Brad Markowitz is a Hollywood writer/producer with extensive TV credits. This is his first contribution to "For What It's Worth."
The older you get, the more friends you lose. I haven’t spoken to Jan Rubes in years, but when I heard that the venerable actor had passed away at the age of 89, it certainly felt like a death in the family, as it did when the ultimate pro, actor Lane Smith passed on a couple of years ago. Lane and Jan were both part of the cast of my first television series, “Kay O’Brien,” a medical show about a young female surgeon, which had a short but distinguished run on CBS back in the late eighties.
Jan may not be a household name, but millions would instantly recognize his stern visage and distinctive, accented voice lecturing Harrison Ford about “the gun of the hand” in his portrayal of the Amish patriarch in Peter Weir’s film “Witness.” Jan in fact had a long and distinguished performing career, both as an actor and an opera singer.
A native of Czechoslovakia, Jan emigrated to Canada as a young man and got his first film credit in 1963 for “The Incredible Journey.” It was a full 25 years later that I first met him as one of the candidates to play the wise, senior teaching surgeon on “Kay O’Brien.” Our executive producer, (the inimitable Bill Asher) and everyone else agreed he was perfect for the part. As myself and my then writing partner Bryce Zabel were absolute neophytes at writing and producing network TV shows, Jan’s authoritative voice and demeanor made it seem as if he were patiently teaching us, even when he was reading words we’d written for him.
As an actor, Jan was disciplined and always prepared but with an unexpected warmth and a sly sense of humor that went a long way toward calming the tensions on the set of a show that was aiming to take down no less a heavyweight than “Hill Street Blues, which was our Thursday night prime time competition. Needless to say, we didn’t unseat the NBC juggernaut, but not because of any failing on the part of our tremendous cast, which sent the likes of Patricia Kalember, (“Sisters”), Brian Benben, (“Dream On”) and Keone Young (“Deadwood”) on to bigger and better known, if not better things.
For all the young star power around him, Jan was the calm center of the storm in real life just as he was scripted to be in the series. I’ll always remember that he addressed me as an equal and a collaborator even though I was an over-my-head 26 year old and he an accomplished professional. I believe that his acceptance of Bryce and me as legitimate writers helped set a tone that others around him followed and I’ll be forever grateful to him for that.
Jan passed away June 29 in Toronto, the city where we filmed “Kay O’Brien.” He leaves behind a fine legacy on film and a large circle of friends and admirers, of which I am proud to count myself as one. As his maiden voyage in film suggests, Jan’s life was indeed an “Incredible Journey.”
For an appreciation of actor Lane Smith, CLICK HERE.
