365 Days of Columbo: June 19th

A banner day for Columbo birthdays with 3 pretty solid stars!

Happy Birthday Robert Karnes!

Robert Anthony Karnes was born June 19, 1917 in Watsonville, California. He served in World War II, during which he toured the Pacific with the Maurice Evans Troupe's production of Hamlet.

He made two excellent appearances on Columbo. He was Sergeant Vernon in The Greenhouse Jungle. 

Robert Karnes (Right) as Sgt. Vernon

Unfortunately he doesn't enter the story until nearly the end.

He was back again as Sgt. Grover in Candidate for Crime. Here he had a much more substantial role.

Beyond Columbo

Robert began his film and television career in 1946, appearing in the film "The Bamboo Blonde" in the uncredited role of a Nightclub Patron. His film career stalled when he was blacklisted because of his earlier political associations. Later in his career, Robert appeared in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Cheyenne, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, The Streets of San Francisco, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Emergency!, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Ironside, among others.

 He also starred, co-starred and appeared in films such as Miracle on 34th Street, Trapped, Gentleman's Agreement, Three Husbands, According to Mrs. Hoyle, Half Human, Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!, Road House, When My Baby Smiles at Me, Hills of Oklahoma, Stagecoach to Fury, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, From Here to Eternity and Fear No More. In 1959, Robert played the role of Max Fields in the crime drama television series The Lawless Years, in which he co-starred with fellow Columni James Gregory.

He was married to Doris Karnes and they had one child, Amanda Karnes. He passed away December 4th, 1979 of heart failure at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 62.

Switch glasses before you toast Louis Jourdan

Born Louis Robert Gendre on June 19, 1921 in Marseille, France, he was one of three sons of Yvonne (née Jourdan) and Henry Gendre, a hotel owner. He was educated in France, Turkey, and the UK, and studied acting at the École Dramatique.

World War II

During the war, Louis refused to act in Nazi propaganda films and joined the French Resistance along with his family. He worked on illegal leaflets, helping to print and distribute them.

The murderous Paul Gerard

Columbo fans, of course, know him as Paul Gerard, the murderous food critic who poisoned Vittorio's wine in Murder Under Glass.

Beyond Columbo

Known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gigi (1958), The Best of Everything (1959), The V.I.P.s (1963) and Octopussy (1983). He also played Dracula in the 1977 BBC television production Count Dracula.

He married Berthe Frédérique "Quique" Jourdan in 1946. They had one child, Louis Henry Jourdan. Unfortunately, their son predeceased his parents in 1981.

Jourdan passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California in 2015, at the age of 93.

Happy birthday Gina Rowlands!

Born as Virginia Cathryn Rowlands in Cambria, Wisconsin on June 19, 1930. She attended the University of Wisconsin from 1947-50, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She eventually moved to New York City to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Gena is known for her collaborations with her late husband, director John Cassavetes, in ten films, including "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Gloria" (1980), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for "Opening Night" (1977). She is also known for her performances in Woody Allen's "Another Woman" (1988), and her son Nick Cassavetes's film, "The Notebook" (2004).

The wheelchair wasn't real

Columbo fans will remember her excellent performance as Elizabeth Van Wyck, the wheelchair-bound wife of murderous electronics executive Harold Van Wych in Playback.

A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, Gena received an Honorary Academy Award in November 2015 in recognition of her unique screen performances.

Gena was married to long time Peter Falk friend John Cassavetes, who faced off against Columbo in Etude in Black, from 1954 until his death in 1989. They had three children: Nick Cassavetes, Alexandra Cassavetes, and Zoe Cassavetes, all of whom are in the film industry. She later married Robert Forrest in 2012.