Larry Wilcox is a veteran in more than one way. An actor with over 50 years of on-screen experience, he is also a Vietnam vet who served in the American military for six years and fought in the Tet Offensive of 1968. To popular audiences, however, he is best known for something totally different: starring as Captain Jon Baker in the classic NBC police drama, CHiPS, between 1977 and 1982 — although the character also fought in Vietnam. In the mid-1980s, he became the award-winning producer of The Ray Bradbury Theater, a series of television plays created by the famous author of classic novels such as Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He has continued to act and produce ever since.
Born in California but raised in Wyoming, Wilcox has always led an eclectic life. Before enlisting in the Marines, he worked at various jobs, including a stint as a cowboy at a rodeo. In 1967, he signed up for the Marine Corps and went off to Vietnam, being involved in the 1968 Tet Offensive, which had a major impact on how the war was perceived back in America. During his time as a Marine, Wilcox also studied French and managed to land a regular role in that classic TV series, Lassie, appearing in over 20 episodes in the early 1970s.
In 1977, he joined the cast of CHiPS as its star. The show, about motorcycle officers from the California Highway Patrol, became a hit, well-known for its outlandish chase and pileup scenes. It made Wilcox a bonafide star and gave him the resources to start his own successful production company.
