Jack De Mave, who played Forest Ranger Bob Erickson in CBS’ Lassie, died in hospice care in Macon, Georgia on January 16 following a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day. He was 91.
Born John Francois De Mave in Jersey City, New Jersey on December 8, 1933, Jack De Mave’s father was a heavyweight boxer, said to be the inspiration for the play Golden Boy. His mother was a casting director on Broadway.
De Mave’s first credited role on television was in an episode of the action drama Surfside 6 in 1962. From there he made the rounds as a guest star in TV series in the 1960s like Wagon Train, The F.B.I., Daniel Boone, F Troop and The Fugitive.
In 1968, Di Mave was cast in the long-running Sunday night CBS staple Lassie as Forest Ranger Bob Erickson, which was a two season gig.
More guest spots followed, including comedies The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Funny Face and The Doris Day Show, and the Robert Young medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D. De Mave also guest starred in daytime dramas Loving, Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful, and his final credited role was in the 2008 TV movie Ladies in the House.
On the big screen, De Mave appeared in such films as Blindfold (1966), 1776 (1972) and The Man Without a Face (1993). He also played The Lone Ranger in a series of Frito-Lay commercials.
De Mave’s wife Camille worked as an assistant for Paul Newman and George Roy Hill, from 1963 until her death in 2013.
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