larry manetti

Larry Manetti is an American actor who first found world fame during the 1980s as Orville ‘Rick’ Wright in Magum P.I., a detective drama that defined the decade, made a household name of Manetti’s co-star Tom Selleck, and was consistently one of the most-watched shows in America. When the show was rebooted by CBS in 2019, Manetti returned, playing a guest role.

Even before he was cast in Magnum P.I., Manetti was an established actor in America, having played numerous roles during the 1970s. Having trained as an actor in his native Chicago, he made his TV debut in 1973 and went to play parts in some of that decade’s most notable shows, including Battlestar Galactica, Starsky & Hutch, and The Rockford Files. His first major role was as Lieutenant Bob Boyle in NBC World War 2 drama Baa Baa Black Sheep (subsequently retitled Flying Misfits).

In 1980, Manetti’s life changed forever when he was cast in Magnum P.I., a show he co-starred in over 150 times and continues to be associated with. His character, Orville ‘Rick’ Wright (he preferred to be called Rick out of embarrassment at his real name) was a former Marine who now owned the exclusive Kamehameha Club frequented by Magnum, and who frequently ended up being dragged into helping him solve cases. Since the show folded in 1988, Manetti has rarely been away from our screens. In recent years, he has appeared in a major reboot of Hawaii Five-O, playing Nicky ‘The Kid’ DeMarco. In a clever crossover between two television classics, it was this character he played when guesting in the recent Magnum reboot.