Actor, Television Producer, Director, Screenwriter. He is best remembered for his role of 'Police Sgt. Joe Friday' on the television series "Dragnet" in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Born John Randolph Webb in Santa Monica, California, he grew up in Bunker Hill, the poor section of Los Angeles in a rooming house that his mother ran. His father left the family just before he was born, and he never knew his father. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces, and served as a crewman aboard a B-26 Marauder bomber. After leaving the military, he obtained work on a radio show about a private detective, "Pat Novak, for Hire." This was soon followed by more radio shows, "Johnny Modero," "Jeff Regan, Investigator," and "Murder and Mr. Malone." Webb had a small role in the 1948 movie, "He Walked by Night," a docudrama-type movie that gave Webb the idea for "Dragnet." With the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Webb started "Dragnet" in 1949 as a radio show, with actor Barton Yarborough playing the role of his police partner, 'Ben Romero.' Having a tremendous respect for police, Webb often mentioned in later interviews that he thought real police put up with a lot of public abuse, and that he created the show to "show the police as heroes and perhaps make their lives a little easier." In 1951, Dragnet made the transition to television, with actors Barney Phillips and Herb Ellis replacing Yarborough as his partner. In 1952, actor Ben Alexander became Officer Friday's partner, 'Officer Frank Smith,' remaining until the series ended in 1959. During the 1950s, Webb also continued to act in movies such as "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), "Halls of Montezuma" (1951), "Dragnet" (1954) and "Pete Kelly's Blues" (1955), but did not achieve audience approval until his role of 'Marine Sergeant Jim Moore' in "The D.I." (1957), playing a tough-as-nails Marine Drill Instructor. In 1967, Webb produced and starred in a colorized version of "Dragnet," with actor Harry Morgan playing his partner, 'Officer Bill Gannon.' After that, Webb produced a number of television shows, including "Adam-12," "The D.A.," "O'Hara: U.S. Treasury," and "Emergency!" Webb considered remaking "Dragnet" a third time, to start in 1983 with actor Kent McCord as his partner, but, in December 1982, Webb was stricken by a sudden heart attack and died. Webb was given a funeral with full police honors, including a 17-gun salute, and the Los Angeles Chief of Police announced during the funeral that Badge 714 (Webb's Joe Friday character's badge number) would be retired, even though Webb had never served on the police force. The Los Angeles Police Department later named a police academy auditorium after Jack Webb. Webb was married four times and had two daughters, Stacy and Alisa, with his first wife, singer Julie London. For his contributions to radio and television, he has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7040 Hollywood Blvd. and 6278 Hollywood Blvd., respectively.