365 Days of Columbo: February 8th

You just had a birthday for yourself, sir

Character actor Michael Strong (born February 8, 1918 in Manhattan, New York) appears in Columbo as Sgt. Hoffman in Negative Reaction—one of those no-nonsense cops who looks like he’s seen every hustle in Los Angeles and is not impressed by any of them. 

Strong worked steadily across stage, film, and television for decades, and his tough, grounded presence is a perfect fit for the episode’s kidnapping-gone-wrong atmosphere.

Happy Birthday Robert Trumbull

Robert Trumbull (born February 8, 1938) shows up in Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991) as the D.A. 

Trumbull also worked frequently in film and television beyond his Columbo appearance.

Happy Birthday Karl Wiedergott

Karl Wiedergott (born February 8, 1969)  played Sachs in Columbo Goes to College. If you’ve watched a lot of 1990s television, you’ve likely seen Wiedergott pop up in bit parts—he’s one of those familiar faces who turns a scene real with just a few lines.

Sachs is totally going to marry Sara, by the way.

In Memoriam: Robert Conrad

February 8th also marks the anniversary of Robert Conrad’s passing (February 8, 2020). Columbo fans will always remember him as Milo Janus, the swaggering fitness guru in An Exercise in Fatality. 

Conrad’s performance is all coiled bravado and salesman charm—exactly what the episode needs to make Columbo’s quiet persistence feel like it’s pushing against a wall of ego.