Lawrence Francis Manetti (born July 23, 1943),[1] known as Larry Manetti, is an American actor known for his role as Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright on the CBS television series Magnum, P.I. He co-starred in Baa Baa Black Sheep as First Lieutenant Robert A. "Bobby" Boyle, a pilot in the VMF-214 squadron headed by Greg "Pappy" Boyington.
Larry Manetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence Francis Manetti July 23, 1943[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, memoirist |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy DeCarl Manetti (m. 1980) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editManetti studied acting in Chicago with the Ted Liss Players. His first television role was as a young detective in Jack Webb's Chase (1973–1974). He would go on to play pilot Bobby Boyle in Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978) with Robert Conrad. He followed this up with a role as a bookie on the short-lived NBC series The Duke (1979), which also featured Conrad in the title role.[2] His signature role on Magnum, P.I. lasted for the entire eight-year run of the series (1980–1988). He also had co-starring roles in twenty-five feature films, and guest-starred on many other television shows, including The Rockford Files, Emergency!, Starsky & Hutch, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Fantasy Island, Battlestar Galactica, Renegade, Quantum Leap, JAG, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He also had a minor role in the 1993 film CIA II: Target Alexa.[2]
Since July 2011, Larry and Nancy Manetti have hosted a weekly radio program on CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks.[3]
It was announced on January 24, 2013 that Manetti had joined CBS' reboot of Hawaii Five-0 in the recurring role of Nicky "The Kid" Demarco. The character is described as "a local lounge legend ... [who], back in the day, was mentored by the one and only Frank Sinatra."[4] In October 2019, he appeared in the reboot of Magnum P.I., playing the same character. He also reunited with Tom Selleck on Blue Bloods as troubled retired police sergeant "Sam Velucci".[5]
Other
editManetti is the author of the semi-autobiographical Aloha Magnum, based on his time on Magnum P.I. and anecdotes about fellow cast members and celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Michelle Pfeiffer. He used to host a "Celebrity Brunch" and once owned a restaurant in the Plaza Hotel & Casino, which was owned by his friend D. W. Barrick of Barrick Gaming Corporation.
Books
edit- Aloha Magnum: Larry Manetti's Magnum, P.I. Memories. Manetti, Larry & Chip Silverman (1999); Los Angeles, CA: Renaissance Books; ISBN 1-58063-052-9
Selected filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | The S.W.A.T. - Team Pratt |
| 1977 | Sudden Death | Dan |
| 1993 | Snapdragon | Lengle |
| CIA II: Target Alexa | Radcliffe | |
| 1995 | Fatal Pursuit | Gersi |
| 1997 | Top of the World | Morgan |
| 1998 | Scar City | Paul |
| Hijack | Thomas Grady | |
| 1999 | No Tomorrow | Lewis[citation needed] |
| Time Served | Billy | |
| 2000 | The Alternate | Agent Harris |
| 2001 | Random Acts | |
| 2002 | The Stoneman Murders | Sgt. C. "Chickie" Mudryck |
| 2010 | Sinatra Club | Peg Leg Broncato |
| 2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-1978 | Emergency! | Paramedic (uncredited)/Bert Dwyer/Brian | 4 episodes |
| 1974-1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | Johnny Brennan/Larry Walsh | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch | Stan | "Pilot" |
| 1976–1978 | Baa Baa Black Sheep | 1st Lt. Robert A. "Bobby" Boyle | |
| 1978-1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Lt. Giles | |
| 1979-1980 | Tenspeed and Brown Shoe | Chip Vincent | |
| 1980–1988 | Magnum, P.I. | Orville "Rick" Wright/Reverend Myron Bentley | |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Junior P. Harmon | Episode: "Printer's Devil" |
| 1993 | Quantum Leap | Vic | |
| Street Justice | Doc Nass | ||
| 1998 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Shelby | |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Larry | Episode: "When Life Gives You Lemon Bars" |
| 2013–2016 | Hawaii Five-0 | Nicky "The Kid" DeMarco | |
| 2019–2023 | Magnum P.I. | ||
| 2023 | Blue Bloods | Sam Velucci | Episode: "Family Matters" |
References
edit- ^ a b Lawrence F. Manetti, aged 36, married Nancy Decarl on February 19, 1980, as per California Marriage Index, 1960-1985, "California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985." Citing Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento; accessed June 18, 2018.
- ^ a b Larry Manetti at IMDb
- ^ "BIZBUZZ for the week of Friday, June 10, 2011". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
- ^ "Keck's Exclusives: Magnum, P.I. Vet Guest Stars on Hawaii Five-0". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
- ^ Manetti on Blue Bloods, tvinsider.com. Accessed March 23, 2024.