Jordan Christopher

Jordan Christopher (October 23, 1940 – January 21, 1996) was an American actor and singer. He was the lead singer of The Wild Ones, who recorded the original version of the rock classic "Wild Thing" after Christopher had left the band.

Jordan Christopher
Born
Jordan Christopher Zankoff

(1940-10-23)October 23, 1940
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 21, 1996(1996-01-21) (aged 55)
New York, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Sybil Burton
​
(
m. 1966; his death 1996)

Early life

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Macedonian immigrants Eli and Dorothy Zankoff, he moved at an early age to Akron, where his father ran a downtown bar.

Music and marriage

Christopher became interested in singing with the rise of rock & roll, spending much of his time at the music clubs in Akron's black section. He formed a doo-wop group called the Fascinations, who released unsuccessful singles on several small labels in the early 1960s.

Christopher's break came when he joined The Wild Ones, the house band at New York's Peppermint Lounge, as singer and guitarist. After a residency at the Peppermint Lounge of eight months, The Wild Ones were hired to play at Arthur, the Manhattan discothèque operated by Sybil Williams, then recently divorced from Richard Burton. Within a month of meeting, Christopher and Williams – eleven years his senior – began dating and married in 1966. They had a daughter named Amy, and he had a daughter named Jodi from a previous marriage.

Thanks to the publicity Williams received as the ex-wife of Richard Burton, there was great interest in Arthur, and The Wild Ones were able to secure a recording contract with United Artists records, releasing an album, The Arthur Sound. However, Christopher left the band shortly after its release to develop an acting career. Producer Gerry Granahan later commissioned Brill Building songwriter Chip Taylor to write a song specifically for the band. "Wild Thing" – sung by the band's new lead vocalist, Chuck Alden, not Christopher – was the result.[1]

Acting

Christopher acted in several films including The Fat Spy (1966), Return of the Seven (1966), The Tree (1969), Pigeons (1971), Star 80 (1983), Brainstorm (1983) and That's Life! (1986). However his most celebrated role was as a dissolute rock star in the cult film Angel, Angel, Down We Go (1969), in which he played the male lead opposite Jennifer Jones. He also appeared on Broadway in Sleuth.

Later life

Christopher continued to act intermittently, and he worked behind the scenes with his wife in her operation of the New Theatre on 54th Street in New York City and Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York .

Christopher died of a heart attack on January 21, 1996.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1966The Fat SpyFrankie
1966Return of the SevenManuel
1969The TreeBuck Gagnon
1969Angel, Angel, Down We GoBogart Peter Stuyvesant
1971PigeonsJonathan
1983Star 80Peter Rose
1983BrainstormGordy Forbes
1986That's Life!Dr. Keith Romanis
gollark: Oh, you can, using the emergency override.
gollark: But what if I want access to it later?
gollark: No.
gollark: Why would I access it? That would reduce the security.
gollark: You put stuff in, and nobody can access them.

References
  1. Justin Tricarico, "The Wild Ones without Jordan". Retrieved 30 October 2015

Local history: Fascinating life for Buchtel alum -- Ohio.com

The Making Of… The Troggs’ ‘Wild Thing’ -- Uncut

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.