found its way to the coroner, who confirmed what everyone had feared. Through dental records and a gold signet ring engraved with the Cassidy family crest, authorities identified the body. It was Jack Cassidy. At just 49 years old, his star had burned out, but he left a legacy of stardust behind. After cremating the rest of his remains, Cassidy’s family scattered his ashes into the Pacific Ocean, but the shine of his star hadn’t truly faded. Cassidy’s sons, David, Shaun, and Patrick, would all go on to glittering showbiz careers, owing their talents and their success to a father whose deepest, darkest secrets they had never truly known until it all went up into flames. Jack Cassidy never got to take a final bow, but in the way that only the truly larger than life can manage, he left behind more than memories. He left a dynasty, and though his final chapter was written in tragedy, the full story of Jack Cassidy is one of extraordinary talent, unflinching complexity, and a life lived without apology. In the end, perhaps that’s the most theatrical thing about him. He burned brightest right up until the very last moment.