Could you please tell me the current status of Vincent Edwards, who played Dr. Ben Casey in the 1960s? Is he still living? If so, what has he been doing the last several years and what is he doing now?
—Tommie S., Tennessee
Edwards succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 1996 at the age of 67. Famous for his role as a neurosurgeon in television's Ben Casey, he was a championship swimmer in high school and college but an appendectomy dashed his Olympic hopes and turned him to acting as an alternative career. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and became a contract player at Paramount Pictures in the early '50s. Early films included Mr. Universe and Hiawatha. Edwards was one of the first actors to direct his own show. He also recorded a few albums and played Las Vegas clubs. In the 1970s, he played another doctor—a hip psychiatrist—on the series Matt Lincoln. Edwards reprised his most famous role in the 1988 television movie The Return of Ben Casey.
